Celebrating the Dean’s Awards for Excellence 2026
A sector-first approach to trauma-informed family violence education, a research team reshaping global management of bacterial vaginosis and a community engagement program strengthening Monash University’s relationship with Indigenous communities are among the projects, people and teams recognised in the Monash Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences Dean’s Awards for Excellence 2026, held in a virtual ceremony today.
The awards acknowledge the outstanding contributions of the faculty’s academic and professional staff to health and medical research, education, community engagement, equity, diversity, and inclusion, and health, safety and wellbeing. An opportunity to recognise the depth and breadth of excellence within the faculty community, the awards acknowledge the valuable contributions made to the faculty’s vision of improving the human condition.
Professor John Carroll, Interim Executive Dean of Monash Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, congratulated the award winners. “The Dean’s Awards for Excellence are recognition of the outstanding efforts of our academic and professional staff in improving the human condition through education, research and professional services,” he said. “Behind every ranking, publication, new course, research partnership and student success are teams of academic and professional staff. These achievements depend on people who lead, innovate and collaborate, as well as those whose expertise and commitment make that work possible every day. That collective excellence is what makes Monash Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences exceptional—and it is what we recognise and celebrate with these awards. Thank you for your dedication, passion, and collaboration.”
Our award winners are:
Dean’s Award for Excellence in Education
Dean’s Award for Excellence in Education: Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning
Associate Professor Khoa Cao - Monash Medical School
Medical technology and AI are rapidly transforming clinical practice, yet until recently, Australian medical education offered few structured pathways for students to engage with this shift. As recently as 2023, Monash medical students interested in medtech largely had to chart their own course. Today, they enter an integrated ecosystem Associate Professor Cao designed and now leads at the Monash Medical School built on three principles: project-based learning for curious students, sustained mentorship for exceptional students, and a highly supportive and tight-knit network for all. Nexus, the professional medtech community established by Associate Professor Cao’s team, has engaged nearly 1,000 students through bootcamps, workshops, hackathons, competitions, and experiential events. From this group, exceptional students are selected into Associate Professor Cao’s lab for research projects supported by one-on-one mentorship and small-group teaching. The ecosystem supports student-led initiatives across all Monash Partners hospitals, has built partnerships with leading institutions, and has informed educational processes at Monash and internationally. Participant outcomes further reflect this impact, including Women in STEM Awards, AI Policy Fellowships at UC Berkeley, investment roles at leading Australian venture firms, Hult Prize wins, and scholarships to Stanford University.
Ms Siobhan Hardiman - Monash Social Work, School of Primary and Allied Health Care
Siobhan Hardiman is leading a sector-first approach to trauma-informed family violence education within allied health and psychology, advancing family violence capability across both specialist and core health curricula. Siobhan’s work reshapes how future health professionals are prepared to recognise, respond to, and prevent family violence across multiple disciplines at Monash University. Siobhan developed and coordinates SWM3127 Foundations for Family Violence Practice, the first dedicated family violence unit within an undergraduate psychology degree in Victoria and across the Group of Eight. She also coordinates SWM5127 Family Violence and Social Work Practice in the Master of Social Work and has led curriculum embedded across psychology, paramedicine, nursing and midwifery, and social work, reaching hundreds of students annually. Siobhan’s approach integrates trauma-informed and practice-based learning with evidence-informed theoretical, policy, and legislative frameworks, supporting students to build reflective practice and scaffolded skills development. Grounded in principles of social justice and trauma-informed education, Siobhan’s curriculum prepares students to engage ethically and compassionately with complex practice realities. This work positions Monash University as a national leader in family violence education and contributes directly to Impact 2030’s “Thriving Communities” priority. Students report increased confidence, preparedness, and capability in responding to family violence.
Dr Jon Lee - School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health
An estimated 140,000 diagnostic errors occur in Australia annually with 21,000 cases of serious harm and approximately 2000-4000 deaths. As an emergency doctor for over 20 years, Dr Lee saw doctors making the same diagnostic errors he had made, year after year, so he set himself the challenge to tackle this. The Clinical Diagnostic Reasoning In Action (CDRIA) series is a multi-award-winning collection of 21 live and 20 pre-recorded lectures he developed to help third-year medical students think like a doctor, to improve thoroughness and efficiency, while also decreasing the incidence of missed diagnoses. It utilises real patient cases, and the latest technological hardware and software, combined with pedagogically proven techniques of spaced repetition, interleaving, quizzes and flipped classrooms to enhance learning. Using digital stethoscopes combined with interactive video allowing students to see and hear what the patient looks and sounds like simultaneously, the approach has not been utilised anywhere else in the world to Dr Lee’s knowledge. Video also allows teaching cases, traditionally limited to those at the bedside, to be utilised year after year by hundreds of students across Australia and Malaysia. The series has received widespread acclaim by students, faculty and wider medical education community at conferences, for its innovative approach for over five years running.
