On Monday, 24 November 2025, the Raine Medical Research Foundation proudly hosted its annual awards ceremony at The University Club of Western Australia. This distinguished breakfast event marked the formal announcement of the 2025 recipients of the Foundation’s grants, fellowships, awards, and prizes.
The ceremony was honoured by the presence of Professor Sharath Sriram, Chief Scientist of Western Australia, Dr Stacey Waters, Executive Director of Research and Innovation at the WA Department of Health, Professor Tim Colmer, Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Western Australia, along with the Foundation’s valued funding partners and donors. Their participation highlighted the strong partnership between the Foundation, the State, and the broader community in advancing medical research to improve health outcomes for all.
The program was enriched by inspiring presentations from our four awardees:
- Dr Elizabeth Hill- Raine Robson BrightSpark Fellow, Raine Priming Grants
- Dr Virginie Lam- Raine Priming Grants
- Dr Piers Truter- Clinician Research Fellowships
- Dr Melvin Chin- Clinician Research Fellowships
Each speaker delivered innovative accounts of their research, exemplifying the calibre of medical researchers supported by the Foundation and reflecting a shared commitment to improving healthcare outcomes through discovery and innovation.
In the 2025 grant round, the Foundation is delighted to announce the allocation of over $3.2 million in funding to support medical research programs commencing in 2026. This significant investment represents a major step forward in the pursuit of knowledge and the translation of research into practice.
Awards were presented across multiple categories:
RAINE PRIMING GRANTS – supporting early-career researchers as they establish independent careers
We proudly announce that six Raine Priming Grants (from 53 eligible applications – 11% success rate) have been awarded to early-career scientists who are progressing toward an independent research career.
Dr Elizabeth Hill: Raine Robson BrightSpark Fellow
Curtin University
Project: Optimising mental health service access and engagement for children with language disorders
$242,854.09- Co-funded by the BrightSpark Foundation, Cockell Bequest and Raine Foundation
Dr Maria Emilia Dueñas: Raine BrightSpark Fellow
The Kids Research Institute Australia, The University of Western Australia
Project: Uncovering Protective Targets for Next-Generation Mucosal Vaccines Against Strep A
$230,138.98- Co-funded by the BrightSpark Foundation, Charter Hall and the Raine Foundation
Dr Marion Mundt
Edith Cowan University
Project: Harnessing the power of AI on bone density images for predicting physical function and decline
$238,076.12- Funded by the Raine Foundation
Dr Benjamin Parmenter
Edith Cowan University
Project: Can higher flavonoid diversity keep the doctor away?
$236,859.12- Funded by the Raine Foundation
Dr Nicola Principe
Institute for Respiratory Health, The University of Western Australia
Project: Exploring lipid metabolism to overcome immunotherapy resistance for thoracic cancers
$238,159.12 – Funded by the Raine Foundation
Dr Francois Xavier Rwandamuriye
Institute for Respiratory Health, The University of Western Australia
Project: Developing effective mRNA-based Neoantigen Cancer Vaccines
$236,409.12- Funded by the Raine Foundation
CLINICIAN RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS – empowering clinician-researchers to bring innovation directly into patient care
We are pleased to announce that four Clinician Research Fellowships have been awarded (from 19 eligible applications – 21% 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 Hun Chuah
Royal Perth Hospital
Project: Transforming Care for Myelofibrosis: Innovative Blood Tests to Predict & Prevent Leukaemia
$422,056.72
Dr David Foley
PathWest Laboratory Medicine
Project: FLASH-VI: Fast laboratory assessment of high-risk virus infectivity
$223,096.85
Clinical Professor Rajesh Thomas
Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital
Project: Optimising novel Robotic Bronchoscopy technique to improve lung cancer diagnosis-treatment
$452,392.00
Dr Piers Truter
South Metropolitan Health Service
Project: Enhancing Simple Fracture Care: Balancing Consumer Outcomes and System Efficiency
$337,287.50
RESEARCH COLLABORATION AWARDS – recognizing the strength of collaboration in driving discovery
There were 27 eligible applications for the 2025 Research Collaboration Awards, of which 8 were successful (30% success rate).
