The Hunter Medical Research Institute (HMRI) gathered on Friday evening (23^rd November) to celebrate the dedication, innovation, and contributions of its researchers, staff, and partners, all working to take healthy further. 

The annual awards night marks the high point of the year for many of HMRI’s researchers. It’s time to celebrate the life-changing work of the dedicated scientists and clinicians that live and work in the Hunter New England community; all working to take healthy further by creating the healthiest one million people on the planet.  

“HMRI and our wider community asks a lot of our researchers and our clinicians. We ask them to invest their time, their brilliance and their ideas to help us solve the biggest healthcare challenges of our time. And so, for us, these awards are HMRI’s chance to give back to our research community and to recognise them for their effort and contribution,” said HMRI Institute Director and CEO, Professor Frances Kay-Lambkin, HMRI’s 2019 Research Excellence Award recipient. 

Professor Kay-Lambkin is enthusiastic about the collaborative culture that enables the excellence on display at the awards.  

Newcastle Permanent Emerging Innovator Award winner Dr Joshua Fisher, with Kirrah McClelland, Paul Juergens and Kirsten Lyndon from the Newcastle Permanent.

“The Awards are a chance to celebrate the strong partnerships with the University of Newcastle, Hunter New England Local Health District, and the Hunter New England community – our 1 million people. It’s also an opportunity to thank the amazing donors and supporters who make medical research possible.” 

During her annual awards address to nearly 300 guests, Professor Kay-Lambkin reflected on HMRI’s past and how it will shape the future.  

“As we stand here tonight at the intersection of our past achievements and future possibilities, let us recommit ourselves to the values and principles that have guided us. Let’s celebrate our achievements, our resilience, and our hope for the future. May our HMRI continue to be a beacon of innovation, a fortress of resilience, and a catalyst for positive change in the landscape of health and medical research. Let tonight be a reminder that, in the pursuit of knowledge, we have the power to change the world, and we can, and indeed have, used it.” 

“Here’s to the next chapter—emerging stronger, more resilient, and more committed than ever to our mission to create the healthiest million people for the planet… and it all starts right here.”  

HMRI Foundation Research Team Award winners – The Telestroke Team, represented by Dr Steven Maltby, Professor Chris Levi, and Dr Carlos Garcia-Esperon.

2024 HMRI Research Excellence Awards winners 

HMRI’s Researcher of the Year, University of Newcastle Conjoint Professor Jeannette Lechner-Scott from HMRI’s Immune Health Research Program.  

HMRI Mid-Career Researcher of the Year, University of Newcastle Associate Professor Vanessa Murphy from HMRI’s Asthma and Breathing Research Program.  

HMRI Early Career Researcher of the Year, Hunter New England Local Health District’s Dr Carlos Garcia-Esperon from HMRI’s Heart and Stroke Research Program. 

Newcastle Permanent Emerging Innovator Award Winner, postdoctoral researcher at the University of Newcastle, Dr Joshua Fisher from HMRI’s Mothers and Babies Research Program.  

HMRI Research Team of the Year, Telestroke Team from HMRI’s Heart and Stroke Research Program. 

2024 HMRI Award for Early-Career Research winner, Dr Carlos Garcia-Esperon

2024 HMRI Award for Mid-Career Research winner Associate Professor Vanessa Murphy, with Professor Chris Levi and Dr Robert Cameron.