Dr Alan McCubbin - Department of Nutrition, Dietetics & Food, School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health
Our students are increasingly demographically diverse, culturally diverse, and neurodiverse. This presents challenges for optimising student engagement in large, diverse cohorts. Over the past five years, Dr McCubbin has implemented several practices to improve student engagement in the Bachelor of Nutrition Science, including multimodal asynchronous content to support varied student learning styles and preferences; signposting scaffolded content to encourage reflection and knowledge consolidation; ‘rotating’ activities during in-person workshops, incorporating multi-sensory learning principles to complement screen-and-whiteboard-based learning; assessment redesign to suit different student academic strengths; consumer engagement with students as a form of authentic assessment, and a cross-unit approach to artificial intelligence for learning and assessment. Dr McCubbin’s underlying educational philosophy is that student and staff engagement are intertwined. Practices that boost student engagement have engaged staff at their core. While evidence-informed teaching practices are helpful, ultimately students rise or fall to the level of engagement of their educators. The impact of Dr McCubbin’s pedagogical approaches has been consistently recognised through Student Evaluation of Teaching and Units (SETU), student engagement committees and internal unit evaluations. Beyond student cohorts, Dr McCubbin has also been requested to present these practices to the Department of Nutrition, Dietetics & Food’s teaching team and the faculty’s Educational Excellence Showcase.
Dean’s Award for Excellence in Education: Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning - Indigenous Education Citation
Mr David Byrnes, Dr Lisa Hall, Mr Kamil Chetty, Ms Louise Hodgetts - Monash Rural Health
The Monash Rural Health (MRH) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Framework (2021-2030) outlines four framing pillars, one of which is ‘embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives and content into curriculum’. The program focuses on how Monash Rural Health North West are implementing this pillar on the ground. The footprint for Monash Rural Health North West extends from their GP Hubs in Gisborne and Woodend all the way up to the MRH site in Mildura and includes everything in between. The education teams across the whole region, led by the MRH Indigenous Community Engagement Lead, David Byrnes, are committed to genuinely embedding Indigenous perspectives across the curriculum, not as a one-off activity, but as a series of place-based, co-designed, interconnecting experiences that have grown out of engagement with local First Nations people and communities. Embedding these experiences into the time that students spend in the North West Victorian region helps student build their knowledge, understanding, empathy and capacity, so that when they enter the workforce, they not only feel more confident as graduates capable of culturally-safe and anti‐racist practice, but have a strong framework for how to continually improve their practice as they live and work on different country, and support the health needs of different communities through their careers as doctors.
Dean’s Award for Excellence In Education: Teaching Excellence
BMA Team - Associate Professor Sharon Flecknoe, Dr Amanda Davies, Dr Kate Carroll - Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute
The BMA team has transformed two large first-year human bioscience units by treating students’ self-efficacy, belonging and academic challenge as inseparable drivers of success. Since 2016, their continually evolving learning design has become a sustained example of inclusive, active and evidence-informed bioscience education. BMA1011 and BMA1012 are core first-year units, servicing up to 600 allied health students annually across two campuses and four degrees. Historically, bioscience units are associated with fear, anxiety and high fail rates, and fail rates had reached approximately 30 percent. In response, the team redesigned the learning experience around structured online preparation, active team-based workshops, personalised feedback, gamification, inclusive practice and a commitment to facilitating student belonging. Their Pedagogy of Care approach is grounded in the belief that students learn best when they feel known, supported, challenged and capable. Weekly learning is carefully scaffolded so students build confidence before class, construct and apply understanding collaboratively during class, and experience bioscience education as social, achievable and relevant. The team has demonstrated sustained impact for over a decade: fail rates have fallen from around 30 percent to around 5 percent, attendance remains at 90 percent, and their reflective approach, that continually evolves to meet the needs of our learners, now informs teaching practice across Monash and nationally.
