2024 Award Winners
TSANZ Research Awards serve to focus research on much-needed areas and support some of Australia’s greatest minds in lung disease research, with the ultimate aim of improving the lives of people affected by lung diseases. We are pleased to support our members careers and ideas through seed funding, feasibility studies, grants in aid, professional development, and travel awards.
At the TSANZSRS 2024 we presented $400,000 worth of research grants and awards which have been supported by the Society and our partners.
TSANZ would like to congratulate the following Award winners. For information on how to apply for next year’s Awards visit the TSANZ website Research and Awards page.
2024 RESPIRATORY RESEARCH EXCELLENCE AWARD WINNERS
| Award | Winner(s) |
| TSANZ Janet Elder International Travel Award – Early Career | Ms Ridhima Wadhwa |
| TSANZ Janet Elder International Travel Award – Early Career | Ms Jingwen Zhang |
| TSANZ Janet Elder International Travel Award – Mid Career | Dr Dennis Thomas |
| TSANZ Ann Woolcock New Investigator Award Winner | Ms Rebecca Watkinson |
| Ann Woolcock New Investigator Award Finalists | Ms Hollie Bendotti, Ms Laura Coleman, Ms Ming Feng, Ms Amber Pillar, Ms Claudia Sim |
| TSANZ Peter Phelan Research Award | Dr Gabriela Martins Costa Gomes |
| TSANZ Past Presidents Scholarship Award | Dr Simone De Luca |
| TSANZ Robert Pierce Grant-In-Aid for Indigenous Lung Health | Dr Leanne Rodwell |
| TSANZ Chiesi Advancing Women in Respiratory Health Award – Early Career Respiratory Professional | Dr Megan Jensen |
| TSANZ Chiesi Advancing Women in Respiratory Health Award – Mid-Career Respiratory Professional | Dr Tracy Leong |
| Moderna Research Award for Lung Health – Focusing on Respiratory Viruses | Dr Arwel Jones |
| Moderna Research Award for Lung Health – Focusing on Respiratory Viruses | Dr Rhiannon Werder |
| TSANZ Indigenous Respiratory Nurses Award | A/Prof Rebecca Disler |
| LAM PhD Scholarship, supported by the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand, LAM Australia Research Alliance, and the Lung Foundation Australia (LFA) Hope Research Fund | Dr Manav Sharma |
| The Thoracic Society And National Asthma Council Award (NAC) | A/Prof Rachel Peters |
| Maurice Blackburn Grant-in-Aid for Occupational Health Disease | Dr Elham Hosseini- Beheshti |
| Boehringer Ingelheim New Zealand Lung Health Travel Award | Dr Amy O’Brien |
2024 SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP AWARD WINNERS
| Award | Winner(s) |
| Funded by Asthma Australia; TSANZ Asthma and Allergy SIG Award | Ms Claire O’Sullivan for their presentation “Small is better…when reversing peripheral airway dysfunction in asthma” |
| Funded by TSANZ; TSANZ Cell, Immunology & Molecular Biology of the Lung SIG Award | Dr Sionne Lucas for their presentation “The genetic landscape of familial interstitial lung disease (ILD) is similar to sporadic idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis” |
| Funded by Chiesi; TSANZ Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease SIG Award | Dr Stanley Chan for their presentation “Metormin mitigates cigarette smoking-induced muscle loss: An In vitro study” |
| Funded by Cystic Fibrosis Australia; TSANZ Cystic Fibrosis SIG Award | Dr Elena Schneider-Futschik for their presentation “Fetal drug exposure after maternally administered CFTR modulators Elexacaftor/Tezacaftor/Ivacaftor in a rat model” |
| Funded by Lung Foundation Australia; LFA David Serisier Memorial Award for Translational Research in Bronchiectasis |
A/Prof Subash Heraganahally for their presentation “Comparison of bronchiectasis disease profile among Aboriginal Australians against published ethnically diverse registries” Ms Jennifer Phillips for their presentation “Concurrent validity and responsiveness of the bronchiectasis Health Questionnaire” |
| Funded by TSANZ; TSANZ Evidence Based Medicine SIG Award | Dr Emily Lawton for their presentation “New Respiratory Rapid Access Service reduces ED presentations and hospital admissions.” |
| Funded by PulmonX; TSANZ Interventional Pulmonology SIG Award | Ms Estee Lau for their presentation “Alteplase dose assessment for pleural infection therapy (ADAPT) study-3: A starting intrapleural dose of 1mg alteplase” |
| Funded by TSANZ; TSANZ Lung Cancer SIG Award | Dr Paul Dawkins for their presentation “Comparison of lung cancer prediction scores for pulmonary nodules identified on baseline CT scan in a lung cancer screening cohort” |
