Meet our 2025 Research Scholarship recipients:

ANZ Endocrine Surgeons Research Scholarship
Value: $20,000
Awarded to: Dr Wendy Liu (New South Wales)
Specialty: General Surgery
Research topic: The role of 18F-Fluorocholine PET / CT in Primary Hyperparathyroidism.

Brendan Dooley & Gordon Trinca Trauma Research Scholarship
Value: $10,000
Awarded to: Dr Barry Kweh (Australian Capital Territory)
Specialty: Neurosurgery
Research topic: Spinal fractures - classification, risk stratification and neurosurgical interventions.

Francis & Phyllis Thornell-Shore Research Scholarship
Value: $36,000
Awarded to: Dr Benjamin Thurston (South Australia)
Specialty: Vascular Surgery
Research topic: Epigenomic, histopathological and radiological sub-typing of atherosclerotic plaques in peripheral arterial disease.

Foundation for Surgery Research Scholarship
Value: $80,000
Awarded to: Dr Zexi Allan (Victoria)
Specialty: General Surgery
Research topic: Clinical utility of liquid biopsy in oesophago-gastric malignancy.

Herbert & Gloria Kees Research Scholarship
Value: $80,000
Awarded to: Dr Maria Vanguardia (Victoria)
Specialty: General Surgery
Research topic: Preventing the recurrence of colorectal cancer.

Ian & Ruth Gough Surgical Education Scholarship
Value: $15,000
Awarded to: Dr Teriana Maheno (Aotearoa New Zealand)
Specialty: Orthopaedic Surgery
Research activity: Masters of Clinical Education at University of Oxford, United Kingdom.

James Ramsay Research Grant
Value: $120,000
Awarded to: Prof Jonathan Clark (New South Wales)
Specialty: General Surgery
Research topic: Transforming Jaw Reconstruction Through Biomechanical Modelling.

John Hargrave Cardiothoracic Research Scholarship
Value: $240,000
Awarded to: Dr Tim Shiraev (New South Wales)
Specialty: Vascular Surgery
Research topic: Outcomes and mechanisms of function of a novel tropo-elastin neovessel for arterial bypass.

John Loewenthal Project Grant
Value: $160,000
Awarded to: Dr Krishna Kotecha (New South Wales)
Specialty: General Surgery
Research topic: Artificial Intelligence in Pancreatic Cancer Diagnosis and Management.

John Mitchell Crouch Fellowship
Value: $118,000
Awarded to: Professor Eugene Ek (Victoria)
Specialty: Orthopaedic Surgery
Research topic: Targeting intraosseous nerves to treat painful osteoarthritis.

MAIC-RACS Trauma Scholarship
Value: $80,000
Awarded to: Professor Eric Chung (Queensland)
Specialty: Urology
Research topic: Evidence-based implementation and development of streamline algorithm in managing genitourinary complication secondary to adult pelvic trauma.

Paul Mackay Bolton Scholarship for Cancer Research
Value: $160,000
Awarded to: Dr Karishma Jassal (Victoria)
Specialty: General Surgery
Research topic: Multimodal eXplainable Artificial Intelligence Systems for the Pre-Operative Diagnosis of Malignant Thyroid Nodules.

Sir Roy McCaughey Surgical Research Scholarship
Value: $240,000
Awarded to: Dr Colby Stevenson (New South Wales)
Specialty: General Surgery
Research topic: Improving care in patients with oesophageal cancer through genomic and proteomic profiling of oesophageal cancer.

Small Project Grant
Value: $10,000
Awarded to: Dr Rennie Qin (Aotearoa New Zealand)
Specialty: General Surgery
Research topic: A qualitative analysis of the effects of climate change on surgical care and the factors contributing to surgical system climate-resilience in Pacific Island Countries.

Small Project Grant
Value: $10,000
Awarded to: Dr Amanda Liesegang (Queensland)
Specialty: General Surgery
Research topic: The PREDICTORG Trial: PeRsonalisED Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy for patients with resecTable colorectal peritoneal metastases: an all-Australian multicentre trial utilising patient-derived tumour-ORGanoids to facilitate precision medicine.

WG Norman Research Scholarship
Value: $45,000
Awarded to: Dr Christopher Ovenden (South Australia)
Specialty: Neurosurgery
Research topic: Differences in the membrane receptors of normal pituitary gland and non-functioning pituitary adenomas.

Meet our 2025 Learning and Development Grant recipients.

ASC Award
Value: $5000
Awarded to: Dr Nasya Thompson (Aotearoa New Zealand)
Specialty: Junior doctor
Activity: To attend the upcoming Annual Scientific Meeting.

ASC Award
Value: $5000
Awarded to: Dr Maccalla Fenn (Australian Capital Territory)
Specialty: Junior doctor
Activity: To attend the upcoming Annual Scientific Meeting.

ASC Award
Value: $5000
Awarded to: Annelisse Olsen (Aotearoa New Zealand)
Specialty: Medical student
Activity: To attend the upcoming Annual Scientific Meeting.

ASC Peer Support Award
Value: $5000
Awarded to: Dr Sarah Bormann (South Australia)
Specialty: Junior doctor
Activity: To attend the upcoming Annual Scientific Meeting.

Anwar and Myrtha Girgis SIMG Grant
Value: $6300
Awarded to: Dr Yezen Sheena (Queensland)
Specialty: Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery
Activity: Funding of College supervision and exam fees to allow progression to unsupervised independent practice in Australasia.

