Medal and course winners
These medals and prizes are awarded to the overall top performing student from each course.
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These medals and prizes are awarded to the overall top performing student from each course.
This prize is awarded to students across the University who have fulfilled the requirements of the Doctor of Philosophy, met an overall level of excellence, and whose work has been judged as the doctoral thesis for that year. This award is proudly supported by Monash University.
Dr Zhe (Moore) Chen completed her PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences at Monash University under the supervision of Associate Professor Angus Johnston and Dr Daniel Yuen. Her research focused on the development of targeted lipid nanoparticle delivery platforms at the interface of nanotechnology, protein engineering, and therapeutic development.
During her PhD, Moore developed innovative strategies for targeted delivery by integrating molecular design, chemical conjugation, and functional validation in animal models. Her work contributed to precision delivery approaches for immune and cancer-related applications, leading to multiple research outputs and intellectual properties in nanomedicine and targeted delivery.
She is currently continuing this line of work within the Johnston group, contributing to efforts to advance these technologies toward clinical application in collaboration with industry and academic partners. She leads a team further developing a targeted lipid nanoparticle platform with optimal orientation control, establishing an integrated workflow spanning target identification and receptor validation, nanobody discovery and engineering, LNP formulation optimisation, and functional evaluation of targeted LNPs in relevant biological systems.
Moore completed her undergraduate studies in China before undertaking a Master of Biomedical Science at The University of Melbourne, where she developed chemical probes for early diagnostics in neurodegenerative diseases.
"This is a great honour to accept this award. I’m deeply grateful to my supervisors, my team, and the department for their support and encouragement throughout this journey. I feel very fortunate to work at the interface of science and application."
The Vice-Chancellor’s commendations for thesis excellence are awarded annually to outstanding doctoral and research master’s thesis excellence. A maximum of twenty Commendations are awarded each year. This award is proudly supported by Monash University.
George’s PhD research aimed to answer the question: how can we leverage big data collected from routine delivery of healthcare to find new uses for existing medications (aka “drug repurposing”)? During his PhD with Associate Professor Jenni Ilomäki at the Centre for Medicine Use and Safety, he explored using various approaches to analyse these real-world clinical data in Australia and collaborated with experts from Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, Cancer Registry of Norway, and Harvard Medical School.
His PhD research culminated in publications in top journals such as Drug Discovery Today, Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice, and American Journal of Epidemiology. Following his PhD, he continued expanding his work on drug repurposing as a Research Fellow. George is also a practising pharmacist and has served as an Assistant Lecturer at the Faculty. Currently, George is a Market Access Specialist at a global medical technology company.
"Huge thank you to my supervisors, Jenni, Jed, Stephen, and Erica, for their unwavering support, sharp guidance, and tolerance for my growth along the way! This is undeniably a team achievement."
This medal recognises the student who has achieved the highest score across all units of their pharmacy degree. The Pharmacy Gold Medal winner also receives the Neil Naismith Award. The Gold Medal award is proudly supported by the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (Victorian Branch), the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, and the Neil Naismith award is proudly supported by the Therapeutic Guidelines Limited.
Perri Teoh is currently undertaking her internship with Monash Health, where she enjoys the challenge of supporting diverse patient populations across a large tertiary health service. Her journey into pharmacy began unexpectedly, sparked by little more than an online “What career is right for me?” quiz, and has continued to surprise her ever since.
Inspired by the educators and pharmacists around her, Perri has embraced the breadth of pharmacy throughout her degree, seeking out opportunities across hospital and community practice, research, and education. A highlight was attending the Global Alliance for Medical Excellence Future Leaders Summit in Prato, Italy, where she connected with other young health professional students and explored shared challenges shaping the global healthcare landscape.
Through these experiences, Perri has developed a strong passion for patient advocacy and autonomy in medicines use. She finds the greatest fulfilment in working closely with patients to understand their perspectives and support more informed, confident decision-making around their medications. She is particularly motivated by the power of pharmacist education in helping patients build the knowledge and skills to advocate for their own health. Looking ahead, Perri hopes to pursue a career in clinical pharmacy, focusing on equitable medicine use and stewardship initiatives.
"I’m honoured to receive this award. I owe gratitude to my loved ones for giving me the courage to take risks and embrace who I am, and to my teaching staff for their continued guidance and encouragement. I hope to give back to this community in the years to come."
This medal recognises the student who has achieved the highest score across all units of their pharmaceutical science degree. This award is proudly supported by the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.
Aadvika Singh is currently completing the Honours year of her Bachelor of Pharmaceutical Science Advanced (Honours) degree at the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (MIPS), where she is undertaking research within the Drug Delivery, Disposition and Dynamics (D4) theme as part of the Landersdorfer Group. Her research focuses on antimicrobial resistance and optimising antibiotic therapies, contributing to efforts aimed at improving treatment strategies against resistant bacterial infections.
Throughout her degree, Aadvika has developed a strong academic foundation across areas including human physiology, microbiology, organic chemistry, and formulation sciences, while cultivating a particular interest in biotechnology and drug development. In recognition of her academic achievements, she was previously awarded the Second Year Exhibition, awarded to the student achieving the highest overall performance in second year of the pharmaceutical science program.
Alongside her studies and research, Aadvika has been actively involved in the university community. She served as President of the Pharmaceutical Science Society in 2025 and has volunteered as a Peer Mentor, supporting fellow students and fostering a collaborative and inclusive environment within the faculty.
Looking ahead, Aadvika is excited to continue pursuing opportunities in pharmaceutical research and innovation, and remains deeply grateful for the support of her family, friends, mentors, and peers.
