Medical Research Scholarship
MRS Nomination form
Medical Research Scholarship nominations come from the members. To give some direction on what is required from members when they nominate a research project a nomination form has been developed. Members are to use this so your nominations can be considered by the NEC at their meeting in February.
Nomination form to be downloaded is on our Members' page. Applications will be called for in December 2027.
2026-2027 Funding
By the time most women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer in New Zealand, it’s too late to save their lives, says University of Auckland cancer researcher Dr Alicia Didsbury. Dr Didsbury is the recipient of the NZFWI Medical Research Scholarship for 2026-2027.
A trustee of The Ovarian Cancer Foundation New Zealand, Didsbury helped write and present the latest State of Ovarian Cancer Report to MPs, patients and medical professionals in Wellington on 11 February.The foundation’s report states that 60 percent of GPs said ovarian cancer diagnosis was delayed, because of difficulty accessing ultrasound scans.If ovarian cancer is picked up at stage one or two, it’s often curable with surgery and, in some cases, chemotherapy, Didsbury says.When picked up in these early stages, 70 to 90 percent of women survive for five years or more.
However, about 85 percent of women are not diagnosed with ovarian cancer until they are at stage three, when the cancer has spread to their lymph nodes or abdominal lining, or stage four, when the cancer has spread to other organs, such as the lungs or liver, she says.
By these late stages, the chances of survival drop dramatically, says Didsbury, from the University’s Centre for Cancer Research.“Almost half of women with ovarian cancer are diagnosed in emergency departments in New Zealand, which is double the rate in Australia.“When it’s picked up in emergency departments, 42 percent will die within a year.”Didsbury says the high rate of emergency department diagnosis is a warning sign the health system is failing women.“An emergency department diagnosis should be the exception – not the norm.”The report calls for better access to blood tests and scans that help diagnose ovarian cancer, and funding for more research that could develop better tests and treatments.
The Ovarian Cancer Foundation surveyed 500 members of the public, as well as women with ovarian cancer and GPs.Before they were diagnosed, 75 percent of women reported being misdiagnosed with menopause symptoms, urinary tract infections, stress, ovarian cysts, irritable bowel syndrome, constipation, needing to lose weight, and depression.Didsbury says women need to be persistent in asking their GP for tests if they have ongoing early symptoms of ovarian cancer, such as bloating; feeling full after eating little; abdominal, pelvic or back pain; frequent or urgent urination; changes in bowel habits; fatigue; or menstrual irregularities.
While ovarian cancer mostly affects postmenopausal women, it can strike younger women, who often have rarer types of the disease that are harder to detect through blood tests.Dr Alicia Didsbury Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland. The report found nearly two-thirds of New Zealanders incorrectly believe cervical cancer screening detects ovarian cancer, and 60 percent did not know the symptoms. “There is no screening for ovarian cancer, so women’s awareness of symptoms is vital for early detection.“If they have new symptoms that persist for more than four weeks, they need to ask for thorough tests to check for ovarian cancer,” she says.The report calls for a national strategy to address ovarian cancer, which kills more than 200 women a year in New Zealand.
“Ovarian cancer is our deadliest women’s cancer,” Didsbury says. Despite this, ovarian cancer is under-researched and underfunded in comparison to more common cancers, she says.
“We’ve got good researchers in New Zealand looking at this type of cancer, but they’re struggling to get funding.“We need to do more clinical trials so we can build the body of knowledge and provide better care.” Including information on the New Zealand Cancer Registry about the treatments patients received and their outcomes would be a great first step towards improving care, she says. “There are plenty of actions we can take to make a big difference to women’s chances of survival and to improve their quality of life with ovarian cancer,” says Didsbury
2024-2025 Funding
Concussions, often referred to as mild traumatic brain injuries, pose a significant challenge due to the absence of an objective marker for diagnosis. Currently, healthcare professionals rely on subjective assessments and symptom reports to evaluate and manage concussions. However, the lack of a reliable and quantifiable measure makes it difficult to accurately assess the severity of the injury and monitor the process of recovery.