Dr Georgina Stephens - Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute
Medical students often perceive anatomy as isolated facts to be memorised, yet clinical practice requires the application of anatomical knowledge to care for people whose bodies and preferences are unique. My teaching philosophy centres the human in human anatomy, using anatomy education to develop not only foundational knowledge, but professional capabilities essential for practice, including uncertainty tolerance, ethical and person-centred care, and appreciation of bodily diversity. Guided by a sustained program of education research, Dr Stephens has led and evaluated a comprehensive redesign of the medical anatomy curriculum through research-informed innovations that build students’ knowledge and confidence in core concepts while creating authentic opportunities to practise navigating uncertainty in healthcare contexts. Her impact extends beyond students through open-access resources used globally to support educators in preparing learners for uncertainty, professional development initiatives for early career anatomy educators, and contributions informing educational and regulatory policy. Recognised through student-voted, school and faculty awards for teaching for innovation and student learning, alongside exemplary student feedback, this work transforms anatomy from a memorisation-based subject into an educational foundation for developing reflective, uncertainty-tolerant and person-centred future clinicians.
Dean’s Award for Excellence in Education: Innovation in Learning and Teaching
Mr John Ryan - Department of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences, School of Primary and Allied Health Care
Mr John Ryan transformed the teaching of Image-guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT) from traditional lectures into an authentic, simulation-based learning experience using existing university technologies. IGRT is critical for delivering precise and safe cancer radiation therapy treatment, yet students often enter clinical placements without sufficient opportunity to practise imaging-based decision-making. To address this gap, Mr Ryan developed a scalable simulation model integrating clinical software, interactive learning resources, and structured digital portfolios across both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. This allows students on campus and online to practise real-world workflows before entering clinical environments. This approach has demonstrably improved student confidence, capability, and readiness for clinical placement. Students report stronger understanding and reduced anxiety, while objective assessment data show progression in technical and clinical skills. Importantly, enhanced preparedness has enabled a two-week reduction in clinical placement duration without compromising competency outcomes, improving both educational efficiency and sustainability.
Dean’s Award for Excellence in Education: Educational Leadership
Professor Michelle Lazarus - Centre for Human Anatomy Education, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute
Anatomy is one of the oldest foundational sciences in health professions education (HPE). While its longevity provides stability, it can also foster uncritical loyalty to ‘what has been’. Anatomy is not simply the study of structures; it examines bodies as understood within socio-cultural contexts. The discipline both shapes and is shaped by society. Historically, the male body was privileged as the norm, embedding racialised and ableist interpretations of difference as ‘anomalies’, often under the guise of being evidence-based. Without critical reflection, anatomy risks perpetuating exclusionary understandings of humankind. The field continues to grapple with how to hold the tension between the structural constancy of the human form and the evolving cultural forces that shape its meaning. Professor Lazarus’ leadership addresses this gap through intentional, evidence-based, community-centred, and collaborative approaches. Her internationally recognised work on navigating uncertainty advances an ‘uncertainty-informed’ approach to anatomy education. This supports educators and learners to engage with discomfort, fostering curiosity, openness, and critical reflection. These capabilities are essential as the discipline responds to shifting cultural norms and technological change. Described as “courageous,” her leadership challenges entrenched dogma and enables critical engagement with issues such as gendered and racialised representations of the body and the role of ethics in anatomy education - enhancing our wellbeing in the process.
Dean’s Award for Excellence in Education: Programs that Enhance Learning
Team - From Partnerships to Practice: Building the Community and Public Health Nutrition Workforce - Dr Suzanne Kleve, Dr Alexandra Chung, Ms Stacey Holden - Department of Nutrition, Dietetics & Food, School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health
Every year, students enter the Master of Nutrition and Dietetics motivated to improve health and wellbeing. But passion alone does not create workforce-ready graduates. Students become workforce‐ready when they work with real teams, on real projects, with real community partners. At the same time, community organisations need graduates who understand community‐led practice and can collaborate across food, health and social systems. The Partnerships to Practice program addresses both these needs. Each year, 80 Master's students successfully complete this nationally recognised program. Their journey begins with foundational coursework and culminates in a 10-week placement in diverse organisations, including local government, social enterprises, and Aboriginal-controlled health services. Learning experiences are created in partnership, providing authentic practice experiences that directly contribute to student learning and workforce capacity. The program’s pedagogy is grounded in theoretical foundations which scaffold experiential learning, allowing students to develop professional capability through practice and reflection in real-world contexts. The program produces graduates who are skilled, confident and ready to meet the demands of the nutrition and dietetics workforce. The success of the program is evident in employment outcomes for students, changes to organisational policy and practice, and improved community nutrition outcomes.
