General Health PhD Scholarships

I was interested in Medicine from a very young age as I was exposed to the field quite early in my life. As I grew up, my fascination with neurodegenerative disorders and brain functioning only increased. I attended a Nobel laureate’s lecture during my secondary school that ignited my curiosity into research. Eventually, I chose a career in medical imaging, where I noticed a need for more advanced techniques in neurological diagnostics, especially for children and elderly patients. To address this gap, I pursued a Master of Research at Nottingham Trent University and Sir Peter Mansfield Imaging Centre in the United Kingdom.

During this transformative experience, I gained expertise in cutting-edge neuroimaging techniques. This solidified my passion for research, along with the excitement of discovering something new daily. However, despite my newfound skills, I felt a desire for a deeper understanding of the medical aspects. This led me to the University of Sydney, where I now use novel magnetic resonance techniques and advanced computational tools to uncover early markers of Lewy body diseases.

Chow qualified as a Paediatric Haematologist, Laboratory Haematologist and Paediatric Oncologist in 2023, having trained at New Zealand, the Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne and the Alfred Hospital, Melbourne. Despite having a busy career at Monash Children’s Hospital, his interest in science, which developed during his time at his alma mater, Imperial College London, England, continues.

Having seen how new classes of drugs impacted greatly on patients, such as tyrosine kinase inhibitors and chronic myeloid leukaemia, anti-tumour necrosis factor monoclonal antibodies and rheumatology patients, and venetoclax with a myriad of haematological malignancies, Chow aspires to follow in the footsteps of several very successful scientists and clinicians to make similar impacts in the paediatric haematological/oncological world.

Dagmawi Chilot is a lecturer of clinical trials at the University of Gondar, Ethiopia. He received his MSc in Clinical trials from Addis Ababa University, Center for Innovative Drug Development and Therapeutic Trials for Africa (CDT Africa), Ethiopia in 2021; and his BSc degree in Nursing from the University of Gondar, Ethiopia in 2016.

Dagmawi joined the University of Gondar as a graduate assistant II in 2016. Alongside his academic duties, he has been working as deputy coordinator of the University of Gondar Clinical Trial Centre, and a clinical data manager expert fellow of the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp, Belgium.

I received a Bachelor degree in Medicine and Surgery at Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka, Nigeria (2008) and proceeded for residency and fellowship training at University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria where I obtained the fellowship of the West African College of Physician (2017) in Internal Medicine with my area of subspecialisation as Gastroenterology and Hepatology. To align my clinical interest with therapeutics I enrolled for Master Degree in Pharmacology, which I obtained with Distinction.

I am currently practicing as a Gastroenterologist at Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa, Nigeria. My areas of interest are Neurogastroenterology and Global Digestive Health.

My name is Harry Dempsey and I grew up in Melbourne. In primary school, I loved making video games. In secondary school, I played the clarinet and piano and competed in lawn bowls and fencing competitions. During this time, I also fell in love with science which motivated me to study science, so I enrolled in a double degree of Biomedical Science and Physics at Monash University. I knew I wanted to become a researcher, but I was not sure which scientific field to pursue. Over time, I became fascinated by artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. I noticed that problems, previously thought to be unsolvable, were cracked in the span of just a few years using AI. I love coding in the same way I enjoyed making video games when I was in primary school, so I decided to pursue a PhD where I will use machine learning to crack problems in mental health research.

After completing a Graduate Diploma of Professional Psychology at Monash University in 2017, I decided to take a break from studying and gain some work experience. This led me to working in a sports rehabilitation centre before becoming a Teaching Associate for undergraduate psychology at Monash University in 2019. It was here that I developed my passion for education and decided to pursue a career in research and education. This encouraged me to complete a research internship at the Danny Frawley Centre in 2022, which provided me with essential skills in research and data analysis. In 2023 I continued my studies by becoming a PhD candidate, exploring the mental health of retired athletes.

I am a pharmacist who is eager to improve the safe use of medication through high-quality research that creates evidence, and translating said evidence to drive practice change. As a clinical pharmacist in one of Melbourne’s largest tertiary hospitals, I have first-hand, practical experience in helping patients improve their medication use. Making a positive impact on someone’s health is the most rewarding part of my career. I am excited to translate this passion to helping prevent medication related harm by reducing sedative medications in people living with dementia.

I obtained my undergraduate degree at Flinders University in South Australia, where I continued to work in sleep and dementia research following my graduation. During my time as a research assistant, I developed a passion for exploring neurodegenerative diseases, developing tools for early detection, and methods of early intervention. In 2023, I moved to Melbourne to commence a PhD at Monash University. Here at Monash, I am able to combine my interests in sleep research and neurodegenerative disease to explore how poor quality sleep is associated with increased risk of neurodegenerative disease.

Charlie Ffrench is a life-saving enthusiast who completed her undergraduate degree in Laboratory Medicine (Honours) at the University of South Australia in 2021 and during that time she received several academic honours, including University Merit awards and the Martin Hansen award (for the student with the highest aggregate mark in the final two years of the degree).

Charlie started her PhD in 2022 at the Centre for Cancer Biology (University of South Australia and SA Pathology). Working with a supervisory team of scientists and clinicians, her research broadly focuses on advancing our knowledge of pancreatic cancer.

Jordan completed her Master of Biomedical Science in 2017 from the University of Melbourne (UoM), where her project looked at utilising adult stem cells to prevent and treat heart failure in patients following myocardial infarction. Following this, she worked as a Junior Research Assistant at the Centre for Eye Research Australia, establishing induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines and optic cup organoids from patients with Primary Open Angle Glaucoma.