DISCOVERY GRANT
About
Our Discovery Grants fund curiosity-driven research that asks important questions and seeks to unlock new knowledge. With a focus on innovation and research excellence, these grants help researchers explore promising ideas that could lead to future breakthroughs in care.
2026-27 Discovery Grant Applications are now open!
Applications for Discovery Grants are now open. Please review the Assessment Criteria and Program Eligibility and email your completed application to scgh.researchgrants@health.wa.gov.au. Applications close, 6pm, Wednesday 24th September.
Since 2020, your support has made possible:
89
Discovery Grants Awarded
Over $2.57 Million
Discovery Grants Awarded to Transform WA Patient Health Outcomes
Across 19
Bright Ideas Research Focus Areas
*Last Updated: 02/12/2025
2025 - 2026 Grant Winners
Prof. Antonio Celenza
Department: ICU
Project: Improving understanding and treatment of sepsis with an innovative laboratory-based human model.
Dr Jan Ho
Department: Neurology
Project: Developing a research program with stroke survivors and healthcare workers to collect and store clinical information, blood and saliva for a WA stroke study with follow up to 5 years
Prof. YC Gary Lee
Department: Respiratory
Project: The evaporate multi-center randomized clinical Trial: Placing one-way valves in the lungs to help patients with collapsed lungs
Clin. Prof. Michaela Lucas
Department: Immunology
Project: Can a simple skin tape test help diagnose and monitor Drug Reactions with Eosinophilia and Systemic Symptoms?
Prof.Scott WIlson
Department: Endocrinology & Diabetes
Projects: Finding the regulatory elements in DNA that control bone-resorbing cells and increase the risk of fragility fractures.
Prof. Wai Lim
Department: Nephrology & Renal Transplant
Project: Health and transplant outcomes of people living with a kidney transplant and advanced cancer
Dr. Broska Zeynel
Department: Ophthalmology
Project: Clear Vision, Clean Future: Measuring the Carbon Cost of Eye Procedures at SCGH
Jo Beer
Department: Dietetics & Nutrition
Project: Keeping Your New Kidney Healthy: Understanding Body and Blood Sugar Changes following kidney transplantation
Clin. Prof. John Walsh
(Accepted by Purdey Campbell)
Department: Endocrinology & Diabetes
Project: Testing how individual differences in DNA sequence affect thyroid function and disease
Dr. Dhaval Thakkar
Department: Respiratory
Project: Comparing two navigation techniques to guide flexible scopes to access small, remote lung nodules suspicious of cancer
Dr. Lipi Mishra
Department: ICU
Project: Brain wave monitoring to give early warning of dangerous vessel spasm and stroke risk after a brain bleed.
A/Prof. Kathy Zhu
Department: Endocrinology & Diabetes
Project: How do co-existing clinical risk factors impact the rate of bone loss?
Confirmation Content
*Last Updated: 29/06/2025
2024-25 Grant Winners
Professor Bronwyn Stuckey
Department: Endocrinology and Diabetes
Project Title: Does hormone treatment of infants with undescended testes improve fertility in adult life?
A/Prof Mahsheed Sabet
Department: Radiation Oncology
Project Title: Sparing the Maximum Healthy Lung Volume during Lung Cancer Radiation Therapy by Predicting the Tumour Motion from Pre-Recorded Patient Factors
Prof Michaela Lucas
Department: Immunology
Project Title: Finding targets for new drugs to prevent rejection of transplanted organs
Ms Alice Boyle
Department: Occupational Therapy
Project Title: Can access to early hand therapy improve clinical, service and cost outcomes for patients with hand and upper limb injuries on surgical outpatient waiting lists?
A/Prof Kun Kathy Zhu
Department: Endocrinology & Diabetes
Project Title: Analysis of molecular pathways involved in osteoporosis for the development of therapies.
Dr Bryan Ward
Department: Endocrinology & Diabetes
Project Title: Examination of the regulation of a gene, CYP19A1, that is linked to osteoporosis, in the cells that are important for bone turnover
Dr Aaron Rusnak
Department: Endocrine Surgery
Project Title: Identifying the location of parathyroid glands on 4DCT imaging with a diagnostic tool powered by artificial intelligence
Dr Gemma Doleman
Project Title: Developing, implementing and evaluating a co-designed support strategy for nurse managers
Dr Elon van Dijk
Department: Ophthalmology
Project Title: Finding early signs of human cancer and its response to therapy
A/Prof Lingjun Mou
General Surgery/WA Liver and Kidney Transplant
Project Title: Redefining the anatomy of liver segments in a micro-CT study of cadaveric livers
A/Prof Matthew Anstey
Department: Intensive Care
Project Title: Detecting changes in muscle size and function in intensive care survivors using MRI imaging
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