| Funded by Slater & Gordon; TSANZ Bill Musk Occupational & Environmental Lung Disease SIG Award | Ms Dona Wijayasinghe for their presentation “Exposure to occupational dusts and lung diffusion capacity” |
| Funded by TSANZ; TSANZ Orphan Lung Diseases, Lung Transplant, Interstitial Lung Disease and Pulmonary Vascular Disease (OLIV) SIG Award | Dr Lai-Ying Zhang for their presentation “Cellular Genomics Reveals Insight into Mechanisms of Human Pulmonary Fibrosis” |
| Funded by TSANZ; TSANZ ASM Best Poster Award | Ms Bianca Iacopetta for their presentation “Preliminary data of the Third PLeural Effusion And Symptom Evaluation (PLEASE-3) Study: Bendopnoea in patients with pleural effusions” |
| Funded by TSANZ; TSANZ Peter van Asperen Paediatric SIG Award | Dr Gloria Lau for their presentation “Culturally-informed strategies for chronic wet cough in multiple Indigenous communities” |
| Funded by TSANZ; TSANZ Physiotherapy SIG Award | Ms Emma Marshall for their presentation “Comparison of Different Oximetry Devices during Six-Minute Walk Tests” |
| Funded by Chiesi; TSANZ Primary Care SIG Award | Dr Slavica Kochovska for their presentation “Content and honesty of clinical consultations about long-term breathlessness: a cross-sectional, national population study” |
| Funded by Lung Foundation Australia; TSANZ John Reid Pulmonary Physiology and Sleep SIG Award | Dr Emma Gray for their presentation “Hypercapnia is not excluded by normoxia in neuromuscular disease patients: implications for oximetry.” |
| Funded by Lung Foundation Australia; TSANZ Respiratory Infectious Diseases SIG Award | Dr Dhammika Leshan Wannigama for their presentation “Novel intranasal phage-CaEDTA therapy effectively treats Pseudomonas aeruginosa lung infection” |
| Funded by Niterra; TSANZ Respiratory Nurses SIG Award | Ms Brooke Devenish for their presentation “Environmental Impact of Inhalers Discarded During Acute Respiratory Admissions” |
| Funded by Kenvue; TSANZ Tobacco and Related Substances SIG Award | Ms Andie Thorpe for their presentation “Third hand cigarette vapour exposure causes pulmonary effects in mice.” |
TSANZ Research Awards serve to focus research on much-needed areas and support some of Australia’s greatest minds in lung disease research, with the ultimate aim of improving the lives of people affected by lung diseases. We are pleased to support our members careers and ideas through seed funding, feasibility studies, grants in aid, professional development, and travel awards.
At the TSANZSRS 2024 we presented $400,000 worth of research grants and awards which have been supported by the Society and our partners.
TSANZ would like to congratulate the following Award winners. For information on how to apply for next year’s Awards visit the TSANZ website Research and Awards page.
2024 RESPIRATORY RESEARCH EXCELLENCE AWARD WINNERS
| Award | Winner(s) |
| TSANZ Janet Elder International Travel Award – Early Career | Ms Ridhima Wadhwa |
| TSANZ Janet Elder International Travel Award – Early Career | Ms Jingwen Zhang |
| TSANZ Janet Elder International Travel Award – Mid Career | Dr Dennis Thomas |
| TSANZ Ann Woolcock New Investigator Award Winner | Ms Rebecca Watkinson |
| Ann Woolcock New Investigator Award Finalists | Ms Hollie Bendotti, Ms Laura Coleman, Ms Ming Feng, Ms Amber Pillar, Ms Claudia Sim |
| TSANZ Peter Phelan Research Award | Dr Gabriela Martins Costa Gomes |
| TSANZ Past Presidents Scholarship Award | Dr Simone De Luca |
| TSANZ Robert Pierce Grant-In-Aid for Indigenous Lung Health | A/Prof Rebecca Disler |
| TSANZ Chiesi Advancing Women in Respiratory Health Award – Early Career Respiratory Professional | Dr Megan Jensen |
| TSANZ Chiesi Advancing Women in Respiratory Health Award – Mid-Career Respiratory Professional | Dr Tracy Leong |
| Moderna Research Award for Lung Health – Focusing on Respiratory Viruses | Dr Arwel Jones |
| Moderna Research Award for Lung Health – Focusing on Respiratory Viruses | Dr Rhiannon Werder |
| Boehringer Ingelheim New Zealand Lung Health Travel Award | Dr Amy O’Brien |
| LAM PhD Scholarship, supported by the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand, LAM Australia Research Alliance, and the Lung Foundation Australia (LFA) Hope Research Fund | Dr Manav Sharma |
| The Thoracic Society And National Asthma Council Award (NAC) | A/Prof Rachel Peters |
| Maurice Blackburn Grant-in-Aid for Occupational Health Disease | Dr Elham Hosseini- Beheshti |
