6th Annual "Thank You" Day Awards 2008

The winners of the 6th Annual "Thank You" Day Awards were announced at a dazzling black-tie event in Sydney on Thursday, 27 November.  The Awards are nominated by Research Australia's members and are the culmination of Research Australia's "Thank You" Day campaign to raise awareness of health and medical research in the community.  The 2008 Awards winners were:

Macquarie Group Foundation Great Australian Philanthropy Award - Judy and Jack Gibson AOM

The award is to recognise and encourage personal philanthropic donations over a period of time by an individual or family to health and medical research. 

The late Jack Gibson, rugby league player and coach, and Judy Gibson worked tirelessly for 20 years to raise public awareness of schizophrenia after the devastating loss of their son, Luke, to the disease in 1988. Until Jack’s death in May, the Gibsons had been directly responsible for raising more than $1,500,000 for schizophrenia research. Visit www.schizophrenia.org.au

Griffith University Discovery Award - Dr Jeff Holst

This is a new award to recognise an early career researcher (no more than five years past PhD) whose paper, patent or discovery has already demonstrated its importance or impact.

One of Australia’s brightest young scientists, Jeff Holst has been recognised for insights into how autoimmune diseases start. Published in Nature Immunology, his work has the promise of improved diagnostics and treatment of autoimmune diseases such as lupus, type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis. He is now investigating how prostate cancer cells increase their nutrient supply, which could lead to therapies designed to ‘starve the cancer’ by blocking nutrient uptake.

National Health and Medical Research Council Advocacy Award - Dr. James O Little AO

This award recognises an Australian from the health and medical research community, the media, a celebrity or a member of the community that has raised community awareness about the benefits of health and medical research and the need for increased funding.

Aboriginal singer-songwriter Jimmy Little’s long-term dedication to raising awareness of health issues affecting indigenous Australians stepped up after he had his own diagnosis with kidney disease in the 1990s. In 2006, he started the Jimmy Little Foundation to improve the health of indigenous Australians, especially in the area of kidney disease.  Visit www.jlf.org.au

Bupa Australia Leadership and Innovation Award - Prof. Fiona Stanley AC

This award recognises an individual or organisation that has shown exceptional leadership and/or innovation towards making health and medical research a higher national priority. 

Prof. Fiona Stanley is one of Australia’s most respected medical researchers and a champion of research as the foundation for evidence-based government health policy. The former Australian of the Year established Perth’s Telethon Institute for Child Health Research to raise funds for research into child health, and was instrumental in mandatory fortification of flour to prevent birth defects.

Leadership in Corporate Giving Award - Pfizer Australia

This award is to recognise and foster involvement of Australian businesses, both small and large, in advancing health and medical research in Australia.

Pfizer Australia invests $50 million in health and medical research in Australian institutes, universities and hospitals each year in areas as diverse as cardiovascular health, neuroscience, paediatrics and oncology. At the core of Pfizer’s commitment to help build upon Australia’s exceptional research capabilities is the Pfizer Australia Research Fellowship Program.  Since its inception in 2003, the Fellowship program has invested more than $14m in supporting the independent research of 14 of Australia’s rising stars of biomedical research.   Visit www.pfizer.com.au

Research Australia Lifetime Achievement Award - Prof. the Hon Barry Jones AO

This award honours a significant lifetime commitment to supporting and promoting health and medical research.

Barry Jones first attracted national interest as a history teacher in the 1960s and then went on to become our country’s longest serving Ministers for Science (1983-1990). Barry serves on the board of three medical research organisations and frequently appears in the media on programs that foster a greater understanding of science and research. His best selling book Sleepers, Wake! set out an ambitious program for Australia as a research-based society, and he is the only person to have been elected as a Fellow of all four Australian learned Academies: Technological Sciences and Engineering (FTSE) in 1992, the Humanities (FAHA) in 1993, Science (FAA) in 1996 and Social Sciences (FASSA) in 2003.

Download Media Releases

Download "Thank You" Day Dinner 2008 Program

Anne Trimmer from Medical Technology Association of Australia and from Medicines Australia, Ian Chalmers, Brendan Shaw, Deborah Monk & Katie Whitehead
Dr Daniel Grant, John Latham, Dr Bill Ketelbey Pfizer Australia
Dr Jeff Holst winnner fo teh Griffith University Discovery Award with Prof. Allan Cripps
Rebecca James, CEO Research Australia, The Hon. Jodi McKay MP, Minister for Science Health and Research and Dr Chris Roberts, Cochlear Ltd and Chairman Research Australia
Therese Kelly, Baxter Healthcare with Dr Jimmy Little AO, winner of the National Health and Medical Research Council Advocacy Award and Prof. Warwick Anderson AM, National Health and Medical Research Council.