Research Australia

Australian Health Journal Verified account @AUHealthJournal · Oct 16

RESEARCH AUSTRALIA AWARDS CELEBRATE RESEARCHERS IN LIFE-CHANGING SCIENCE & DISCOVERY Australia’s health and medical research awards, now in their 22nd year

With
Professor Dawn Freshwater, Chair
Research Australia @ResAustralia

Nadia Levin, CEO @nlsydney
Research Australia @ResAustralia

SEGMENT
Filmed in Sydney | October 2026

For more than two decades, the Research Australia Health & Medical Research Awards have recognised the individuals and teams transforming health outcomes across the country. Now in their 22nd year, these prestigious awards showcase the depth and breadth of Australia’s research and innovation community — from discovery and translation through to commercialisation.

The awards shine a spotlight on the researchers, clinicians, philanthropists and advocates whose work improves lives, strengthens the health system and supports Australia’s global leadership in health and medical research.

This year’s combined 2025–26 awards brought together a field of nominees from across the country, reflecting the remarkable strength and diversity of Australia’s health and medical research community. The Award categories were

- Discovery Award
- Health Services Research Award
- Digital & Data Health Innovation Award
- Advocacy & Philanthropy Award
- Frontiers Award

Australian Health Journal spoke with the Research Australia Chair and CEO immediately following the Awards ceremony.

The winners were announced here researchaustralia.org/australias-hea…

Source: Adapted from Research Australia program for Awards

Australian Health Journal @AUHealthJournal
Produced & published by AUDIENCED
Appear on Australian Health Journal ahj.com.au/getting-on-ahj

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Bench Side Story @BenchSideStory · Oct 6

IDENTIFYING BIOMARKERS FOR IMMUNOTHERAPY USING SPATIAL BIOLOGY
With
Associate Professor Arutha Kulasinghe @aruthak, Chair in Spatial Medicine and Principal Research Fellow, Frazer Institute, University of Queensland @UQ_News, & Founding Scientific Director, Queensland Spatial Biology Centre @Qld_SBC, Wesley Research Institute @WesleyResearch, Queensland, Australia

RESEARCHER PROFILE
Filmed in Sydney, Australia | October 2026

Associate Professor Arutha Kulasinghe is a Principal Research Fellow at The University of Queensland's Frazer Institute, where he leads the Clinical-oMx Lab. He holds the inaugural Brazil Family Chair in Spatial Medicine and is the founding Scientific Director of the Queensland Spatial Biology Centre at the Wesley Research Institute. He completed his PhD at Queensland University of Technology.

A/Prof Kulasinghe is a pioneer of spatial biology in the Asia-Pacific region and among the first to apply spatial transcriptomics, proteomics and interactomics there. He combines these technologies in an integrated multi-omics approach to understand the biology that drives disease. His research centres on immuno-oncology in lung, skin, and head and neck cancers, with a particular focus on the tumour microenvironment and on finding biomarkers that predict which patients will respond to immunotherapy. He also develops liquid biopsy approaches for lung and head and neck cancer, and has led tissue-atlas studies of infectious diseases, including COVID-19 and pandemic influenza.

He has authored more than 120 peer-reviewed publications, in journals including Nature Genetics, Nature Communications, The Lancet Microbe and the Journal of Clinical Oncology. His honours include Cure Cancer's Researcher of the Year (2023), The Australian's Top Innovators (2024), a Research Australia UNSW Frontiers Award (2026) and InDaily Queensland's 40 Under 40 (2026). He has also been named on The Courier-Mail's Queensland Power Lists for technology and medicine (2026). His work is supported by the MRFF, NHMRC, US Department of Defense, Cancer Australia, Cure Cancer, industry, and hospital and philanthropic partners.

Source: Supplied
Media Access Credit: Research Australia 2025-26 Health and Medical Research Awards @ResAustralia

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