Celebrating our top-performing students at annual Medicine Awards
Prize winners Yash Pradeep Pratwardhan and Mia Yael Komesaroff.
Our high-performing medicine students were celebrated at the 2024 Medicine Awards held at the Monash Clayton campus this week, hosted by Deputy Dean of Medicine Professor Michelle Leech AM. Forty-three students were awarded for a wide range of achievements, including scoring the highest overall subject marks, making humanitarian contributions and providing support to their fellow medicine students.
The Sophie Davis Memorial Prize, awarded annually to the student who attained the highest overall marks in the medicine degree, was awarded to Bailey Melzak. Sophie Davis’s son and grandson, Dr Alan Davis and Mark Davis, presented the award.
Bailey said that he was deeply honoured to receive the prize. “Sophie’s legacy of service to her community strongly resonates with me as it reflects a core reason I chose a career in medicine,” he said. “This recognition fills me with pride, as it reflects the hard work and dedication I’ve put into my studies. However, more importantly, I see it as a celebration of the invaluable friendships formed. From Zoom calls going through exams/OSCES, debriefs in the common room and all the fun in between, my friends have supported me through every challenge and inspire me every day.
Sophie Davis Memorial Prize winner Bailey Melzak, Dr Alan Davis and Mark Davis.
“I also view this award as a testament to the remarkable teaching and mentorship I’ve received,” he said.“The Monash faculty and doctors on placement consistently demonstrated passion and generosity, creating a supportive and engaging learning environment. I regularly recall lightbulb moments I’ve had on placement, either from tutorials or ward rounds, where concepts or practical skills have finally clicked. As I prepare to transition from student to intern next year, I feel confident that their lessons will guide me well, and I would like to thank my family, friends, tutors, supervisors and all faculty staff for their enormous support during the last four years!”
In the ceremony, Professor Michelle Leech congratulated all of the prize winners. “We are delighted to acknowledge the extraordinary achievements of our students who have distinguished themselves academically and personally, and to welcome our sponsors who come each year to present these prizes, their families and the academic staff who have shared the journeys of these remarkable students,” she said. “I know we will see great things ahead from each of our prize winners, and we are proud to call you Monash Medicine alumni.”
Our prizewinners and sponsors include:
Name | Prize | Description |
James Daniel Crispin | Australian and New Zealand Society for Geriatric Medicine Prize for Excellence in Geriatric Medicine | Awarded to the most outstanding Monash 5D student in Aged Care, nominated on behalf of their Clinical School who attains the highest end-of-year Aged Care exam results. |
Ayooluwatomiwa Ibukun Oloruntoba | Robert Mohr Humanitarian Award | Awarded to the Medicine student submitting a project report and being judged as having made a significant contribution to an indigenous, remote or underprivileged community locally or abroad. |
Isabel Wei-Yenn Lee | Robert Mohr Humanitarian Award | Awarded to the Medicine student submitting a project report and being judged as having made a significant contribution to an indigenous, remote or underprivileged community locally or abroad. |
James Daniel Crispin | Sir Edward Hughes Medal and Prize in Surgery | Awarded to the Medicine student, from the Clayton program, nominated on behalf of their Clinical School who attains the highest Year 3B and 5D surgical results. |
Bailey Peter Melzak | Sophie Davis Memorial Prize | Awarded to the student who attains the highest overall marks in the award of the Medicine degree. |
Tegan Burns | *Alfred Hospital Residents’ and Graduates’ Association Prize | Awarded to the final year student from the Alfred Hospital who achieved the best overall mark for the course. |
Runqi Ma | *Harriet Power Prize in Medicine | Awarded to a final year Medicine student from Alfred Health (Alfred, Caulfield, Sandringham) as determined by a written examination, followed by a vive voce for selected candidates. |
Anthony Blaher | *Harry Hindlip Green Prize in Medicine | Awarded to the student completing fifth year from Alfred Health who performed best in their Year 3B OSCE. |
Runqi Ma | *Robert Power Prize in Surgery | Awarded to a year 5D Medicine student from Alfred Health as determined by a written examination, followed by a vive voce for selected candidates. |
Madeline Laidley Green | The Hatem Salem Award for Medical Student Research Excellence | Awarded to the final year Medicine student whose BMedSc(Hons) (undertaken at the School of Translational Medicine) is determined to have made a significant impact on their field of study. |
