Awards
Outstanding Female Researcher Medal
The Academy’s Outstanding Female Researcher Medal is awarded annually to a leading woman researcher in Australia.
Outstanding Female Researcher Medal
Criteria
The Outstanding Female Researcher Medal recognises a researcher who identifies as a woman, who will have made one or more sustained, exceptional and impactful contributions to health and medical research. The recipient will be an exceptional leader and mentor in their field and a leading name in the Australian health and medical sciences, with recognised international standing and reputation.
Nominations are welcome from all fields associated with furthering biomedical and health research, whether clinical or basic biomedical research, public health or any other relevant field. Nominees and nominators do not need to be an AAHMS Fellow.
Candidates must normally reside in Australia at the time of nomination. Consideration will be given to individuals whose career has been interrupted, delayed or otherwise constrained through reasons including, but not limited to, illness, child bearing, child caring or other caring responsibilities.
The Outstanding Female Researcher Medal is awarded at the AAHMS Annual Meeting each October.
Outstanding Female Researcher Medal
Key dates
PREVIOUS AWARDEES
Outstanding Female Researcher Medal
Professor Ingrid Scheffer AO FRS FAA FAHMS
The Academy is delighted to recognise Professor Ingrid Scheffer with this prestigious award for her groundbreaking work as a paediatric neurologist and epileptologist.
For more than 20 years, Professor Ingrid Scheffer has led groundbreaking work in epilepsy genetics. Working alongside a team of renowned researchers and molecular geneticists, she identified the first epilepsy gene and has contributed to the discovery of many more. These advances have transformed diagnosis, treatment and genetic counselling, improving the lives of countless patients and families worldwide.
Professor Jane Visvader FRS FAA FAHMS
Professor Jane Visvader has been recognised with the Outstanding Female Researcher Medal 2024 for her innovative and seminal work in isolating breast stem cells, and pinpointing likely “cells-of-origin” for breast cancer in women carrying a faulty BRCA1 gene.
“I am extremely honoured to receive this award, which recognises the work of an amazing team of scientists that I have had the privilege of working with over the last couple of decades,” Professor Visvader said.
“The Academy is committed to advancing diversity and inclusion in the health and medical sciences. We have been working hard to ensure that, as a Learned Academy, we represent the full diversity of the community in which we work. This medal provides a further mechanism through which the Academy celebrates and recognises the important achievements of female researchers in health and medicine.”
Professor Louise Baur
AM FAHMS
President, Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences
ABOUT
Acknowledgement
The Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences Outstanding Female Researcher Medal has been made possible by a generous donation from The Gandevia Foundation, for which the Academy is most grateful. The medal is designed by the Royal Australian Mint.
OUTSTANDING FEMALE RESEARCHER MEDAL
How to nominate
Nominations open in October each year and all paperwork must be submitted by 1 March the following year.
To nominate, please read the nomination guidelines below, and email the secretariat ([email protected]) with the name of the intended candidate, their current email address, position and institution to begin the process.
Individuals must be nominated – they cannot self-nominate. Nominators do not need to be AAHMS Fellows.
Download the nomination guidelines below.