2024 SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP AWARD WINNERS
| Award | Winner(s) |
| Funded by Asthma Australia; TSANZ Asthma and Allergy SIG Award | Ms Claire O’Sullivan for their presentation “Smokers with asthma/hayfever have lower post-bronchodilator lung function during the pollen season” |
| Funded by TSANZ; TSANZ Cell, Immunology & Molecular Biology of the Lung SIG Award | Dr Sionne Lucas for their presentation “The genetic landscape of familial interstitial lung disease (ILD) is similar to sporadic idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis” |
| Funded by Chiesi; TSANZ Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease SIG Award | Dr Stanley Chan for their presentation “Metormin mitigates cigarette smoking-induced muscle loss: An In vitro study” |
| Funded by Cystic Fibrosis Australia; TSANZ Cystic Fibrosis SIG Award | Dr Elena Schneider-Futschik for their presentation “Fetal drug exposure after maternally administered CFTR modulators Elexacaftor/Tezacaftor/Ivacaftor in a rat model” |
| Funded by Lung Foundation Australia; LFA David Serisier Memorial Award for Translational Research in Bronchiectasis |
A/Prof Subash Heraganahally for their presentation “Comparison of bronchiectasis disease profile among Aboriginal Australians against published ethnically diverse registries” Ms Jennifer Phillips for their presentation “Concurrent validity and responsiveness of the bronchiectasis Health Questionnaire” |
| Funded by TSANZ; TSANZ Evidence Based Medicine SIG Award | Dr Emily Lawton for their presentation “New Respiratory Rapid Access Service reduces ED presentations and hospital admissions.” |
| Funded by PulmonX; TSANZ Interventional Pulmonology SIG Award | Ms Estee Lau for their presentation “Alteplase dose assessment for pleural infection therapy (ADAPT) study-3: A starting intrapleural dose of 1mg alteplase” |
| Funded by TSANZ; TSANZ Lung Cancer SIG Award | Dr Paul Dawkins for their presentation “Comparison of lung cancer prediction scores for pulmonary nodules identified on baseline CT scan in a lung cancer screening cohort” |
| Funded by Slater & Gordon; TSANZ Bill Musk Occupational & Environmental Lung Disease SIG Award | Ms Dona Wijayasinghe for their presentation “Exposure to occupational dusts and lung diffusion capacity” |
| Funded by TSANZ; TSANZ Orphan Lung Diseases, Lung Transplant, Interstitial Lung Disease and Pulmonary Vascular Disease (OLIV) SIG Award | Dr Lai-Ying Zhang for their presentation “Cellular Genomics Reveals Insight into Mechanisms of Human Pulmonary Fibrosis” |
| Funded by TSANZ; TSANZ ASM Best Poster Award | Ms Bianca Iacopetta for their presentation “Preliminary data of the Third PLeural Effusion And Symptom Evaluation (PLEASE-3) Study: Bendopnoea in patients with pleural effusions” |
| Funded by TSANZ; TSANZ Peter van Asperen Paediatric SIG Award | Dr Gloria Lau for their presentation “Culturally-informed strategies for chronic wet cough in multiple Indigenous communities” |
| Funded by TSANZ; TSANZ Physiotherapy SIG Award | Ms Emma Marshall for their presentation “Comparison of Different Oximetry Devices during Six-Minute Walk Tests” |
| Funded by Chiesi; TSANZ Primary Care SIG Award | Dr Slavica Kochovska for their presentation “Content and honesty of clinical consultations about long-term breathlessness: a cross-sectional, national population study” |
| Funded by Lung Foundation Australia; TSANZ John Reid Pulmonary Physiology and Sleep SIG Award | Dr Emma Gray for their presentation “Hypercapnia is not excluded by normoxia in neuromuscular disease patients: implications for oximetry.” |
| Funded by Lung Foundation Australia; TSANZ Respiratory Infectious Diseases SIG Award | Dr Dhammika Leshan Wannigama for their presentation “Novel intranasal phage-CaEDTA therapy effectively treats Pseudomonas aeruginosa lung infection” |
| Funded by Niterra; TSANZ Respiratory Nurses SIG Award | Ms Brooke Devenish for their presentation “Environmental Impact of Inhalers Discarded During Acute Respiratory Admissions” |
| Funded by Kenvue; TSANZ Tobacco and Related Substances SIG Award | Ms Andie Thorpe for their presentation “Third hand cigarette vapour exposure causes pulmonary effects in mice.” |
2024 TSANZ Awards by Nomination
TSANZ 2024 President’s Award: A/Prof Michelle Jongenlis
TSANZ 2024 Research Medal: Prof Stephen Stick & Prof Sandra Hodge
TSANZ 50th Anniversary Medal for Education and Training: Prof Gary Lee
TSANZ Society Medal: Dr Graham Simpson