Johnson Chen | The Nip Thomson Award for Medical Student Clinical and Research Excellence | Awarded to a student who has completed a BMedSc(Hons) at the School of Translational Medicine and a fifth year medical rotation at the Alfred. The winner is the student meeting this criteria who has the highest overall mark for the course. |
Bonin Sok | Laila Rotstein Scholarly Intensive Project Prize | The final year student who completed their Scholarly Intensive Project (SIP) at the School of Translational Medicine who attains the highest overall result, as determined by overall SIP mark and judging panel. |
Meagan Ashley Roff | Bryan Hudson Prize in Medicine | Awarded to the best student from the School of Clinical Sciences as determined by the results of a viva voce examination by invitation at the end of the final year. |
Isobel Elisabeth Nicholls | Prince Henry’s Prize in Surgery | Awarded to the best student as determined by a viva voce examination by invitation. Shortlisted students are determined based on completion of a minimum of one semester in year 5D at the School of Clinical Sciences, including a rotation in Surgery, who obtain the highest aggregate marks in Surgery as determined by the results of their Year 3 examinations. |
Bailey Peter Melzak | School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health Board of Management Prize | Awarded to the final year student from the School of Clinical Sciences who obtains the highest aggregate marks in all five years of the MD. |
Ally Hui | School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health Emergency Medicine Prize | Awarded to the highest performing final year student in an Emergency Medicine written essay after nomination for this award by Monash Health Emergency staff. |
Michelle Xing | School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health Senior Medical Staff Prize for Excellence in Student Internship | Awarded to the final year student from the School of Clinical Sciences based on the combination of results of the Year 5 preparednesss for practice exam and commendations from the Safe Practice Assessment - Practical; and a minimum of two clinical supervisor recommendations. |
Sofia Emily Carter | School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health Student Intern Awards for Excellence | Awarded to one or more students who receive supervisor nominations for student intern awards; results of the Year 5 preparedness for practice exam and commendations from the Safe Practice Assessment - Practical. Awardees will demonstrate excellence in one or more rotations at Monash Health based on PIA assessment. |
James Daniel Crispin | School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health Student Intern Awards for Excellence | Awarded to the final year student from the School of Clinical Sciences based on the combination of results of the Year 5 preparednesss for practice exam and commendations from the Safe Practice Assessment - Practical; and clinical supervisor recommendations. |
April Rosalind Santamaria | School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health: Ellice Jane Hammond Prize for Excellence in Student Internship | Awarded to the SCS graduating student producing the highest quality project report, oral presentation and reflection. |
Sophie Louise Balzat | School of Clinical Sciences Exemplary Scholarly Intensive Award | Awarded to the SCS graduating student producing the highest quality project report, oral presentation and reflection. |
Sofia Emily Carter | Bachelor of Medical Science (Honours) prize | Awarded to the student who achieves the highest overall mark - Clayton or Malaysia. |
Emma Madeleine Aldous | Shaun Summers Award for Medical Student Research | Awarded to the BMedSc(Hons) student who achieves the highest grade in the SCSMH BMedSc(Hons) cohort. |
Mahesh Sakthivel | Stephen Holdsworth Prize for Medical Student Research | Awarded to the graduating student with the most important publication(s) to arise from their BMedSc(Hons). |
Benjamin Stephen O'Gorman | Eastern Health Clinical School Pre-Internship Prize | Awarded to the year 5D student who was on placement at EHCS for a minimum of one semester in year 5D who performed best in the MED5103 Patient Safety and Preparation for Practice Unit and exemplified MSP values. |
Fleur Alexandra Williams | Eastern Health Clinical School, Year 5D Student Award | Awarded to the year 5D student who was on placement at EHCS for a minimum of one semester in year 5D who received the highest overall grade and on recommendation by Medical Student Programs. |