"Even when things do not come easily or you feel a step behind, keep showing up and putting in the effort. Progress is not always obvious in the moment, but consistency builds confidence and results over time. Hard work has a way of quietly opening doors when you least expect it."
This prize is awarded to the pharmaceutical sciences student with the highest honours mark. This award is proudly supported by Shimadzu Oceania Pty Ltd.
Yang Yang completed his Bachelor of Pharmaceutical Science (Advanced Honours) degree at Monash University in 2025. He undertook his honours year in the Drug Delivery, Disposition and Dynamics theme under the supervision of Prof. Natalie Trevaskis and Dr. William De Nardo. His honours research project focuses on investigating the role of the lymphatic vasculature in skeletal muscle development, with a particular interest in identifying the lymphatic-derived factors that contribute to muscle growth and repair.
Building from this foundation, Yang has recently commenced a PhD at the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences within the Lymphatic Medicine Lab under the supervision of Professor Natalie Trevaskis and Dr. William De Nardo. He aims to further explore the role of lymphatics in skeletal muscle health, regeneration, and disease, while continuing to develop expertise in translational research, drug delivery, and muscle biology.
"Research is driven by curiosity, the ability to look beyond what is already known and ask questions that lead to new understanding. To me, science is not simply about facts, but about the mindset to explore, challenge, and discover."
This prize recognises outstanding performance in the Monash Intern Training Program. This award is proudly supported by Pharmaceutical Defence Limited (PDL).
Olivia Ferraro is an early-career pharmacist who completed a Bachelor of Pharmacy (Honours) at Monash University in 2024. In 2025, she completed her internship at Austin Health while simultaneously undertaking the ITP and IFP programs through Monash University, graduating with a Master of Pharmacy.
Throughout her training, Olivia worked across a range of community and hospital pharmacy settings, including Chemist Warehouse, Slade Pharmacy Epworth Hospital, and The Royal Melbourne Hospital. These roles helped her build a strong foundation in patient-centred care and medication management. During her internship at Austin Health, she further developed strong clinical knowledge, communication, and problem-solving skills through active involvement in multidisciplinary care and clinical decision-making.
Since becoming a registered pharmacist, Olivia has continued to gain experience across multiple clinical areas at Austin Health, further strengthening her clinical practice, adaptability, and confidence as a healthcare professional. She is eager to continue developing her skills through participation in a hospital residency program, with interests in clinical pharmacy, research, leadership, and interdisciplinary patient care.
"Studying pharmacy has been an incredibly rewarding experience, and I’m grateful for the support and mentorship I’ve received from the Austin Health team. I’m passionate about the future of pharmacy and excited to grow as the profession continues to evolve, while helping shape the future of patient care."
This prize recognises the student with the highest marks across all units of the Master of Clinical Pharmacy. This award is proudly supported by Pharmacy Guild of Australia (Victoria Branch).
Amelia Stanley is a proud rural pharmacy leader; as the Coastal Network Chief Pharmacist she is responsible for the operation of pharmacy services across four regional hospitals in the Bega Valley and Eurobodalla in Southern NSW. Amelia loves that rural pharmacy enables her to wear many hats, where she is able to pursue her passion for education, antimicrobial stewardship and medication safety, as well as clinical pharmacist services. In her spare time, she also provides medication management reviews to the Bega Valley.
Her areas of expertise are leadership, management and generalist clinical service provision, as reflected in FANZCAP recognition as a pharmacist consultant. Originally a city girl, Amelia, found her passion for rural pharmacy whilst completing Bachelor of Pharmacy (Honours) at Charles Sturt University in Wagga Wagga, NSW. Here she achieved first class honours for her research in anaemia in heart failure in 2012.
After spending her early career predominantly in community pharmacy, in 2017 she found her love for clinical pharmacy after commencing at South East Regional Hospital. Amelia pursued this passion through completion of her Master of Clinical Pharmacy at Monash University in 2025 and has enjoyed applying her advancing skills to patient care.
"Completion of Master of Clinical Pharmacy has advanced my clinical, research and critical-thinking skills, and I now apply these skills to my practice to provide comprehensive patient care and share this learning with my colleagues. I am thankful to my family, mentors and colleagues for their support throughout my studies."
This prize recognises the student with the highest marks across all units of the Master of Pharmaceutical Science. This award is proudly supported by Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.
Dolly is a recent graduate of the Master of Pharmaceutical Science at Monash University. Through the program, she developed a strong and systematic understanding of the drug development pipeline, from target identification and preclinical research to clinical translation. She also gained hands-on research experience through a placement within the Drug Discovery Biology (DDB) theme at MIPS, where she investigated biased agonism of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors under the supervision of A/Prof Celine Valant and Dr Vi Pham.
These experiences strengthened Dolly’s interest in biomedical research and sparked a growing curiosity about the molecular mechanisms underlying human disease and therapeutic intervention. Through both coursework and laboratory training, she became increasingly motivated to pursue research that bridges fundamental biology with translational science.
Dolly is currently undertaking a PhD at the University of Melbourne and the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI). Her research focuses on the ubiquitination of drug-like small molecules and their biological significance. She is particularly interested in uncovering fundamental molecular mechanisms and exploring their potential relevance to future therapeutic development.
"The days at MIPS profoundly shaped the way I think about pharmaceutical research and gave me a clearer understanding of how scientific discoveries translate into real-world impact. I am truly grateful for this recognition and for the support of my supervisors, teachers, family, and friends throughout the journey."