Thank you to everyone who attended HealtheX 2023 on Friday. Congratulations to the below winners who were awarded prizes. The winners,their project titles, departments, and primary supervisors are listed below.
Maurice and Phyllis Paykel Trust Best Elevator Pitch Award – $1000
Brooke Hawker, Department of Pharmacology
Project title: Utilizing 3D hydrogels to promote survival and maturation of directly reprogrammed human-induced oligodendrocyte precursor cells
Primary Supervisor: Dr Amy McCaughey-Chapman
PCRN Excellent Abstract Award x5 – $200 each
Lieke Burgers, Department of Pharmacology
Project title: Transplantation of directly reprogrammed striatal precursor cells into a rat model of Huntington’s disease
Primary Supervisor: Professor Bronwen Connor
Alice McDouall, Department of Physiology
Project title: Erythropoietin improved recovery of brain activity after mild hypoxia-ischemia in the term-equivalent fetal sheep
Primary Supervisor: Associate Professor Joanne Davidson
Brooke Hawker, Department of Pharmacology
Project title: Utilizing 3D hydrogels to promote survival and maturation of directly reprogrammed human-induced oligodendrocyte precursor cells
Primary Supervisor: Dr Amy McCaughey-Chapman
Benjamin Prince, Department of Physiology
Project title: Examining structural plasticity within human heart neurons and its role in Atrial Fibrillation
Primary Supervisor: Professor Johanna Montgomery
PCRN Non-Doctoral Oral Presentation First Runner Up Award – $700
Caitlin Macrae, Department of Nutrition
Project title: Inhibiting insulin signalling for weight loss in obese female mice
Primary Supervisor: Associate Professor Troy Merry
Pacific Clinical Research Network Best Non-Doctoral Oral Presentation – $1000
Sophia Bebelman, Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre
Project title: Redefining the role of the arylformamidase enzyme in immunosuppressive tryptophan catabolism of cancer
Primary Supervisor: Dr Petr Tomek
Auckland Medical Research Foundation Outstanding Emerging Researcher & Best Doctoral Oral Presentation Award – $1000 + $3000 AMRF Travel Grant
Jess Kelly, Department of Pharmacology
Project title: Novel Generation of Three-Dimensional Brain Spheroids Using Direct Cell Reprogramming.
Primary Supervisor: Professor Bronwen Connor