Team - MNHS Feedback Literacy Module, Communication in Health Professions Education Unit (COHPE) - Dr Amir Rouhshad, Dr Marcelo Maghidman, Dr Sharon Yahalom, Associate Professor Catherine Flynn, Associate Professor Sheila Vance, Dr Averil Grieve
Through collaborative educational partnerships and drawing on task-based learning, the COHPE unit team has created an innovative, scalable, accessible, practical and interactive resource that has enhanced students’ feedback literacy, which is in alignment with the faculty’s vision for assessments. Positively received by students across 10 courses across the faculty, the module has demonstrated a statistically significant enhancement in students’ feedback literacy and transformed cognitive and emotional engagement with feedback, thereby strengthening the educational experience for students and educators. The module demonstrates broad accessibility and relevance across diverse student populations, as evidenced by participation from students across year levels, programs, and domestic and international cohorts. Supported by the team’s sustained promotional activities within and beyond the faculty, uptake of the module has increased from two departments in 2023 to nine departments across three faculties in 2026, demonstrating the module’s practicality and scalability across diverse disciplinary contexts. The module has been exceptionally well-received by educators in multiple programs and faculties and has become part of their time-efficient response strategy to widespread student challenges in making use of feedback. The module enriches student learning experience at Monash University and, by fostering their ability to engage positively with feedback, heightens their work-readiness.
Dean’s Award for Excellence in Research
Dean’s Award for Excellence in Research: Engagement and Impact
Professor Jason Ong, Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, School of Translational Medicine Professor Jason Ong is a globally recognised clinician-researcher whose work has transformed the prevention and control of HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). He is Director of the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, Professor at Monash University, Vice-President of ASHM, and inaugural Director of the World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Sexual Health. Through a transdisciplinary approach that brings together communities, governments, healthcare providers, industry and international organisations, he has ensured that research is translated into policy and practice. His research has informed 225 policies globally, including seven WHO global recommendations, and has contributed to major regulatory, clinical and service delivery reforms that improve access to care for marginalised populations. He founded the Ending HIV Network Victoria, has advocated for over $113 million in national HIV funding, and leads initiatives that improve equitable access to HIV prevention and sexual health services. With 439 publications and extensive leadership across national and international advisory groups, Professor Ong has an exceptional record of research engagement, knowledge mobilisation, and demonstrable impact on health outcomes in Australia and globally.
Associate Professor Jane Tiller, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine
Associate Professor Jane Tiller is a nationally recognised expert in ethical, legal and social implications of genomics. Her research has transformed Australian policy and advanced equitable access to genetic testing. Since 2016, she has led a sustained program of research, stakeholder engagement and policy translation that culminated in the passage of landmark Australian legislation in April 2026 prohibiting life insurers from using genetic test results in underwriting. This reform removed a major barrier to participation in genomic testing and research, and positioned Australia among the first countries to implement a comprehensive legislative ban. Associate Professor Tiller has mobilised government, researchers, clinicians, consumer groups and more than 100 organisations behind a shared reform agenda, while maintaining an outstanding research record and national leadership profile. This award recognises her exceptional research engagement, collaboration, thought leadership and demonstrated impact on public policy, public health and genomic medicine in Australia.
Dean’s Award for Excellence in Research: Enterprise
Professor Marie Yap OAM, School of Psychological Sciences, Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health
Professor Marie Yap OAM is an internationally recognised research leader in parenting, prevention and youth mental health, whose work translates evidence into scalable digital supports for families. She leads the Parenting Strategies Program and Partners in Parenting (PiP), a suite of evidence-based interventions developed through systematic reviews, Delphi consensus, co-design and pragmatic trials. Professor Yap’s enterprise partnership with headspace National has progressed from the national launch of self-guided PiP in 2023 to a newly awarded Medical Research Future Fund Rapid Applied Research Translation grant to implement a world-first multi-level PiP system within eheadspace and develop a toolkit for scale-up across 150+ headspace centres. This model matches parents to self-guided, peer-coached or clinician-coached support according to need, and carries the potential to revolutionise family-inclusive youth mental health care in Australia. Marie’s record includes 144 peer-reviewed publications, over A$37M in research funding, a h-index of 49 and a 2025 Medal of the Order of Australia for service to psychology.
