Researcher Awards

HMRI honours the Hunter's leading health and medical researchers each year through the HMRI Research Awards.

The HMRI Award for Research Excellence is HMRI’s premier award and recognises the achievements of an outstanding senior researcher who has made a sustained contribution to research in the Hunter.

The HMRI Director’s Award for Mid-Career Research recognises and rewards the dedication and achievements of one of the Hunter’s most gifted mid-career researchers.

The HMRI Award for Early Career Research supports and raises awareness of the work of the Hunter's most talented early career researchers, at a critical time in their career.

Professor Julie Byles

The pioneering work of Professor Julie Byles is testament to the saying ‘we don't grow up, we just grow old’. Her research is optimising planning and service delivery for an ageing global population. It is changing societal perceptions by showing it’s possible for us to stay sprite and sharp well into our senior years. As one of the most respected experts in gerontology and geriatrics, Julie is co-director of the HMRI Public Health research program, Director of the University of Newcastle’s PRC for Generational Health and Ageing, and Director of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health.

Past Winners of HMRI Award For Research Excellence

2015

Professor Julie Byles

2014

Professor Brian Kelly

2013

Professor Philip Hansbro

2012

Professor John Attia

2011

Professor Amanda Baker

2010

Laureate Professor Paul Foster

2009

Professor Chris Levi

2008

Professor Rodney Scott

2007

Professor John Forbes

2006

Conjoint Professor Jim Denham

2005

Laureate Professor John Aitken

2004

Professor Dirk van Helden

2003

Professor Peter Gibson

2002

Emeritus Professor Peter Dunkley

2001

Professor Nikolai Bogduk

2000

Laureate Professor Roger Smith

1999

Laureate Professor Robert Sanson-Fisher

Professor Philip Morgan

Phil’s research is focussed on addressing obesity and the associated health consequences and crippling health care costs. All of his major programs have been delivered with unprecedented success in the Hunter and are being translated nationally and internationally. They are low-cost, easily scaled and of broad appeal. Phil's research has been rigorously evaluated and found to have a profound impact on participants’ physical and mental health.

Past Winners of HMRI Director's Award for Mid-Career Research

2015

Professor Philip Morgan

2014

Professor Mark Parsons

Dr Susan Hua

Dr Susan Hua is a multi-talented young academic pharmacist working in one of the world’s most important and exciting research fields – targeted drug delivery driven by nanotechnology. She has quickly become a leader in her field, using advanced nanopharmaceutical techniques to assess potential clinical uses and identify novel pathways across a range of illnesses, including rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, acute inflammatory pain, pregnancy and gut health.