Menzies School of Health Research

19/01/2026

25 YEARS | Last year we celebrated Dr Jemima Beissbarth’s 25 years at Menzies! 🎉

Starting in 2000 with the Ear Health Research Program, Jemima has led vital work in laboratory science, data management and clinical trials.

In 2022, she completed her PhD on otitis media microbiology and the impact of vaccines under the supervision of Prof Amanda Leach, Prof Heidi Smith-Vaughan and Prof Allen Cheng.

Thank you, Jemima, for your dedication, expertise and long-standing contribution to improving ear health for children.

16/01/2026

JOIN OUR TEAM | Are you passionate about advocating to improve the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities across the Asia-Pacific?

We’re seeking a Fundraising and Philanthropy Coordinator, to help us enhance our capacity to make a meaningful impact.

As part of this role, you’ll have the opportunity to create and drive fundraising initiatives while building a strong community of philanthropists, united in supporting cutting-edge, community-driven research tackling some of the most pressing health challenges in our region.

If you’re looking to use your expertise to make a real change to health outcomes, this role is for you.

Learn more and apply by Sunday 8 February 2026: https://careers.menzies.edu.au/job-details/query/Fundraising+and+Philanthropy+Coordinator/in/Australia/9681720/

15/01/2026

Celebrating Our Incredible Staff! 🎉

At Menzies, we proudly recognise the dedication and commitment of our team through our Service Awards – a tribute to the hard work and meaningful contributions that drive our mission.

At the end of last year, we celebrated staff from our Alice Springs, Darwin, Timor-Leste Offices, as well as remote working staff who had reached their 5, 10 and 15 year milestones with Menzies.

Congratulations to all our award recipients and thank you for your on-going commitment to Menzies and health research.

13/01/2026

MENTOR AWARD ✨Congratulations to A/Prof Shawn Ting who has been awarded a Menzies Mentorship Award!

Shawn has been recognised for his dedication to fostering professional growth and for embodying ‘akompana’ (side-by-side) mentoring with Timor-Leste team members. He takes the time to understand his team member’s strengths and goals, provides personalised feedback and creates opportunities that support both individual development and project success.

Thank you Shawn, for your generosity with time and your unwavering commitment to mentoring at Menzies!

12/01/2026

Did you catch the recent coverage of the Hep B PAST Program?

It was great to work with Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance Northern Territory to highlight the incredible outcomes of this co-designed initiative, which is delivering real and lasting improvements in liver health outcomes for Aboriginal people across the Northern Territory.

Led of the Program, Menzies’ Professor Jane Davies highlights the how this co-designed and collaborative program is now recognised nationally as a leading model for early detection and culturally safe chronic hepatitis B care.

Check out the article in National Indigenous Times

Survival rates for Aboriginal people with liver cancer are now three times higher than in the mid-2000s, with experts crediting the remarkable improvement in part to a Northern Territory-designed hepa...

09/01/2026

MENTOR AWARD ✨ We are delighted to announce that Katherine Hancock has been awarded a Menzies Mentorship Award!

Katherine has been acknowledged for her consistent support and willingness to guide and mentor people across Menzies. Carefully balancing the needs of individuals and the wider organisation, Katherine offers insightful and engaging support that strengthens both individuals and teams.

Congratulations on this achievement Katherine! We’re proud to have you as part of the team.

08/01/2026

MENTOR AWARD ✨ Mentoring is an important part of research and what we do at Menzies. We’re excited to celebrate our team members that have been recognised for their excellence in mentoring.

At our Staff Awards at the end of 2025, we recognised 3 of our mentors for their work across Menzies – and we’ll be sharing these over the next few days.

We’re proud to announce that Dr Josie Povey was one of the recipients of the Menzies Mentorship Award.

Josie was nominated for her calm guidance and thoughtful supervision, supporting staff, students and trainees across Menzies over many years. She shows genuine interest in the people she mentors, working alongside them to foster ideas and meaningfully involve them in projects.

At Menzies Presents in October last year, Josie presented on a panel of NT changemakers, alongside one of her past mentees. This is just one example of her long-term impact in supporting young people to excel.

Congratulations Josie!

07/01/2026

Did you catch Menzies’ Dr Kiarna Brown and Jess Murray in the Sunday Territorian? Great to see a spotlight on the importance of preterm birth prevention and the team’s vital research in collaboration with women and families to drive meaningful, long-term impact.

Check out the post below!

06/01/2026

IDEAS GRANT | Congratulations to Dr Jemima Beissbarth who has been awarded a competitive National Health and Medical Research Council - NHMRC Ideas Grant to expand understanding and address severe middle ear infection (called chronic suppurative otitis media - CSOM).

Following the recent detection of a bacterial group not normally found in ear infections (called Oligella) and discovery of a new species of Oligella bacteria by Menzies researchers in the pus of children with CSOM, this project seeks to better understand the impact and prevalence of this bacterial group on ear infections.

Dr Beissbarth will lead a team of researchers working with children and families across the Northern Territory, New South Wales and Papua New Guinea, and will also look to identify if Oligella is a contributor to the high rates of treatment failure commonly experienced by CSOM patients.

Severe middle ear infection predominately affects Australian First Nations children living in remote areas and in low-income countries and can cause disabling hearing loss. The findings from this critical work aim to further our understanding of the role of this new bacterial species in ear infections, to help shape treatment approaches, and in turn drive better health outcomes.

06/01/2026

IDEAS GRANT | We’re celebrating a National Health and Medical Research Council - NHMRC Ideas Grant, where globally renowned malaria researchers, Professor Nick Anstey and Dr Steven Kho will continue to tackle malaria control and elimination.

This project builds on a groundbreaking Menzies discovery, driven by Dr Kho and Prof Anstey, who transformed the understanding of malaria biology and shifted the focus to the spleen as the main infection site.

They will lead a team of researchers in collaboration with partners at the Burnet Institute and Infectious Diseases Research Collaboration to investigate the hidden splenic reservoir of Plasmodium falciparum malaria in people living in Africa.

The findings from this work aim to drive new solutions to reduce the survival of malaria parasites in the spleen and advance prevention and control measures to support global malaria elimination efforts.

Pictured is a section of the spleen under a microscope, with two malaria parasites (stained red).

04/01/2026

WELCOME | We’re open for 2026!

We’re looking forward to a year of continued collaboration as we work alongside communities to improve health and wellbeing across our region — through genuine partnerships and excellence in research, translation and education.

Stay up-to-date with our work as we share new opportunities, milestones and stories through social media and email updates. Subscribe to our updates via the form at the bottom of our website home page: https://www.menzies.edu.au/

Here’s to a meaningful and impactful 2026!

22/12/2025

HAPPY HOLIDAYS | We’re wishing you a safe, healthy and happy festive season!

Menzies will wrap up for the year on Tuesday 23 December 2025 and will re-open on Monday 5 January 2026.

2025 has been an unforgettable year as we celebrated our 40th Anniversary — honouring our history, achievements and partnerships across the region. Thank you to all who joined us in marking this milestone and for your ongoing to support our work.

We’re looking forward continuing to work in partnership with our collaborators and communities to drive research and impact in 2026!