Dean’s Award for Excellence in Research: Commercialisation
Team: Associate Professor Ross Dickins and Dr Ethan Oxley, Australian Centre for Blood Diseases, School of Translational Medicine
Associate Professor Ross Dickins leads the Dickins Group - AML and Immunotherapy in the Australian Centre for Blood Diseases, in which Dr Ethan Oxley is a postdoctoral research fellow. In 2023, they co-invented an antibody-based biologic with a novel ‘double lock’ inhibitory mechanism that has therapeutic potential across many autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. With several Monash research platforms and Monash Innovation, Ross and Ethan optimised and patented these immunosuppressive antibodies and entered commercial negotiations with multiple venture capital firms and pharmaceutical companies. This culminated in a 2026 Licensing and Research Collaboration Agreement between Monash and a pharmaceutical company, which was among one of Monash's largest licensing deals.
Dean’s Award for Excellence in Research: Professional of the Year
Team: SPS Research Directorate Team, Ms Sarah Oliver and Ms Sevim Zongur, School of Psychological Sciences
The SPS Research Directorate team is led by Sarah Oliver, Research Development Manager and Sevim Zongur, Senior Research Development Officer. The team have made outstanding contributions to the research ecosystem within SPS. They have demonstrated exceptional dedication, proactive problem-solving, and strategic foresight in supporting the academic community and playing a vital role in the reintegration of the Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health as the research hub of the school. The team provides exceptional strategic pre and post award grant management, ensuring that our researchers can focus on innovation and scientific discovery. In addition to the cyclic funding calendar, the RD team were instrumental in the development of the Turner Institute Strategic Plan 2025-2028 engaging widely across the school and institute, working closely with academic staff and drawing on their collective knowledge of the school's research strengths to shape a clear, high-level framework. The team's exceptional performance is evidenced by the significant performance in research income across all categories of funding from 2021 to 2025. The team are complimentary in their skills with Sevim providing data-driven analysis of funding trends enabling Sarah to provide strategic review and foresight.
Dean’s Award for Excellence in Research: Early Career Researcher of the Year
Dr Pok Man (Bob) Leung - Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute
Dr Bob Leung is a Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute group leader of Microbial Ecophysiology and Genomics, leading a team of three PhD and two Honours students. His research program addresses how diverse microorganisms survive, interact, and in turn modulate their hosts, environments and Earth’s climate for the development of microbe-centric solutions to global challenges. At only 3 and a half years post-PhD, he has made exceptional achievements, from publications, funding acquisition, to leadership. He has published 35 peer-reviewed articles, all in Q1 journals, with 10 first/corresponding-author articles including in Science, Cell, Nature Communications and PNAS. The outstanding implications are reflected by >2400 citations, substantial media coverage, prizes such as the Mollie Holman Medal, CSL Prize, Discovery Best Publication and 13 invited presentations/seminars. He also secured >$1M of competitive funding as the lead CI, including ARC DECRA fellowship, Homeworld Garden Grants, JGI New Investigators, and the MNHS ECP Fellowship.
Dr Louisa Picco - Monash Addiction Research Centre, Eastern Health Clinical School
Dr Louisa Picco is an NHMRC Emerging Leader Fellow and Program Lead for Drug Policy and Harm Reduction at the Monash Addiction Research Centre. She has published >125 peer-reviewed articles, has a H-index of 40 and >5685 citations. Her work addresses a critical global public health challenge: opioid-related harms. She is recognised as a global leader in her work on prescription monitoring programs, positioning her as the second most prolific researcher in Australia and third globally for the SciVal topic ‘Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs and Opioid Management’. Her interdisciplinary research has directly informed clinical practice and shaped national and international strategies to reduce opioid-related harms. She has secured over $2.9 million in competitive research funding. Her leadership and contribution to research are exemplified by her recent Victorian Premier’s Award for Public Health Research (2024–25), highlighting her outstanding contribution to research and knowledge translation, relative to opportunity.
Dean’s Award for Excellence in Research: Researcher of the Year
Professor Catriona Bradshaw - Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, School of Translational Medicine
Professor Bradshaw is a clinician scientist and Head of Research Translation and Mentorship and the Genital Microbiome Innovation Group at Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, School of Translational Medicine and Bayside Health. She is an NHRMC Leadership Fellow, a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Science, and Vice Chancellor’s Distinguished Professor. Her programme focuses on translational research to improve treatment and control of drug-resistant and refractory sexually transmitted infections, including Mycoplasma genitalium, bacterial vaginosis (BV), and interventions to optimise women’s sexual and reproductive health. She has a strong track record of translating findings into policy and practice with >400 publications, a h-index of 76 and around 22,000 citations. She is in the top 1 percent of researchers for scholarly output globally for M. genitalium, bacterial vaginosis and the vaginal microbiome and STIs (Scival). Her group recently completed the StepUp trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, representing the most significant advance in BV cure for decades, proving BV is sexually transmissible.
