Far North Queensland will benefit from a significant boost to medical and health research, with almost $250,000 awarded to 18 innovative projects tackling some of the region’s most pressing health challenges.
The Far North Queensland Hospital Foundation funded projects span infectious diseases, chronic illness, First Nations health, culturally safe care, and emerging digital therapies, all led by clinicians and researchers working across Far North Queensland and northern Australia.
Several projects focus on diseases that disproportionately affect tropical regions.
Cairns Hospital Infectious Diseases Specialist Dr Simon Smith is leading the $50,000 LESSISMORE study, which will examine whether a lower dose of oral antibiotics for melioidosis can be as effective as the current higher dose used, potentially reducing side effects and improving patient outcomes.
“We’ve had more than 170 people contract melioidosis in FNQ since January 2025 and patients are given a long course of intravenous antibiotics followed by oral antibiotics. Unfortunately, the oral antibiotics are prone to causing quite significant side effects in around half the people taking them and include severe nausea and vomiting, kidney, liver and bone marrow issues and severe, widespread rashes,” Dr Smith said.
“We are still giving people a long course of intravenous antibiotics and from our previous work, we know that this does most of the heavy lifting when it comes to treating melioidosis. However, even with this. the infection can come back in some people. What we’re looking at is halving the dose of oral antibiotic in 50 percent of trial participants (those who agree to take part). We know it’s the higher dose of oral antibiotics we use that causes a lot of the severe reactions. What we’d like to see is if the lower dose is just as effective at curing melioidosis and preventing it from recurring, and avoiding most of the severe reactions we see,” he said.
Foundation Research and Education Committee chair[GH1.1][GH1.2] Professor John McBride said collectively, the projects represent an investment of almost $250,000 in research that is locally relevant, clinically meaningful, and focused on improving health outcomes for people living in FNQ.
“By supporting clinicians and researchers working on the ground, this funding helps ensure solutions are developed with the community and for the community – now and into the future,” Prof McBride said. “Grants range in value from $1080 to $50,000, with a rigorous peer review process involved in deciding the successful applicants,” Prof McBride said.
Foundation CEO Gina Hogan said that since 2007, the Foundation had invested more than $2.2 million in health and medical research.
“Supporting clinicians and researchers to pursue new ideas helps strengthen health care in Far North Queensland while contributing knowledge that benefits patients well beyond our region,” Mrs Hogan said.
Dr Judith Blake’s research eplores whether an inhaled bacille Calmette-Guerin vaccine (used to treat tubercolosis) could be effective against the world’s deadliest infectious disease, opening new possibilities for prevention strategies in high-risk settings.
Dr Daniel Browne’s study, COVID‑19 in the Tropics, will map the immune landscape of Far North Queensland to better understand how tropical populations respond to the virus.
Projects led by Dr Joshua Baker and Michelle Rothwell place First Peoples’ voices and experiences at the centre of health care improvement.
Dr Baker’s work with Traditional Healers in the Torres Strait and Northern Peninsula Area aims to support more culturally safe health care models, while Ms Rothwell’s grounded theory study will examine First Peoples’ lived experience of pharmaceutical care during healthcare transitions.
Dr Jacqueline Lavis is developing a therapeutic metaverse prototype designed to support recovery from alcohol addiction for Indigenous Australians in Far North Queensland, blending cultural sensitivity with emerging digital health technologies.
Other funded projects focus on improving diagnosis, treatment and health system efficiency.
Research includes new approaches to otitis media (Dr Nathanael Leavy), identification of biomarkers for diabetes‑related foot ulcers (Dr Chanika Alahakoon), improved monitoring for septic shock patients during retrieval (Dr Justin Jin), and better mapping of liver cancer burden and resource allocation in the region (Dr Sophie Willemse).
Early‑career researchers also are supported, including Joya Datta Ripa’s investigation into novel plant‑derived drug leads for inflammatory bowel disease.
To find out how to get involved in supporting the Foundation’s research grants, visit www.fnqhf.org.au/donate
Full list of successful 2026 Foundation research grant recipients:
• Dr Simon Smith: Lower dose versus standard dose trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole for melioidosis oral eradication therapy (LESSISMORE) pilot study. $50,000
• Dr Judith Blake: Inhaled BCG vaccine: effective against the world’s deadliest infectious disease? $25,000
• Dr Daniel Browne: COVID-19 in the Tropics: Mapping the Far North Queensland Immune Landscape. $25,000
• Dr Nathanael Leavy: Cloaking antibodies in otitis media. $25,000
• Michelle Rothwell: Understanding First Peoples Lived Experience of Pharmaceutical Care during Health care Transitions – A Grounded Theory Study $25,000
• Dr Jacqueline Lavis: Developing a Therapeutic Metaverse Prototype to Support Recovery from Alcohol Addiction for Indigenous Australians in Far North Queensland $25,000
• Dr Chanika Alahakoon: Identification of Potential Biomarkers of Diabetes-related Foot Ulcers. $15,000
• Dr Joshua Baker: Traditional Healers in the Torres Strait and Northern Peninsula Area – a view to provide more culturally safe health care. $9983
• Joya Datta Ripa: Discovery of Novel Plant-Derived Drug Leads and Their Mechanistic Pathways in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Using Integrative In Silico and In Vitro Approaches. $5000
• Dr Sophie Willemse: LiverMAP-Q: Mapping Hepatocellular Carcinoma Burden and Resource Allocation in Far North Queensland. $5000
• Dr Justin Jin: Intra-arterial vs. non-invasive blood pressure monitoring in retrieval patients with septic shock. $5000
• Mahesh Upadhyay: Characterization of anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial marine derived compounds. $5000
• A/Prof Joon Soo Park: National mapping of medication-related oral health risks. $5000
• Uswatun Khasanah: The Role of Medicinal Plants in Combating Antimalarial Drug Resistance. $5000
• James Czencz: Feasibility of a student-buddied gym-based intervention for Young Adults with non-progressive disabilities in a regional centre. $5000
• Elizabeth Evans: From Ideas to Impact: Achieving Improvement Masterclass Program. $5000
• Ruth Nona: From Concept to Practice: an emergency contraception decision-making tool for community pharmacists. $5000
• Dr Jordy White: Radiotherapy for plantar fibromatosis: a systematic review and case series. $1080.
Photo: Dr Simon Smith and fellow research grant recipients at the 2026 Research Grants presentation.
