In an awards ceremony held at NEX on Friday 8 December in front of an audience of donors, colleagues and community members, three researchers and a research team were honoured with the Hunter’s top research prize.

In an awards ceremony held at NEX on Friday 8 December in front of an audience of donors, colleagues and community members, three researchers and a research team were honoured with the Hunter’s top research prize.

The major gong for 2023, the HMRI Award for Research Excellence, went to Professor Zsolt Balogh from the Injury and Trauma Research Program. Professor Balogh won $20,000 to go towards his research into better post-surgical outcomes for patients. Professor Balogh is Director of Trauma at John Hunter Hospital, and Professor of Surgery at the University of Newcastle.

The Director’s Award for Mid-Career Research went to Associate Professor Matt Dun from the Precision Medicine Research Program for his research into Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG), an aggressive form of brain cancer. Professor Dun, a NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow, also won $20,000 that will go to his dedicated research lab at the University of Newcastle.

The HMRI Award for Early Career Research has gone to Dr Rachel Sutherland for her work in preventing childhood obesity via the SWAP it campaign that urged parents to swap high energy, low nutrient lunchbox snacks for healthier options. She has won $20,000 to go towards her Population Health research. She is Nutrition Program Manager at Hunter New England Local Health District and a NHMRC MRFF Investigator Fellow at the University of Newcastle.

The HMRI Foundation Research Team Excellence Award went to the Newcastle Centre of Excellence in Cardio-Oncology led by Professor Aaron Sverdlov and Professor Doan Ngo. The team, made up of PhD and post-doctorate students, early career, mid-career and senior researchers, received $30,000 in prize money to go towards their research into cardio-protective drug therapies for cancer patients.

HMRI Director and Institute CEO Professor Frances Kay-Lambkin says, “These awards recognise the hard work, determination and commitment of these researchers in seeking answers to some of our biggest health challenges. I congratulate all the winners for their lasting impact on improving the wellbeing of our community.”

HMRI is a partnership between the University of Newcastle, Hunter New England Health and the community.