Each October the Basil Hetzel Institute for Translational Health Research holds TQEH Research Expo, which together with RAHsearch, make up CALHN Research Week. TQEH Research Expo provides researchers in training with the opportunity to gain valuable experience in delivering presentations before a broad audience. TQEH Research Expo is made possible by generous sponsorship from The Hospital Research Foundation Group.
32nd TQEH Research Expo, Thursday 19th and Friday 20th October 2023
The 32nd TQEH Research Expo Plenary Lecture titled “” was given by Dr Leanna Read, Chair of Health Translation SA, in a session chaired by Professor Guy Maddern, Director of Research at the BHI, TQEH. Download the full program here, including all abstracts.
Many thanks to our generous sponsors and TQEH Expo Organising Committee for making the event possible. Congratulations to all of the presenters who shared their research findings and to the award winners listed below.
Category | Prize Sponsor | Winner | Research Group |
---|---|---|---|
Best Lay Description | John Morris Group ($350) | Olivia Girolamo, The University of Adelaide | Translational Vascular Function Research Collaborative |
Best Mini-Oral Presentation | The Hospital Research Foundation Group ($500) | Kaviya Kalyanasundaram, The University of Adelaide | ENT Surgery |
Best Clinical Trainee Research Presentation (tied winner) | The Hospital Research Foundation Group ($500) | Dr Natasha Stolz, CALHN | Department of Anaesthesia, TQEH & RAH |
Best Clinical Trainee Research Presentation (tied winner) | The Hospital Research Foundation Group ($500) | Dr Sangwoo Han, CALHN | Department of Gastroenterology, TQEH |
Best Oral Presentation: Honours & Summer students | The Hospital Research Foundation Group ($1000) | Rohan Bhattacharjya, The University of Adelaide | Research in Organ Preservation and Resuscitation Group |
Best Oral Presentation: Junior Laboratory Research | The University of Adelaide, Faculty of Health & Medical Science ($1000) | George Bouras, The University of Adelaide | ENT Surgery |
Best Oral Presentation: Senior Laboratory Research | The University of Adelaide, Faculty of Health & Medical Science ($1000) | Ryan Santos, The University of Adelaide | Viral Immunology Group |
Best Oral Presentation: Junior Clinical Research | The Hospital Research Foundation Group ($1000) | Dr Ryan Mathias, The University of Adelaide | Inflammatory Bowel Disease Research Group |
Best Oral Presentation: Senior Clinical Research | The Hospital Research Foundation Group ($1000) | Olivia Girolamo, The University of Adelaide | Translational Vascular Function Research Collaborative |
31st TQEH Research Expo, held on Thursday 20th and Friday 21st October 2022
The 31st TQEH Research Expo Plenary Lecture was given by Professor Caroline McMillen, Chief Scientist for South Australia, in a session chaired by Professor Guy Maddern, Director of Research at the BHI, TQEH. You can view the full program here.
Congratulations to all the presenters who highlighted their research at the 31st TQEH Research Expo. Awards were presented by Lesley Dwyer, CEO, Central Adelaide Local Health Network. This event would not be possible without the generous support of The Hospital Research Foundation Group and all our other sponsors (pictured below).
31st TQEH Research Expo Award Winners
Category | Prize Sponsor | Winner | Research Group |
---|---|---|---|
Best Lay Description | John Morris Group ($350) | Dr Madeleine Bryant, The University of Adelaide | Rheumatology Research Group |
Best Mini-Oral Presentation | Southern Cross Science ($500) | Dr Matheesha Herath, The University of Adelaide | Surgical Science Research Group |
Best Clinical Trainee Research Presentation | The Hospital Research Foundation Group ($1000) | Dr Matthew Tunbridge, CALHN | Central and Northern Adelaide Renal and Transplant Service |
Best Oral Presentation: Honours | The Hospital Research Foundation Group ($1000) | Ellie Treloar, The University of Adelaide | Surgical Science Research Group |
Best Oral Presentation: Junior Laboratory Research | University of South Australia, Clinical & Health Sciences ($1000) | Ryan Santos, The University of Adelaide | Viral Immunology Group |
Best Oral Presentation: Senior Laboratory Research | The University of Adelaide, Faculty of Health & Medical Sciences ($1000) | Laurine Kaul, The University of Adelaide | Surgical Science Research Group |
Best Oral Presentation: Junior Clinical Research | The Hospital Research Foundation Group ($1000) | Olivia Girolamo, The University of Adelaide | Translational Vascular Function Research Collaborative |
Best Oral Presentation: Senior Clinical Research | AusHealth ($1000) | Dr Madeleine Bryant, The University of Adelaide | Rheumatology Research Group |

30th TQEH Research Expo, held on Thursday 14th and Friday 15th October 2021
The 30th TQEH Research Expo Plenary Lecture, titled “Outcomes & Data – 20 years on from Bristol” was given by Dr Michael Cusack, SA Chief Medical Officer, in a session chaired by Professor Guy Maddern, Director of Research at the BHI, TQEH.
