2024 Grants, Fellowships, Awards and Prizes announcement

At an engaging breakfast awards ceremony, the 2024 awardees of the Raine Medical Research Foundation’s grants, fellowships, awards, and prizes were unveiled at The University Club of Western Australia. The event, held on the 28th of November 2024, brought together an inspiring assembly of researchers, supporters, and distinguished guests. Among them, we were honoured to welcome Ms. Stacey Waters, Executive Director of Research and Innovation for the WA Department of Health, who represented the Honourable Stephen Dawson, Minister for Medical Research.

The occasion was graced by presentations from four of our recipients. Dr. Luis Calzadilla Bertot (Raine Robson Fellow, Raine Priming Grants), Dr. Denby Evans (Raine Priming Grants), Dr. Bernadette Ricciardo (Clinician Research Fellowships), and Dr. Peter Lau (Clinician Research Fellowships) shared insights into their groundbreaking work, inspiring all in attendance with their passion and vision for improving healthcare in our community.

In the 2024 grant round, we are delighted to announce the award of over $2.8 million in funding for medical research programs set to commence in 2025.

The Research Committee commends the outstanding research being undertaken across Western Australia and extends its heartfelt congratulations to this year’s grant recipients. We also wish all applicants continued success in their vital efforts to transform healthcare and improve outcomes for our community.

To view photos from the 2024 Raine Medical Research Foundation Annual Award Ceremony, please click here.

Raine Priming Grants

We proudly announce that six Raine Priming Grants (from 59 eligible applications – 10.17% success rate) have been awarded to early-career scientists who are progressing toward an independent research career. The top applicant in the cohort is named in honour of the late Professor Alan Robson, the longest-serving Chair of the Foundation, and is awarded the prestigious title of Raine Robson Fellow.

Dr Luis Calzadilla Bertot: Raine Robson Fellow
The University of Western Australia
Project: Optimizing hepatocellular cancer surveillance in metabolic associated fatty liver disease.
$248,390.00

Dr Denby Evans
The Kids Research Institute Australia
Project: The airway epithelium: A treatable trait of preterm lung disease?
$247,855.60 – Co-funded by the Raine Foundation, Charter Hall and the BrightSpark Foundation 

Dr David Hancock
The University of Western Australia
Project: Predicting a child’s respiratory trajectory in early life
$247,542.60  –  Co-funded by the Raine Foundation and the BrightSpark Foundation 

Dr Michael Kyron
The University of Western Australia
Project: Leveraging daily life physiology and behaviours to detect and prevent suicide risk
$193,790.63  –  Co-funded by the Raine Foundation and the Cockell Bequest

Dr Amy Prosser
The University of Western Australia
Project: Devising a novel stop and kill strategy to promote transplant tolerance
$247,804.63

Dr Mridul Johari
Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research
Project: From Coding to Cryptic – Exploring the RNA World of Inclusion Body Myositis (IBM)
$247,815.63

Clinician Research Fellowships

We are pleased to announce that four Clinician Research Fellowships have been awarded (from 18 eligible applications – 22.22% success rate) to clinicians who wish to develop their research capability while continuing some clinical duties. All recipients are co-funded by the Raine Foundation and the Future Health Research & Innovation Fund.

Dr Bernadette Ricciardo
Fiona Stanley Hospital
Project: Moorditj Marp (strong skin) – SHARE Program for Aboriginal Children
$422,105.31

Dr Peter Lau
Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital
Project: Treating Melanoma Resistant to Conventional Immunotherapy with Cell Therapy 
$445,562.00

Dr Martin Rabey
Royal Perth Hospital
Project: Changing the focus of musculoskeletal pain to strengths-based pain protection
$303,652.04

Dr Cynthia Hawks
Fiona Stanley Hospital
Project: Nurse-led study reporting outcomes of combination intravesical therapy for bladder cancer
$104,272.25

Research Collaboration Awards

There were 13 eligible applications for the 2024 Research Collaboration Awards, of which six were successful (46.15% success rate).

Dr Aaron Beasley
Edith Cowan University
Collaborating Institution/s: Medical University of Graz, Austria
Project: Fragmentomic features of cell-free DNA predict late-stage melanoma treatment benefit and survival
$29,914.00 – Funded by the Healy Medical Research Foundation

Dr Amy Prosser
The University of Western Australia 
Collaborating Institution/s: Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Victoria
Project: Finding novel targets to prevent transplanted organ rejection
$29,990.00 – Funded by the Healy Medical Research Foundation

Dr Danielle Mathersul
Murdoch University
Collaborating Institution/s: University of California San Diego (UCSD) Health Services Research Center, USA; WA Sub-Branch of the Australian Special Air Service Association (ASASA-WA Branch)
Project: Cost-Effectiveness and Enhanced Co-Design of a Randomised Controlled Trial Comparing Yoga and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to Improve Mental Health in Australians
$29,964.00 – Funded by the Cockell Bequest (mental health research)

Dr Blake Cavve
The Kids Research Institute Australia and The University of Western Australia
Collaborating Institution/s: Transgender Health Group, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Victoria; Queensland Children’s Gender Service
Project: Reidentification with Birth-Registered Sex in a Western Australian Pediatric Gender Clinic – Inter-state extensions to inform a registered audit
$13,078.00 – Funded by the Cockell Bequest (mental health research)

Dr Denby Evans
The Kids Research Institute Australia and Curtin University
Collaborating Institution: University of Barcelona, Spain
Project: From prematurity to adult lung disease: harmonising data analysis to provide novel insights into chronic lung disease following preterm birth
$29,340.00 – Co-funded by the Raine Foundation, the Stan Perron Charitable Foundation and the BrightSpark Foundation (child health research)

Dr Jane Choi
The University of Western Australia
Collaborating Institution: Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, USA
Project: Unravelling the mysteries of neonatal lung clocks to improve lifelong health and well-being of premature babies
$28,593.00 – Co-funded by the Raine Foundation, the Stan Perron Charitable Foundation and the BrightSpark Foundation (child health research)

Publication Prizes

Three 2024 Publications Prizes were awarded from 11 eligible applications (27.27% success rate).

Dr Francois Xavier Rwandamuriye: Raine Research Prize
The Kids Research Institute Australia and The University of Western Australia
Publication: A surgically optimized intraoperative poly (I:C)-releasing hydrogel prevents cancer recurrence. Cell Reports Medicine. 2023.
$5,000 

Dr Matthew Bagg: Strachan Memorial Prize
The University of Notre Dame Australia
Publication: Effect of Graded Sensorimotor Retraining on Pain Intensity in Patients With Chronic Low Back Pain. A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA. 2022.
$5,000 – Funded by the Strachan Bequest (clinical research)

Dr Blake Cavve: Raine BrightSpark Research Prize
The Kids Research Institute Australia and The University of Western Australia
Publication: Reidentification With Birth-Registered Sex in a Western Australian Pediatric Gender Clinic Cohort. JAMA Pediatrics. 2024.
$5,000 – Co-funded by the Raine Foundation and the BrightSpark Foundation (child health research)

Link to Past Recipients

Do consider supporting the efforts of the Raine Foundation by contributing to medical research via our donations page or leaving a gift towards supporting research. More information on that HERE.

Please do keep in touch by ‘liking’ the Raine Medical Research Foundation Facebook page and taking note of our website HERE. Everyone on our mailing list will also be updated when new funding rounds open, so do send these on to colleagues who may be interested.