Professor Andrew Ellisdon - Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute
Professor Andrew Ellisdon is Head of the Structural Biology of Signalling and Cancer Laboratory in the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute. In five years, he has delivered landmark senior-author studies in Nature (2024), Cell (2026), Science Advances (2024) and Nature Structural & Molecular Biology (2021, 2022), defining how mTORC1 and related pathways control cell growth and drive cancer and genetic disease. His discovery of the cholesterol sensor LYCHOS was recognised in six editorials and among Monash's Top 10 discoveries in 2025. He holds an NHMRC Investigator Level 2 Fellowship (2027). He has secured more than $15M as lead CI and translated discoveries into first-in-class therapeutic leads. Professor Ellisdon co-founded the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology’s Career Development Committee and, from June 2026, became Deputy Head of Department, Research. He is nominated for field-leading breakthroughs in discovery science combined with outstanding leadership in developing early and mid-career researchers.
Professor Adeel Razi - School of Psychological Sciences, Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health
Professor Adeel Razi is an outstanding and internationally recognised leader in computational neuroscience, with major contributions spanning generative brain modelling, psychedelics, NeuroAI and synthetic biological intelligence. He is Professor at the School of Psychological Sciences and Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, with his laboratory based at Monash Biomedical Imaging, and Honorary Fellow at UCL’s Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging. Since founding his Monash laboratory in 2018, he has built a 25+ member highly interdisciplinary team. His work has appeared in Nature, Nature Reviews Neuroscience, Nature Communications, Neuron, PNAS and other leading journals, with more than 13,000 citations and an h-index of 52. He holds more than $19 million in active funding, including two Wellcome Leap projects, ARC Future Fellowship, ARC Discovery and ONI funding with industrial partner Cortical Labs. His international recognition includes CIFAR’s Global Scholar selection, an invitation to the World Laureate Forum and a keynote at the 2025 OHBM Annual Meeting. He also led the world’s largest psilocybin neuroimaging study and helped establish synthetic biological intelligence through the DishBrain project, which was recognised as the one of the top 8 discoveries of 2022 by The New Yorker. His research has attracted coverage from CNN, BBC, The Economist, The Guardian and multiple front-page features in The Age.
Dean’s Award for Excellence in Research: Team of the Year
Genital Microbiome Innovation Group - Professor Catriona Bradshaw, Dr Lenka Vodstrcil, Dr Erica Plummer, Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, School of Translational Medicine
The Genital Microbiome Innovation Group comprises three women across a range of career stages with highly diverse and complimentary skills and expertise – clinician scientist, epidemiologist and bioinformatician. They have an international track record in genital microbiome, bacterial vaginosis (BV) and STI research, as the top-ranked most active researchers in the field in the region and globally, with over 100 co-authored publications in leading journals (i.e. NEJM/Lancet/Nature group), and invited national and international talks, reviews and editorials.The team recently completed the StepUp trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2025, representing the most significant advance in BV cure for decades and proving BV is sexually transmissible. The StepUp trial is reshaping global management to include partners in treatment strategies for the first time. It represents a major paradigm shift in knowledge and is transforming clinical practice and global policy and guidelines.
Australia and New Zealand Intensive Care Research Centre (ANZIC-RC) - Team leads: Professor Carol Hodgson, Professor Jamie Cooper, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine
ANZIC-RC has made an extraordinary contribution to improving the outcomes of critically ill patients through world-leading research, exceptional collaboration, and a strong commitment to translating evidence into practice. The centre consistently demonstrates excellence by bringing together clinicians, researchers, statisticians, project managers and healthcare organisations across Australia, New Zealand and internationally to address some of the most important challenges in intensive care. Over the past year, ANZIC-RC has delivered impressive achievements, including leadership of numerous major clinical trials, securing more than $23 million in new competitive research funding, and publishing over 360 peer-reviewed papers. These accomplishments are remarkable not only because of their scale but because they directly contribute to better patient care. What sets ANZIC-RC apart is its culture of teamwork and shared purpose to improve patient outcomes. The Centre creates an environment where expertise is combined across disciplines, enabling innovative research that no single individual or institution could achieve alone. Its commitment to mentoring emerging researchers and fostering international partnerships ensures a lasting impact on both the critical care community and future generations of clinician-scientists.
