University Medals awarded to Sophie Camens and Dr Sunita De Sousa
Sophie Camens (ENT Surgery) has been awarded a University Medal for 2020 for outstanding academic merit throughout her undergraduate studies. This includes last year at the Basil Hetzel Institute, TQEH, where she completed a First Class Honours degree and received a Medical Specialities Honours Award from the Adelaide Medical School. Sophie’s thesis “Preclinical development of a P. aeruginosa phage cocktail for use to treat infections with multi-drug resistant bacteria” was supervised by University of Adelaide researchers Associate Professor Sarah Vreugde, Professor Alkis Psaltis (TQEH) and Dr Sha Liu. She was supported by a scholarship from The Hospital Research Foundation.
Sophie writes of her year at the BHI “Undertaking my Honours degree at the BHI was a very rewarding experience and I feel very privileged to have gained an insight into the research industry. I particularly enjoyed attending surgeries throughout November during tissue collection where I had the opportunity to consent patients and collect samples for research. I really enjoyed the camaraderie and working environment at the BHI, and am extremely grateful for the guidance from my supervisors and the support of the ENT Surgery research group.” Sophie is currently working at the Flinders Medical Centre in the COVID Vaccination Clinic supporting the role out of the vaccine to the community. [update May 2021: Sophie has begun studying medicine at Bond University, Gold Coast, Queensland].
Congratulations are also extended to Dr Sunita De Sousa (Endocrinology Unit) for receiving a 2020 University Doctoral Research Medal, the only recipient from the Adelaide Medical School. Sunita was awarded her PhD in April 2020. Her thesis, “Clinical and genetic aspects of prolactin hypersecretion” was completed under the supervision of Professor David Torpy (The University of Adelaide, RAH), Dr Lucy Gagliardi (The University of Adelaide, TQEH, RAH) and Professor Hamish Scott (University of South Australia).
Sunita is currently working as a Staff Specialist in the RAH Endocrine and Metabolic Unit and the South Australian Adult Genetics Unit and continues her research in the area of endocrine genetics.
Sophie and Sunita will have their medals presented to them at the upcoming May Graduation Ceremony at The University of Adelaide.