Congratulations to all research students and trainees who presented their results at the 30th TQEH Research Expo. Eight prizes were awarded across different categories thanks to our generous sponsors (see table below photo gallery).
L-R: Joshua Kovoor, Man Ying (Celine) Li, Dr Anna Megow, Lana Matteucci and Muhammed Awad. Absent from photo: Amita Ghadge, Dr Madeleine Bryant and Dr Sheree Cross.
30th TQEH Research Expo Award Winners
Category | Prize Sponsor | Winner | BHI Research Group |
---|---|---|---|
Best Lay Description | The University of Adelaide, Faculty of Health & Medical Sciences ($350) | Amita Ghadge, The University of Adelaide | Breast Biology and Cancer Unit |
Best Mini-Oral Presentation | Southern Cross Science ($500) | Dr Madeleine Bryant, The University of Adelaide | Rheumatology Research Group |
Best Mini-Oral Presentation | University of South Australia, Clinical & Health Sciences ($500) | Dr Sheree Cross, CALHN | Solid Tumour Group |
Best Oral Presentation: Honours & Summer Students | The Hospital Research Foundation Group ($1000) | Lana Matteucci, University of South Australia | Therapeutics Research Centre |
Best Oral Presentation: Junior Laboratory Research | The University of Adelaide, Faculty of Health & Medical Sciences ($1000) | Man Ying (Celine) Li, The University of Adelaide | Surgical Science Research Group |
Best Oral Presentation: Senior Laboratory Research | University of South Australia, Clinical & Health Sciences ($1000) | Muhammed Awad, University of South Australia | ENT Surgery |
Best Oral Presentation: Junior Clinical Research | The Hospital Research Foundation Group ($1000) | Joshua Kovoor, The University of Adelaide | Surgical Science Research Group |
Best Oral Presentation: Senior Clinical Research | AusHealth ($1000) | Dr Anna Megow, The University of Adelaide | ENT Surgery |
We thank the following sponsors for their support of the 30th TQEH Research Expo, The Hospital Research Foundation, The University of Adelaide (Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences), University of South Australia (Clinical & Health Sciences), AusHealth, Interpath Services, Southern Cross Science, Chem-Supply, Beckmann Coulter, Pathtech and Eppendorf.
TQEH RESEARCH EXPO 2020
In 2020, TQEH Research Expo was held on Thursday 15 and Friday 16 October. For the first time since 2008, TQEH Research Expo was held in the main lecture theatre at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital (on Friday), to allow a larger live audience to attend while adhering to COVID restrictions. This year all sessions could also be attended via Zoom. We would like to thank Professor Toby Coates for his outstanding Plenary Lecture [watch Zoom recording], invited guests who were able to attend in person – especially those who chaired sessions, as well as researchers/clinicians who judged abstracts and presentations. [scroll down to see a photo slideshow below the table of Award Winners].
TQEH Research Expo 2020 Award Winners
Congratulations to all students who presented the results of their research at the 29th TQEH Research Expo. Eight prizes were awarded across different categories thanks to our generous sponsors (see table below the photo).

Category | Prize Sponsor | Winner | BHI Research Group |
---|---|---|---|
Best Lay Description | The Hospital Research Foundation ($350) | Sean Mangion, University of South Australia | Therapeutics Research Centre |
Best Mini-Oral Presentation (Undergraduates) | The University of Adelaide, Faculty of Health & Medical Sciences ($500) | Dawn Whelan, The University of Adelaide | Viral Immunology Group |
Best Mini-Oral Presentation (PhD students) | University of South Australia, Clinical & Health Sciences ($500) | Muhammed Awad, University of South Australia | ENT Surgery |
Best Oral Presentation: Honours Students | Lonza & The Hospital Research Foundation ($1000) | Michelle Sims, The University of Adelaide | Clinical Pharmacology Research Group |
Best Oral Presentation: Junior Laboratory PhD students | Southern Cross Science & The Hospital Research Foundation ($1000) | Gohar Shaghayegh, The University of Adelaide | ENT Surgery |
Best Oral Presentation: Senior Laboratory PhD students | University of South Australia, Clinical & Health Sciences ($1000) | Dr Michael Gouzos, The University of Adelaide | ENT Surgery |
Best Oral Presentation: Clinical Research Group 1 | The University of Adelaide, Faculty of Health & Medical Sciences ($1000) | Dr Alannah Quinlivan, The University of Adelaide | Rheumatology Research Group |
Best Oral Presentation: Clinical Research Group 2 | The Hospital Research Foundation ($1000) | Dr Giri Krishnan, The University of Adelaide | ENT Surgery |
The full 2020 program, including Abstracts, can be downloaded here.