Dean’s Award for Excellence in Research: Infrastructure
Professor Ralf Schittenhelm - Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute
Professor Ralf Schittenhelm is an internationally recognised leader in mass spectrometry, proteomics and multi-omics research, and has directed the Monash Proteomics & Metabolomics Platform (MPMP) since 2016. Under his leadership, MPMP has grown from a small facility of three staff and two instruments into one of Australia’s leading omics platforms with 25 staff and 12 instruments, supporting more than 250 research groups and delivering nationally significant capabilities in proteomics, metabolomics, lipidomics, clinical proteomics and single-cell proteomics. Professor Schittenhelm has pioneered the adoption of emerging technologies and developed innovative bioinformatic tools that make advanced omics analyses accessible to the broader research community. His work has enabled discoveries across diverse scientific fields and contributed to high-impact publications in many of the world’s leading journals. Professor Schittenhelm is recognised for his exceptional leadership, commitment to innovation and transformative contribution to Australia’s research infrastructure, which has established MPMP as a globally respected centre for omics research and collaboration.
Dean’s Award for Excellence in Research: Graduate Research Supervision
Professor Laura Jobson - School of Psychological Sciences, Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health
Professor Laura Jobson is a Professor in the School of Psychological Sciences and a registered clinical psychologist who leads the Culture, Trauma and Mental Health Research Group at the Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health. Her internationally collaborative research addresses PTSD and depression across cultures, partnering with refugee, humanitarian, Indigenous and culturally diverse communities. A former National Institute for Health Research Fellow and Tall Poppy awardee, she has produced more than 140 research outputs. She is an outstanding graduate research supervisor, independently nominated by two of her students. Over the past five years she has supervised seven PhD students to completion as main supervisor and currently supervises thirteen, with excellent retention and sound completion times despite many clinical-program (which is challenging as they engage in coursework, clinical placements, and research all in the same time as research only PhDs) and international students. Her students describe timely, developmental feedback and a genuinely collaborative research community.
Dean’s Award for Doctoral Thesis Excellence 2025
Dr Warittha Tieosapjaroen, Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, School of Translational Medicine
PhD thesis entitled: “Ending HIV Transmission Among At-risk Populations”, under the supervision of Professor Jason Ong, Professor Lei Zhang, Professor Christopher Fairley, Professor Eric Chow and Dr Tiffany Phillips, in the School of Translational Medicine.
Dr Warittha Tieosapjaroen is an exceptional early career researcher whose people-centred HIV prevention work has shaped national and global policy. Her research is cited by WHO, UNAIDS, and the Australian HIV Taskforce, leading to a $26M federal investment into ending HIV transmission. As a leader in a multinational HOPE Network, she has built strong regional collaborations, co-designed scalable interventions with communities, and pioneered participatory methods like designathons. Warittha’s innovative and impactful work exemplifies academic excellence, health equity, and translational impact—positioning her as an emerging global leader in HIV prevention.
Dean’s Award for Doctoral Thesis Excellence 2025 - Industry Engagement
Dr Nyi Nyi Soe, Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, School of Translational Medicine
PhD thesis entitled: “Applications of Artificial Intelligence in Sexually Transmitted Infections: From Symptom Analysis to Image Recognition”, under the supervision of Professor Lei Zhang, Professor Christopher Fairley and Professor Jason Ong, in the School of Translational Medicine.
Dr Nyi Nyi Soe is an early-career researcher, public health and medical doctor specialising in HIV/STI prevention, artificial intelligence applications in sexual health, and implementation research. He completed his PhD at Monash University and works as a Research Fellow at Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, bringing over a decade of clinical and public health experience across Southeast Asia. His doctoral research focuses on developing and evaluating AI-powered diagnostic tools for sexually transmitted infections, with successful translation of multiple innovations into clinical practice. His doctoral thesis focused on developing and implementing medical AI for early detection and treatment of sexually transmitted infections, as well as users’ preferences and their impact on health-seeking behaviours. He has published 20 peer-reviewed publications as first or co-author, covering machine learning applications in sexual health, AI-based risk assessment tools, and users’ preferences. With extensive experience in project management and health system strengthening, he has led large-scale public health programmes across Myanmar, collaborating with international stakeholders including WHO, UNAIDS, and major NGOs.