Angelyn Brightfields Neoh | Eastern Health Clinical School, Scholarly Intensive Project Research Award | Awarded to the EHCS final year medical student who is deemed, by an independent judging panel, to have given the best Scholarly Intensive Project presentation. |
Philippa Gan | Faculty of Pain Medicine - Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists Prize in Pain Medicine | Awarded to the best Medicine student in Pain Medicine in either of the final two years of the Clayton program. |
Ashwin Madhavan | Hector Maclean Ophthalmology Prize | Awarded to the Medical student selected from a group of candidates across Deakin University, University of Melbourne, Monash University and Notre Dame University, with the highest mark in a written and clinical exam. |
Yash Pradeep Patwardhan | Monash Medical Alumni Prize | Awarded to the final year student who is judged by his or her colleagues as the student who contributed the most support to fellow students during the course of the Medicine degree. |
Yash Pradeep Patwardhan Cindy Zeng | MUMUS President Award & MUMUS Vice-President Award | Awarded to the MUMUS President and MUMUS Vice-President in recognition of their work. |
Mark Shane McDonald | MUMUS Vice-President Award (Graduate) | Awarded to the Monash Graduate Medicine student lead who has shown leadership and consistent advocacy for medical students in the graduate program. |
Dianne Lee Sanders | Christine McMenamin Professionalism Award | Awarded to the final year Graduate, Direct entry and Monash University Malaysia Medicine student who demonstrates very high levels of professionalism and respect in their interactions with patients, peers and educators as judged by senior staff and Associate Deans, Professionalism. |
Pragashini Raman | Christine McMenamin Professionalism Award | Awarded to the final year Graduate, Direct entry and Monash University Malaysia Medicine student who demonstrates very high levels of professionalism and respect in their interactions with patients, peers and educators as judged by senior staff and Associate Deans, Professionalism. |
Benjamin Stephen O'Gorman | Christine McMenamin Professionalism Award | Awarded to the final year Graduate, Direct entry and Monash University Malaysia Medicine student who demonstrates very high levels of professionalism and respect in their interactions with patients, peers and educators as judged by senior staff and Associate Deans, Professionalism. |
Mia Yael Komesaroff | Extended Rural Cohort Graduate Prize | Awarded to the final year Medicine student from the Extended Rural Cohort who attains the highest aggregate marks in the Medicine degree. |
Bailey Peter Melzak | School of Rural Health (Churchill) Graduation Prize | Awarded to the final year student from the Graduate Program who attains the highest aggregate mark in the award of the Medicine degree. |
Ethan John Kevin McGucken | Teresa Neale Award | Awarded to the Medicine student who has made the most significant contribution to rural, remote and Indigenous health awareness through their commitment to the promotion of rural and Indigenous health. |
Tegan Callahan | Monash Rural Health Graduate Prize | Awarded to the student across all campuses who has completed the majority of their placements at a rural site in Victoria and obtains the highest aggregate marks in the award of Bachelor of Medical Science and Doctor of Medicine (MD) |
Lucas Riley Neumaier | Dr Tim McArdle Graduate Prize | Awarded to Final Year student who has completed the majority of their placements at a Gippsland rural site in Victoria and obtains the highest aggregate mark in the award of Bachelor of Medical Science and Doctor of Medicine (MD) |
Mitchell William Roberts | Monash Rural Health SIP Prize | Awarded to the most deserving Final Year Monash Rural Health student for their enthusiasm, motivation, independence, commitment, professionalism and scholarly work, during their Scholarly Intensive Placement. |
Georgia Elizabeth Rush | End to End Rural Cohort (RE2E) Prize *New for 2024 | Awarded to the Final Year student from the End to End Rural Cohort who obtains the highest aggregate mark in the award of Bachelor of Medical Science and Doctor of Medicine (MD) |
About Monash University
Monash University is Australia’s largest university with more than 80,000 students. In the 60 years since its foundation, it has developed a reputation for world-leading high-impact research, quality teaching, and inspiring innovation.
With four campuses in Australia and a presence in Malaysia, China, India, Indonesia and Italy, it is one of the most internationalised Australian universities.
As a leading international medical research university with the largest medical faculty in Australia and integration with leading Australian teaching hospitals, we consistently rank in the top 50 universities worldwide for clinical, pre-clinical and health sciences.
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