HealtheX 2026

Congratulations to the following winners!

Auckland Medical Research Foundation (AMRF) Outstanding Emerging Researcher and Best Doctoral Oral Presentation Award

$1000 and a $4000 AMRF Travel Grant
Stian Thomson - Alterations in Cardiac Vagal Control and Reflex Function in Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction
Department of Physiology
Supervisor: Dr Julia Shanks & Associate Professor Rohit Ramchandra

AMRF Doctoral Oral Presentation First Runner Up Award

$700 and a $2500 AMRF Travel Grant
Harriet Spoelstra - Inflammatory response of post-mortem Alzheimer’s pericytes and effect of APOE genotype
Department of Pharmacology
Supervisor: Dr Erin Cawston & Professor Michael Dragunow

FMHS Doctoral Oral Presentation Second Runner Up Award

$500
Grace Donaldson - Sperm Morphological Segmentation: In-depth Assessment with Machine Learning
Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Reproductive Sciences
Supervisor: Dr Lynsey Cree & Dr Nicholas Knowlton

Sir John Logan Campbell Medical Trust Best Masters Oral Presentation Award

$1000
Olivia Hogan - Fellowship of the Enzymes: Not One to Rule the production of Immunosuppressive Kynurenine in Cancer
Department of Cancer Sciences (Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre)
Supervisor: Dr Petr Tomek & Dr Justin Rustenhoven

FMHS Masters Oral Presentation First Runner Up Award

$700
Lissof Ao - Investigation of how melanoma large vesicular bodies facilitate brain metastasis
Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology
Supervisor:  Dr Akshata Anchan & Associate Professor Scott Graham

FMHS Masters Oral Presentation Second Runner Up Award

$500
Rajeh Bukhiet - Proof of concept CRISPR-Cas9 therapy for glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency
School of Biological Sciences
Supervisor: Associate Professor Jessie Jacobsen & Professor Russell G Snell

Sir John Logan Campbell Medical Trust Best Honours/Summer Studentship Oral Presentation Award

$1000
Sylvia McDougall - Blood Pressure Following Preterm Birth From Ages 30 To 50 Years
Liggins Institute
Supervisor: Dr Robyn May & Distinguished Professor Dame Jane Harding

FMHS Honours/Summer Studentship Oral Presentation First Runner Up Award

$700
Emily Parker - Preclinical comparison of novel and emerging treatments for cardiometabolic heart failure with preserved ejection fraction
Department of Physiology
Supervisor: Associate Professor Kim Mellor & Dr Marco Annandale

FMHS Honours/Summer Studentship Oral Presentation Second Runner Up Award

$500
Jake Fuyala - Do monetary incentives increase maternal and child health questionnaire response? Evidence from GEMS
Liggins Institute
Supervisor: Distinguished Professor Dame Jane Harding & Associate Professor Greg Gamble

AMRF Best Poster Presentation Award

$1000 and a $2500 AMRF Travel Grant
Sonalani Shandil - Microglial Phenotypes in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis linked to C9orf72, SOD1 or UBQLN2 genetic variants
School of Biological Science 
Supervisor: Dr Molly Swanson & Associate Professor Emma Scotter

FMHS Poster Presentation First Runner Up Award

$700
Jerry Li - Development of a Method to Assess Knee Cartilage Degeneration Using Machine-Learning-Driven Ultrasound Imaging
Department of Anatomy and Medical Imaging
Supervisor: Associate Professor Sue McGlashan & Professor Richard Ellis

FMHS Poster Presentation Second Runner Up Award

$500
Surleen Saggi - DNA-dependent Protein Kinase Prodrugs as Radiosensitisers for Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinomas
Department of Cancer Sciences
Supervisor: Associate Professor Michael Hay & Dr Cho Rong Hong

FMHS Poster Presentation People's Choice Award

$300
Yang Sun - Enhancing flucloxacillin activity against Staphylococcus aureus biofilm infections using lactoferrin
School of Medicine
Supervisor: Professor Jillian Cornish & Professor Simon Swift

Maurice and Phyllis Paykel Trust Best Elevator Pitch Presentation Award

$1000
Daniel Wing - Determining the 3D Organization of Plant-Derived DNA in Human Cells
School of Biological Sciences
Supervisor: Dr Austen Ganley & Professor Justin O'Sullivan

FMHS Post Doctoral Society First Runner Up Elevator Pitch Presentation Award

$700
Nina Luo - Punctate white matter abnormalities on magnetic resonance imaging in moderate-late preterm babies
Liggins Institute
Supervisor: Professor Jane Harding & Dr Caroline Walker

FMHS Postgraduate Student Association Second Runner Up Elevator Pitch Presentation Award

$500
Sachi Rathod - School-based Eyecare for Every Kid: Developing a Children's Eyecare Pathway Model in Aotearoa
School of Optometry and Vision Sciences
Supervisor: Associate Professor Joanna Black & Associate Professor Richard Edlin

FMHS Postgraduate Student Association Elevator Pitch Presentation People's Choice Award

$300
Daniel Wing - Determining the 3D Organization of Plant-Derived DNA in Human Cells
School of Biological Sciences
Supervisor: Dr Austen Ganley & Professor Justin O'Sullivan

Supervisor Appreciation Award

Dr Sibusiso Mdletshe - Senior Lecturer
Department of Anatomy and Medical Imaging

Sir John Logan Campbell Medical Trust Māori Health Research Award

$1000
Fushia Tibble - Te Ira Mate Tūtohu: Filaggrin, me te Whakakotahi i ngā Iho Kiri
Department of Cancer Sciences
Supervisor: Dr Kimiora Hēnare & Dr Anna Rolleston

Sir John Logan Campbell Medical Trust Pacific Health Research Award

$1000
Gerald Naepi - Improving Pacific health literacy through the integration of Pacific peoples’ needs into lab research
Department of Physiology
Supervisor: Dr Kim Mellor & Dr Fiona McBryde

FMHS PGSA Excellent Abstract Award

$200
Grace Donaldson - Sperm Morphological Segmentation: In-depth Assessment with Machine Learning
Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Reproductive Sciences
Supervisor: Dr Lynsey Cree & Dr Nicholas Knowlton

FMHS PGSA Excellent Abstract Award

$200
Isabel Lawrence - In the NAC of time: N-Acetylcysteine as a Delayed Treatment for Preterm Brain Injury
Department of Physiology
Supervisor: Associate Professor Justin Dean & Dr Petra White

FMHS PGSA Excellent Abstract Award

$200
Yulia Korduke - APOE ε4 and Cognitive Status Moderate The Association Between Midlife Physical Activity and Cerebral Perfusion
School of Psychology (SBS)
Supervisor: Dr Catherine Morgan & Professor Lynette Tippett

FMHS PGSA Excellent Abstract Award

$200
Fushia Tibble - Te Ira Mate Tūtohu: Filaggrin, me te Whakakotahi i ngā Iho Kiri
Department of Cancer Sciences
Supervisor: Dr Kimiora Hēnare & Dr Anna Rolleston

FMHS PGSA Excellent Abstract Award

$200
Yuyun Ni - Exploring Microdosing Psychedelics as a Self-Managed Treatment for Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder: A Qualitative Study
School of Pharmacy
Supervisor: Dr Hannah Douglass & Professor Suresh Muthukumaraswamy

FMHS PGA Excellent Abstract Award

$200
Yuting Yang - Survival outcomes in invasive lobular carcinoma versus invasive breast carcinoma of non-special type: systematic review
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Supervisor: Dr Annette Lasham, Dr Nicholas Knowlton, Dr Alana Cavadino & Dr Phyu Sin Aye