Dean’s Award for Excellence in Community Engagement
Gukwonderuk Indigenous Health Workforce Centre - Hands on Health Program, Mr Joshua Kennedy, Ms Sian Dooley, Mr Tony Males
The Hands on Health Engagement Team leads a purpose-driven, First Nations-led program that strengthens Monash University’s relationship with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities through culturally grounded, high-impact engagement. The team delivers Social and Emotional Wellbeing workshops, Teddy Bear Hospital immersions, Indigenous Garden Project sessions, and on-campus experiences that build identity, belonging, cultural pride and early health literacy for young mob. In 2026, the team has engaged 564 First Nations students, with participation projected to exceed 750 by the year’s end. Evaluation outcomes show 100 percent of students felt comfortable and supported, with educators reporting increased confidence, curiosity, teamwork and cultural connection. The program is consistently endorsed by schools and community stakeholders, with both expressing strong interest in ongoing collaboration. Through reciprocal partnerships, ethical practice, and meaningful community value, the team exemplifies excellence in community engagement.
Dean’s Award for Excellence in Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
School of Psychological Sciences and Roses in the Ocean - Dr Kim Johnston, Associate Professor Kylie King, Mx Jacob Thomas and Ms Skye Bailes
The School of Psychological Sciences and community organisation Roses in the Ocean have worked in reciprocal partnership over four years to build capacity in suicide prevention. Team members Dr Kim Johnston, Associate Professor Kylie King, Mx Jacob Thomas and Ms Skye Bailes co-designed Australia's first suicide-specific psychology unit, addressing an identified discipline gap and placing lived experience expertise at the centre of curriculum design and delivery. This partnership then expanded to develop the Australian-first Future Leaders program; addressing an identified community gap to strengthen leadership capability among people with lived experience of suicide. The partnership has resulted in the development of a novel leadership scale and multiple co-authored publications and conference presentations. The collaboration has been further instrumental in the development of the Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health Community and Lived Experience Engagement and Participation Toolkit, which will direct best-practice across place-based, national, and global research conducted by the Institute.
Dean’s Award for Excellence in Health, Safety and Wellbeing
Department of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences Safety Team - Mr John Ryan, Ms Vanita Amin, Ms Eugenia Sequeira-Leo, Dr John McInerney
The DMIRS Radiation Safety Team has demonstrated sustained excellence in strengthening radiation safety culture through the development of the DMIRS Radiation Safety Digital Hub. Over the past four years, the team has transformed fragmented paper-based processes into an integrated digital ecosystem supporting radiation safety governance, communication and compliance. The initiative established a centralised Radiation Safety Digital Hub, digitised the personal dosimetry lifecycle through the Personal Dosimeter Management App, implemented a Radiation Laboratory Induction App, and introduced automated workflows for personal dosimeter ordering, issue, return, reminders and incident reporting. These innovations have standardised radiation safety processes, strengthened compliance with Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) requirements, reduced administrative burden and improved support for students and staff. Through collaboration with ARPANSA, academic and professional staff the team has developed a scalable model for radiation safety governance that extends well beyond routine operational expectations.
Dean’s Award for Excellence - Professional Staff
Dean’s Award for Excellence: Exceptional Performance by Professional Staff
Mr Carlos Garcia Gonzalez - Department of Paramedicine, School of Primary and Allied Health Care
Carlos is the Clinical Learning Resource Coordinator in the Department of Paramedicine and is widely recognised for his innovation in educational support across Paramedicine, the School of Primary and Allied Health Care, Monash Nursing and Midwifery, and Monash Rural Health. Over the past two years, Carlos has transformed the department's practical examination process by designing and implementing the Monash University Paramedic Assessment Portal (MUPAP), an innovative digital assessment platform developed in collaboration with the Faculty of Information Technology. MUPAP has eliminated the need to print more than 600 four-page examination booklets each semester, reducing paper consumption, administrative workload and processing time while supporting the University's sustainability goals. The platform delivers immediate results, performance analytics and interactive student practice examinations with instant feedback. Designed for scalability, MUPAP can be readily adapted across the faculty. This initiative demonstrates Carlos's innovation, technical expertise and commitment to enhancing both the staff and student experience through practical, high-impact digital solutions that improve operational efficiency and support sustainable assessment practices.
Congratulations to all of our recipients. Find out more about the Dean’s Awards for Excellence 2026.