Dr Samantha Holdsworth, has emerged as a leading figure in the field of medical imaging research. During her time at Stanford University, she pioneered the use of amplified MRI (aMRI) as a potential tool for detecting changes in brain motion due to pathology. Furthermore, Dr Holdsworth's groundbreaking work has demonstrated early results in using aMRI to detect subtle alterations in brain motion caused by concussions. With a dedicated team led by Dr Holdsworth, comprising researchers from Mātai Medical Research Institute, University of Auckland, and Stanford University, she is currently at the forefront of an international collaboration aimed at further investigating the application of aMRI in concussion diagnosis.
Using novel methods to quantify brain motion using aMRI, her team is establishing whether aMRI can serve as an objective measure to differentiate between concussed and non-concussed individuals. By analysing intricate patterns of brain motion and identifying subtle abnormalities, aMRI holds the potential to provide healthcare professionals with a reliable and quantifiable marker for diagnosing and managing concussions.
2022-2023 Funding
The recipient for the 2022-2023 period was Dr Angelica Allermo-Fletcher from Wellington Regional Hospital.
Early diagnosis of cerebral palsy in infants with high risk of neurodevelopmental disability. The proposal is to set up a feasibility study to implement the NZ Best Practise Recommendations for Early Diagnosis of CP through a regional hub based in Wellington. They will work out of the Neonatal Intensive care unit at Wellington Regional Hospital.
Dr Allermo-Fletcher addressed the 101st AGM/Conference outlining the proposed project.
An update has been received from Dr Allermo-Fletcher and can be downloaded here. There is also a link for further information here. Dr Allermo-Fletcher continues her work in this area.
2020-2021 Funding
2018- 2019 Funding
This was awarded to Professor Helen Danesh-Meyer as the prIncipal investigator and Dr Jinny Yoon an Optic Nerve Research Fellow at the Department of Opthalmology, University of Auckland who were proposing to research Nailfold Capillary Changes in Glaucoma: Novel Biomarker of Disease Progression. Dr Hannah Kersten was involved later in the project and spoke to members about the research at the 98th AGM in Taupo.
Glaucoma is the leading cause of preventable blindness in NZ affecting 10% of the population over the age of 70. The site of damage in glaucoma is the optic nerve, at the back of the eye. Causes of damage to the optic nerve remain poorly elucidated. It is recognised that elevated eye pressure is an important risk factor for glaucoma. However, approximately one third of glaucoma patients do not have high eye pressure. Furthermore, glaucoma continues to deteriorate despite treatments that aggressively lower eye pressure.
The aim of the research is to see if nailfold vasculature is a biomarker of glaucoma and can be used to predict those patients who will have very aggressive rapidly deteriorating glaucoma.
If they are able to identify a surrogate biomarker that correlates with the deterioration of glaucoma then treatment can be tapered accordingly: that is treat patients who are likley to deteriorate more aggressively and do not over treat patients who are likely to have milder disease - progressing the goal of personalised treatment in glaucoma management.
2016-2017 Funding
Our Medical Research Scholarship funding for 2016-2017 was awarded to Dr Zubkova at Victoria University of Wellington for research into Alzheimers' Disease, for more information visit
http://www.victoria.ac.nz/news/2016/08/promising-alzheimers-research-takes-a-step-forward
2014-2016 Funding
This scholarship was awarded to the Minds for Minds Charitable Trust at the 93rd AGM/Conference for research into autism.
The trust works in partnership with Autism Research Network New Zealand looking to try and help those families who have a child on the autism spectrum. The network aims to bring together scientists, health professionals, education professionals and the community to facilitate understanding and treatment options for autism.
Dr Taylor heads the study looking at the effect microbial 'communities' have on human health. When these 'communities' are in a state of imbalance, there can be negative consequences. Many recent studies have pointed to a potential link between our gut microbes and neurological disorders, including autism. They are using modern molecular biology techniques to investigate the role, if any, played by gut microbes in the autism spectrum disorders.
A cheque for $15,000 was presented to researcher Dr Mike Taylor on behalf of the Minds for Minds Trust by the then National President Jeanette Andrews.