Aziz Hamza Rural Surgery Grant
Value: $1000
Awarded to: Dr Brianne Lauritz (Victoria)
Specialty: General Surgery
Activity: Attendance at the Applied Breast Ultrasound Course for Clinicians hosted by the Australasian Society for Breast Disease, Sydney.

Bongiorno National Network Younger Fellows Travel Grant
Value: $9000
Awarded to: Dr Michael Stuart (Queensland)
Specialty: Neurosurgery
Activity: Fellowship in Open Cerebrovascular Neurosurgery at Stanford University, United States.

Bongiorno National Network Younger Fellows Travel Grant
Value: $9000
Awarded to: Dr Su Kah Goh (Victoria)
Specialty: General Surgery
Activity: Transplant Fellowship at the University of Toronto’s Abdominal Transplant Program, Canada.

Career Enhancement Junior Doctors
Value: $5000
Awarded to: Dr Nasya Thompson (Aotearoa New Zealand)
Specialty: Junior doctor
Activity: To attend the upcoming Annual Scientific Meeting.

Career Enhancement Junior Doctors
Value: $5000
Awarded to: Dr Sarah Bormann (South Australia)
Specialty: Junior doctor
Activity: To facilitate completion of the Generic Surgical Science Examination (GSSE).

Career Enhancement Junior Doctors
Value: $5000
Awarded to: Dr Nikki Burnett (South Australia)
Specialty: Junior doctor
Activity: Completion of RACS courses, including Early Management of Severe Trauma (EMST), Australia and NZ Surgical Skills Education and Training (ASSET) and Clinical Literature Evaluations and Research (CLEAR).

Career Enhancement Medical Students
Value: $2000
Awarded to: Ms Annelisse Olsen (Aotearoa New Zealand)
Specialty: Medical student
Activity: Conference attendance at Wānanga-ā-tau.

Davison Family Grant
Value: $7500
Awarded to: Dr Nikki Burnett (South Australia)
Specialty: Junior doctor
Activity: Completion of RACS courses, including Early Management of Severe Trauma (EMST), Australia and NZ Surgical Skills Education and Training (ASSET) and Clinical Literature Evaluations and Research (CLEAR).

Hugh Johnston Travel Grant
Value: $10,000
Awarded to: Dr Nicholas Candy (South Australia)
Specialty: Neurosurgery
Activity: Conference attendance & presentation at North American Skull Base Society (Louisiana, United States) and observership at a Neurosurgical Department at Ohio State University (Ohio, United States).

John Buckingham Travel Grant
Value: $4000
Awarded to: Dr Jonathan Sivakumar (Victoria)
Specialty: General Surgery
Activity: Attendance at the American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress.

Margorie Hooper Travel Scholarship
Value: $75,000
Awarded to: Dr Ned Kinnear (South Australia)
Specialty: Urology
Activity: Functional and Reconstructive Urology Fellowship at the University of Calgary/Rockyview General Hospital, Canada.

Morgan Travel Fellowship
Value: $8000
Awarded to: Associate Professor Brahma Sivakumar (New South Wales)
Specialty: Orthopaedic Surgery
Activity: Fellowship at the Institut de la Main in Paris, France to train in hyperselective neurectomies and nerve transfers for spasticity.

Morgan Travel Fellowship
Value: $8000
Awarded to: Dr Chi Hau Tan (South Australia)
Specialty: Neurosurgery
Activity: Complex skull base Neurosurgery Fellowship in Vancouver, Canada.

Murray & Unity Pheils Travel Grant
Value: $15,000
Awarded to: Dr Henry Drysdale (Victoria)
Specialty: General Surgery
Activity: Robotic/Advanced Colorectal Cancer Fellowship at Nottingham University Hospital Colorectal Unit, United Kingdom.

Ngarra Grant
Value: $2000
Awarded to: Dr Sarah Bormann (South Australia)
Specialty: Junior doctor
Activity: To facilitate completion of the Generic Surgical Science Examination (GSSE).

Poate Family Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Travel Grant
Value: $2600
Awarded to: Dr Matthew Cheng (Queensland)
Specialty: Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Activity: Delivering an oral presentation on behalf of the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons at ‘Plastic Surgery The Meeting’ in San Diego, United States

Queensland Younger Fellows Grant
Value: $2500
Awarded to: Dr Toby Hulf (Queensland)
Specialty: General Surgery
Activity: Clinical Fellowship in the department of Endocrine Surgery at Oxford, United Kingdom.

Rural Junior Doctors Surgical Skills Course Grant
Value: $1500
Awarded to: Dr Minella Lalloz (Queensland)
Specialty: Junior doctor
Activity: Attendance at RACS courses including Care of the Critically Ill Surgical Patient (CCrISP).

Rural Surgery Fellowship for Provincial Surgeons
Value: $5000
Awarded to: Dr Benjamin Scott (New South Wales)
Specialty: General Surgery
Activity: Advanced Skin Surgery Workshop at the Skin Cancer College Australasia, Sydney.

Stuart Morson Neurosurgery Grant
Value: $30,000
Awarded to: Dr Michael Mulcahy (New South Wales)
Specialty: Neurosurgery
Activity: Spine Fellowship at University of Calgary, Canada.

Younger Fellows Leadership Exchange Grant
Value: $5000
Awarded to: Dr Sharon Jay (Aotearoa New Zealand)
Specialty: General Surgery
Activity: Postgraduate Certificate in Clinical Research, Education and Leadership at the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom.