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 commendation is awarded annually to outstanding doctoral and research master’s thesis excellence. This award is proudly supported by Monash University.
Tim graduated with a joint award PhD in Medicinal Chemistry from Monash University and the University of Nottingham in late 2019, and shortly thereafter secured a position as a Trainee Patent Attorney at Griffith Hack. Tim is currently based at the Melbourne firm on Collins street (although currently working from home due to COVID) and works at the forefront of novel technologies in the chemical and life sciences area, helping innovators protect their intellectual property both locally and abroad.
Tim also prosecutes patent applications in Australia for some of the industry’s biggest chemical and biotechnology companies, where he utilises his skills in molecular science that he acquired throughout his time at Monash. In order to qualify as a registered trans-Tasman patent and trademarks attorney, Tim is also currently studying his masters in intellectual property law at the University of Melbourne.
"One of the things I enjoyed most about Monash was the ability to conduct cutting edge interdisciplinary in-house research with the support of word-class researchers and mentors in the fields of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology. It also helps having brilliant supervisors who foster independent thought and let you explore your own ideas."
This medal 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.
Jesse conducted his PhD in the department of Drug Discovery Biology under the supervision of Dr. Daniel Poole and Dr. Simona Carbone. His research involved gaining a better understanding of how opioids affect gastrointestinal motility at the cell biology and physiological level. This involved unravelling novel pharmacological properties of opioid receptors in the enteric nervous system.
After his PhD, Jesse obtained a position as a postdoctoral researcher in the Cowley and Simonds laboratory at the Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University. His research focuses on examining the cellular and neural circuits involved in regulating energy storage and metabolism.
In his time away from the lab, Jesse enjoys spending time with his family. He loves going on road trips with his fiancée to different Victorian beaches and travelling to Sydney to see family. Jesse is a massive sports fan. He supports the Collingwood football club and enjoys spending the occasional weekend on the golf course.
"Forming great friendships with my supervisors, mentors and other students in my lab made my PhD journey both an exciting and rewarding experience."
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. These awards are proudly supported by the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (Victorian Branch) and Therapeutic Guidelines Limited.
After graduating from Monash Pharmacy in 2019, George Tan is undertaking his internship with Ramsay Pharmacy within the Ramsay Healthcare network. He is currently based in Donvale Rehab Hospital as an intern pharmacist, focusing on providing postoperative rehab and geriatric care.
Amidst the Covid-19 crises, George was able to contribute towards the integrated public-and-private hospital system by facilitating patient transfer from public hospitals. Utilizing skills gathered from various university placements and previous part-time work in pharmacies, he could maximise learnings and opportunities from current rotations throughout a variety of private hospitals and community pharmacy sites.
With an aim to gain exposure into Monash research space, George is also undertaking a research project with Centre for Medicine Use and Safety. The project investigates the use of beta blockers in cancer subjects and their effects on cancer survival. Utilizing his experience with the Australian PBS, he carries out PBS claims data analysis for the basis of understanding medication use and outcome.
"I would like to dedicate this milestone recognition to the unwavering support and guidance from my family, peers, colleagues, as well as great opportunities presented by Monash! The best part of Monash pharmacy was undoubtedly the learnings from leading and passionate experts from fields of pharmacy practice and pharmacology."
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 GlaxoSmithKline Australia.
Zi Ying has completed her Bachelor of Pharmaceutical Science majoring in Drug Discovery Biology. She is currently undertaking an Honours project under Associate Professor Denise Wooten and Dr. Elva Zhao from the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Science.
Her current project focuses on biased agonism of G protein-coupled receptors, which are key drug targets. She is passionate about science and looks forward to building a career in healthcare.
"Studying at Monash has broadened my horizon and helped me become a more independent, sustained and curious individual. Being surrounded by supportive and knowledgeable scientists, I was encouraged to learn from mistakes and thrive on challenges."
This prize is awarded to the pharmaceutical sciences student with the highest honours mark. This award is proudly supported by Shimadzu.
Liam’s keen interest in the intersection of chemistry and biology, established in the classroom of Dr Vicky Ellis, inspired him to study a Bachelor of Pharmaceutical Science. During his time as an undergraduate at the Monash Parkville campus, he was exposed to the range of sciences relevant to the pharmaceutical industry, including physical chemistry, disease biology and synthetic chemistry. He particularly enjoyed learning about organic chemistry and its role in the preclinical stages of drug development.
As a result, he decided to pursue an Honours year in Prof. Phil Thompson’s lab, focused primarily on PROTAC technology as a novel medicinal chemistry approach to the treatment of various blood cancers.