The 29th TQEH Research Expo Plenary Lecture, held at 12pm on Friday 16 October, was chaired by Professor Guy Maddern, Director of Research, Basil Hetzel Institute, TQEH.
Professor Toby Coates, Director of Kidney and Islet Transplantation at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, and Professor of Medicine at The University of Adelaide presented his talk “Recycling Islets to Treat Diabetes” to a live audience, as well as a Zoom audience [watch Zoom recording]!
Professor Toby Coates is a Renal Transplant Nephrologist at the Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH), whose work in the area of kidney and pancreatic islet cell transplantation has saved the lives of countless diabetes and kidney disease patients across South Australia. One of the highlights of his career is successfully performing the first islet cell transplant surgery in SA in 2010 as a cure for type 1 diabetes. Professor Coates also leads the Adelaide Medical School, University of Adelaide, in the Central Northern Adelaide Renal and Transplantation Service (CNARTS) at the RAH, focusing on the isolation and transplantation of healthy pancreatic islets as an innovative treatment and potential cure for type 1 diabetes. Professor Coates is committed to improving the lives of those living with kidney disease and diabetes.
Sponsors:
The following sponsors are thanked for supporting TQEH Research Expo 2020: The Hospital Research Foundation, The University of Adelaide (Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences), University of South Australia (Clinical and Health Sciences), Lonza, Southern Cross Science, Chem-Supply, Beckmann Coulter, Eppendorf, Bio-Strategy and the Australian Genome Research Facility Ltd.
2019 TQEH Research Expo

Category | Prize Sponsor | Winner | BHI Research Group |
---|---|---|---|
Best Oral Presentation: Honours and Summer Students | The University of Adelaide & The Hospital Research Foundation ($1000) | Ahad Sabab | ENT Surgery |
Best Oral Presentation: Junior Laboratory PhD students | University of South Australia ($1000) | Laurine Kaul | Surgical Science Research Group |
Best Oral Presentation: Senior Laboratory PhD students | University of South Australia & Southern Cross Science ($1000) | Amita Ghadge | Breast Biology and Cancer Unit |
Best Oral Presentation: Clinical Trainees | The Hospital Research Foundation ($1000) | Oscar Russell | Rheumatology Research Group |
Best Oral Presentation: Clinical Higher Degree Students | The University of Adelaide ($1000) | Mark Thompson | Adelaide G-TRAC Centre |
Best Poster and Mini-Oral Presentation Prize (Laboratory) | The Hospital Research Foundation ($500) | Maryam Nakhjavani | Solid Tumour Group |
Best Poster and Mini-Oral Presentation Prize (Clinical) | The Hospital Research Foundation ($500) | Tom Eldredge | Oesophageal Physiology Group |
Best Lay Description | Chem-Supply ($350) | Unyime Jasper | Adelaide G-TRAC Centre |
Sponsors
We thank the following sponsors for supporting the 2019 TQEH Research Expo: The Hospital Research Foundation, The University of Adelaide (Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences), University of South Australia (School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences), Southern Cross Science, Chem-Supply, Beckmann Coulter, Eppendorf, Abacus dx, Bio-Strategy and the Australian Genome Research Facility Ltd.
Program
2019 TQEH Research Expo Program Booklet
2018 TQEH Research Expo
To view the slideshow, click on the left and right arrows on the sides of each image.
2018 TQEH Research Expo Award Winners

Category | Prize Sponsor | Winner | BHI Research Group |
---|---|---|---|
Best Oral Presentation: Honours and Summer Students | The Hospital Research Foundation | Ashley Twigger | ENT Surgery |
Best Oral Presentation: Junior Laboratory PhD students | Co-sponsored by ThermoFisher Scientific and The University of Adelaide | Giri Krishnan | ENT Surgery |
Best Oral Presentation: Senior Laboratory PhD students | The University of Adelaide | Lisa Cherian | ENT Surgery |
Best Oral Presentation: Clinical Trainees | The Hospital Research Foundation | Rachel Goggin | ENT Surgery |
Best Oral Presentation: Clinical Higher Degree Students | University of South Australia | Anupam Gupta | Adelaide G-TRAC |
Poster Prize | Southern Cross Science | Namfon Pantarat | Breast Cancer Research Unit |
Best Lay Description | Lonza | Rachel Goggin | ENT Surgery |
Ivan De La Lande Award (for eligible Clinical Pharmacology or Cardiology student/trainee) | Clementine Labrosciano | Translational Vascular Function Research Collaborative (Medicine) | |
2018 Sponsors and Prizes
The following organisations are thanked for sponsoring TQEH Research Expo 2018.
The Hospital Research Foundation, The University of Adelaide (Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences), The University of South Australia (School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences), Southern Cross Science, ThermoFisher Scientific, Lonza, Beckmann Coulter, Eppendorf, the Australian Genome Research Facility, Abacus dx and Coherent Scientific.