HealtheX 2016
HealtheX is a student-led conference which promotes research activity and excellence in presentation skills among postgraduate students.
This year’s HealtheX marked the 10th anniversary of supporting and developing emerging researchers in the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences. The competition and award ceremony took place last Friday 9 September at FMHS.
HealtheX supports emerging scientists’ development by providing a platform in which to communicate their research to a wider audience. This is essential to the development of young researchers who must learn how to present their science in a way that engages the public opinion and secures ongoing funding.
Hosted by PhD candidates Yukti Vyas and Brittney Black from the Centre for Brain Research and organised by a committee of FMHS post graduate students, this year’s event feedback was unanimously positive.
On this occasion, the Auckland Medical Research Foundation (AMRF) increased their contribution to prize-giving by awarding three travel grants to HealtheX winners in three categories.
The winners and runner-ups of HealtheX 2016 per category were as follows:
Oral Doctoral Category
Grace Gong – AMRF Outstanding Emerging Research Award
Title: Who would have thought that ATP competitive inhibitors could affect protein-membrane interactions?
Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology
Supervisor: Professor Peter Shepherd
Hans Vellara – AMRF Doctoral Oral Presentation Runner Up Award
Title: In vivo orbital compliance in thyroid eye disease
Department of Ophthalmology
Supervisor: Associate Professor Dipika Patel
Jesse Ashton – Second Runner Up Doctoral Oral Presentation Award (CBR)
Title: Shift of Dominant Pacemaker Site during Reflex Vagal Stimulation is the Result of Propagation Failure
Bioengineering Institute
Supervisor: Professor Bruce Smaill
Oral Non-Doctoral Category
Hei Tsun Tsang – Best Non-Doctoral Oral Presentation Award
Title: Hyaluronan-coated Liposomes for Targeted Delivery to CD44 Overexpressing Demyelinating Diseases
School of Pharmacy
Supervisor: Dr Zimei Wu
Tessa Fuhrer – First Runner Up Non-Doctoral Oral Presentation Award (CBR)
Title: Impaired expression of GABA transporters in the human Alzheimer`s disease brain
Department of Anatomy with Radiology
Supervisor: Dr Andrea Kwakowsky
Himanshu Wadhwa – Second Runner Up Non-Doctoral Oral Presentation Award
Title: Investigating the use of corneal stem cell-enriched spheres in keratoconic corneal tissue repair
Department of Opthalmology
Supervisor: Associate Professor Trevor Sherwin
Poster Category
Maximilian Joret – AMRF Best Poster Presentation Award (CBR)
Title: The immunosuppressive phenotype of human brain pericytes in glioblastoma multiforme
Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology
Supervisor: Professor Michael Dragunow
Wojciech Ambroziak – First Runner Up Poster Presentation Award (CBR)
Title: Regulation of synaptic glutamate receptor distribution in mutant huntingtin expressing neurons
Department of Physiology
Supervisor: Associate Professor Johanna Montgomery
Madhavi Pandya – Second Runner Up Poster Presentation Award (CBR)
Title: Age- and gender-specific changes in GABAA receptor subunits in Human inferior-, middle- and superior temporal gyri
Department of Anatomy with Radiology
Supervisor: Dr Andrea Kwakowsky
Elevator Pitch Category
Amy Gamage – Maurice and Phyllis Paykel Trust Best Elevator Pitch Presentation Award
Title: The Roles of Placental Macrophages (Hofbauer cells) in Placental Vascular Development
Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology
Supervisor: Dr Jo James
Anusha Dravid – FMHS Postdoc Society First Runner Up Elevator Pitch Presentation Award
Title: Developing an injectable thermosensitive gelling system for the sustained release of lactoferrin
School of Pharmacy
Supervisor: Dr Darren Svirskis
Elsie Jacobson – FMHS PGSA Second Runner Up Elevator Pitch Presentation Award
Title: Does squeezing through cracks remodel the genome to activate immune cells?
Liggins Institute
Supervisor: Dr Justin O’Sullivan
The conference was attended by our Vice Chancellor; Professor Stuart McCutcheon and our Deputy Vice Chancellor Research; Professor James Metson, among other distinguished academics. Special awards were given by Associate Professor Trevor Sherwin; Associate Dean of Post Graduate Studies, Professor Andrew Shelling; FMHS Associate Dean of Research, Ian Simpson; Chair of the MPPT Scientific Committee and Jeff Todd; President of AMRF.
The HealtheX committee wishes to thank the sponsors of this year’s event; Auckland Medical Research Foundation, Maurice and Phyllis Paykel Trust, FMHS Postdoc Society and FMHS Postgraduate Students Associations, as these generous contributions are shaping the future of scientific research in New Zealand.