Liam is planning to continue this research in the Thompson lab in 2021 through his PhD studies. He hopes to work at the cutting edge of novel medicinal chemistry techniques in order to help alleviate pain and suffering associated with various diseases. In his spare time, Liam enjoys hiking and using his chemistry knowledge to brew beers.
"Honours was a year of growth, where I learnt to work independently on a project which was truly mine. Not only did it improve my scientific knowledge, but it also taught me so much about working as a professional, including patience, organisation and collaboration."
An interest in both biology and chemistry led Jessica to enrol in the Bachelor of Pharmaceutical Science. Throughout her undergraduate years, she learned of the many different scientific fields involved in drug development and the pharmaceutical industry.
She developed a particular interest in protein chemistry, which led her to pursue an Honours project in the Nanomaterials for Biology Group, focused on the development of a novel method for the cell-free expression of proteins containing non-canonical amino acids.
This Honours project gave Jessica experience in a research setting and cemented her desire to pursue a career in academic research. She is now undertaking a PhD with the Nanomaterials for Biology Group, developing tools to better understand how cells internalise nanomaterials and other therapeutics. In her spare time, Jessica enjoys travelling and trying new cuisines.
"I am thankful for the Honours program, which gave me first-hand experience in a collaborative research environment. It allowed me to learn many things, not only in regard to technical knowledge, but also about my own motivations and organisational skills."
This prize recognises outstanding performance in the Monash Intern Training Program. This award is proudly supported by Pharmaceutical Defence Limited.
Louise Giles is a registered pharmacist currently working in community pharmacy on the NSW Central Coast. After graduating from the University of Sydney in 2018 with a major in Industrial Pharmacy, Louise went on to complete her internship at the Dubbo Base Hospital where she gained valuable experience working within a rural setting.
Following completion of her internship and receiving her general registration at the beginning of 2020, Louise has since begun work within community pharmacy to further extend her skillset and broaden her knowledge-base. With an interest in mental health, Louise aims to complete her Graduate Certificate through Monash University in the near future as she strives to promote mental health awareness and advocates for the improvement of mental health screening within community pharmacy.
Louise will be taking part in the PharMIbridge trial in the near future, as she aims to utilise this experience to assist in promoting community pharmacies as a destination to receive professional mental health support. Louise is thankful for the assistance that both Monash University and Dubbo Base provided in preparing her for her career within pharmacy.
"I believe that knowledge is the foundation of every good healthcare professional. However, a great healthcare professional has the ability to take this knowledge and integrate it with empathy and compassion to have a profound impact on a patient’s wellbeing. This is the healthcare professional I aspire to be."
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.
Tenay Rankin is a Barwon Health pharmacist with 10 years of clinical experience. She completed her Bachelor of Pharmacy in 2010 graduating with honours from La Trobe University before returning to study in 2016 to complete a Masters of Clinical Pharmacy at Monash University. She has a special interest in stroke and neurology, working as a Bachelor of Pharmacy sessional lecturer for Monash University from 2013 to 2019.
While undertaking the Masters of Clinical Pharmacy, Tenay completed a clinical research project, ‘Antihypertensive therapy in acute stroke: the effect of education and a treatment algorithm on improving patient management’ presenting the outcomes at the 2019 Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia Medicines Management conference. Since completing her degree Tenay has returned as a teaching associate for the Professional Practice Portfolio unit of the Monash Masters of Clinical Pharmacy helping future students to work towards achieving their advancing practice goals.
Apart from having an integral role in the multidisciplinary team on the Acute Neurosciences Unit, she has also recently taken on a leadership role at Barwon Health becoming the specialist medicine pharmacy team leader in 2020.
"Undertaking the Masters of Clinical Pharmacy at Monash helped me consolidate my learning and work towards achieving my career goals."
This prize recognises the student with the highest marks across all units of the Master of Wound Care. This award is proudly supported by The Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.
Dr Hanmei Pan (MBBS FRACP) is a dedicated medical professional specialising in Geriatric Medicine. As a consultant physician, she provides expertise and leads Multidisciplinary Teams in Transitional Care Program and Slow Stream Rehabilitation in inpatient services.
She has been appointed as an honorary Adjunct Lecturer in the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences. She is a supervisor for final year medical students and basic medical trainees and geriatric advanced trainees and was the recipient of outstanding teaching and student supervision at the School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health in 2016.
She has a vision to develop a new medical lead wound care model to provide a high level of wound care in subacute hospital settings, her other research interests include frailty, health aging and geriatric syndromes.
"Wound management requires clinicians to have a full understanding of the principles and complexities of wound healing, this course has really advanced me to the next level to master wound care. I am very excited for the award, and feel that many years of hard work has paid off."