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Research Awards: Thanking donors for your investment in our future health

  • AMRF
  • Dec 12, 2022
  • 4 min read

Updated: Dec 2, 2024

AMRF recently held its 2022 Research Awards Event. This was a moment to recognise the excellent young and emerging researchers receiving AMRF funding over the year. It was also a chance for their family, friends, colleagues, whānau and AMRF stakeholders and donors to see what their donations can achieve to move research forward.


One story in particular stood out at the recent event.

Elaijah Tuivaiti and Hemi Young are both budding 21 year old med students, having just finished their second year of study towards their MBChB degrees at the University of Auckland. Hemi and Elai both received a scholarship to Dilworth School, and have remained in the same class for almost the past decade. Originally, Hemi is from Pukenui, a small place north of Kaitaia, in the far North and Elai is from Ōtāhuhu, the isthmus defined as the entrance to South Auckland.


Elaijah Tuivaiti, Dr Te Hao Apaapa-Timu, Prof Shanthi Ameratunga, and Hemi Young in front of a woven mat decorating a wall
Elaijah Tuivaiti, Te Hao Apaapa-Timu, Prof Shanthi Ameratunga, and Hemi Young (l-r). The students give special thanks to the Paul Stevenson Trust for sponsoring this kaupapa, and special acknowledgements to Adrian Trenholme, Taria Tane, Te Hao Apaapa-Timu, Cass Byrnes, Pam Tregonning, the Maaori Child Health Research Collaborative and the Kidz First Team at Counties.

Hemi and Elai are passionate about addressing inequalities and inequities, having grown up being surrounded by them. They were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to do a summer studentship after their pre-medicine year with the Kidz First Team supervised under Prof Shanthi Ameratunga and Dr Braden Te Ao.


Their research on the project of "Achieving Pae Ora for Children Surviving Injury: A Call To Action" investigates injury hospital presentation of tamariki, and their access to services, rehabilitation, and recovery post-hospitalisation. Currently, ACC figures show inequities in post-hospitalisation funding for injury, as certain populations have lower funding despite higher rates of presentation.

"This begs the question, are we treating our tamariki equally or equitably?"

"Our review shows the lack of research surrounding this topic. This neglect on this topic allows for the neglect of these tamariki. A classic saying is "No stats, no problem", and it seems to be the issue here, where there can be no perceived problem if there are no statistics to show for it."

Hemi and Elai were awarded the 2022 AMRF Best Oral Presentation in Population Health Research at the recent Te Whatu Ora Counties Manukau 2022 Research Week.


They say, "This award means a lot to us and will significantly aid us in our careers. Being young students in med school, we know that this funding will unlock opportunities that would not have otherwise been possible. By increasing and unlocking accessibility to conferences for us, we can learn, connect, and flourish in this area of medicine and health that we enjoy so much."



Congratulations to all the AMRF award recipients in 2022, listed here with photos of the event below.




  • Dr Amy Chan receives her AMRF-FMHS Senior Research Fellowship award from AMRF President Richard Taylor and AMRF Medical Committee Chair Prof Peter Browett
    Dr Amy Chan
  • AMRF Medical Committee Chair Professor Peter Browett
    Professor Peter Browett
  • Hemi Young
  • Elaijah Tuivaiti
  • Elaijah Tuivaiti & Hemi Young
  • Alice McDouall
  • Dr Julia Plank
  • Dr Lola Mugisho
  • Dr Nikki Earle receives her Kelliher Charitable Trust Emerging Researcher Start-up Award Multi-omics and biomarkers to personalise risk prediction and therapy in acute coronary syndromes from AMRF President Richard Taylor and AMRF Medical Committee Chair Professor Peter Browett
    Dr Nikki Earle
  • A/Prof Jo James
  • Dr Peter Qiu receives his Sir Harcourt Caughey Award for New insights into presbyopia – developing and validating a spin test device to measure regional differences in lens stiffness from Caughey Family members
    Dr Peter Qiu
  • Dr Winston Tan
  • Dr Emma Nolan receives her Kelliher Charitable Trust Emerging Researcher Start-up Award, A novel 3D organoid model to study cancer-adipocyte crosstalk, from AMRF President Richard Taylor
    Dr Emma Nolan
  • Bronwyn Riley
  • Dr Erin Cawston
  • Bronwyn Riley
  • Samuel James
  • Conor Nelson receives his Helen Goodwin Doctoral Scholarship,  An immunotherapeutic approach to treating cognitive decline in aging, from Mrs Helen Goodwin
    Conor Nelson
  • Dr Brittany Park
  • Dr Julie Lim receives Dr Anthony Walters' Ruth Spencer Medical Research Fellowship Long-term effects of antenatal corticosteroid exposure on his behalf, from members of the Ruth Spencer Trust
    Dr Julie Lim
  • Dr Renita Martis
  • Dr Amy Chan gives a keynote address
    Dr Amy Chan, keynote address
  • A/Prof Grant Searchfield gives a keynote address
    A/Prof Grant Searchfield
  • AMRF President Richard Taylor
  • Exec. Director Sue Brewster
  • Jeff Todd and Sue Brewster


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