Dr Kak Ming Ling
The University of Western Australia, in collaboration with Nanyang Technological University
Project: Advancing Phage Therapy for Non-Tuberculous Mycobacteria Infections Across Oceania and Asia-Pacific
$59,571.76 – Funded by the Healy Foundation
Dr Sanjay Ramakrishnan
The University of Western Australia, in collaboration with School of Medicine & Public Health, University of Newcastle, NSW, Trajan Scientific Australia Pty Ltd
Project: PREACT: Pre-Attack Circulating Transcriptomics in Asthma
$59,306.46- Funded by the Healy Foundation
Dr Aleksandra Miljevic
The University of Western Australia, in collaboration with University of Calgary, Perron Institute, Emyria
Project: PharmacoMap: Personalising Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy through Pharmacogenetic Screening
$30,000.00- Funded by the Cockell Bequest
Professor Gavin Pereira
Curtin University, in collaboration with Harvard University
Project: Climate Stressors and Mental Health in Western Australia: Foundational Epidemiological and Economic Analyses for National Research Development
$28,621.50- Funded by the Cockell Bequest
Dr Ingrid Stacey
The University of Western Australia, in collaboration with Eleanor Duncan Aboriginal Services, South West Aboriginal Medical Service
Project: Community led data story telling: an implementation study of cardiovascular health measures in partnership with Eleanor Duncan Aboriginal Services and the South West Aboriginal Medical Service
$59,950.00 – Funded by the Cockell Bequest
Dr Jessica Buck
The University of Western Australia, in collaboration with the Children’s Cancer Institute, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute
Project: Culturally safe precision oncology for First Nations children with cancer
$59,775.00- Co-funded by the Stan Perron Charitable Foundation and the Raine Foundation
Dr Stephanie Enkel
The University of Western Australia, in collaboration with the Center for Health and Wellbeing, Princeton University, Health Nutrition and Population global practice, The World Bank
Project: Leading for Impact: Strengthening leadership for child health program implementation in low-resource settings
$45,020.00- Funded by the Stan Perron Charitable Foundation
Dr Lucy Furfaro
The University of Western Australia, in collaboration with the University of Sydney, Group B Strep International, Group B Strep Support, University of Buenos Aires, Miracle Babies Foundation
Project: Global insights to inform Group B Streptococcus disease prevention strategies
$59,999.07- Co-funded by the Stan Perron Charitable Foundation and the Raine Foundation
PUBLICATION PRIZES – celebrating excellence in scientific writing and knowledge sharing
Three 2025 Publications Prizes were awarded from 7 eligible applications (43% success rate).
Raine Research Prize
Dr Myles Murphy
Edith Cowan University
Publication: TENDINopathy Severity assessment-Achilles (TENDINS-A): evaluation of reliability and validity in accordance with COSMIN recommendations, British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2024
$5,000 – Funded by the Raine Foundation
Strachan Memorial Prize
Dr Sanjay Ramakrishnan
The University of Western Australia
Publication: Treating eosinophilic exacerbations of asthma and COPD with benralizumab (ABRA): a double-blind, double-dummy, active placebo-controlled randomised trial, The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, 2024
$5,000 – Funded by the Strachan Bequest
Raine KW Wong Resaerch Prize
Dr Benjamin Parmenter
Edith Cowan University
Publication: High diversity of dietary flavonoid intake is associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality and major chronic diseases, Nature Food, 2025
$5,000 – Co-funded by the KW Wong Family and the Raine Foundation
Link to Past Recipients
The Research Committee extends its warmest commendations to all recipients and acknowledges the exceptional quality of applications received. The Committee further conveys its best wishes to all applicants as they continue their vital work to transform healthcare and enhance the wellbeing of the community.
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