Young Researcher of the Year award for emergency care expert
Dr Janet Bray
A drive to improve outcomes for cardiovascular patients has led to a BGRF Young Researcher of the Year recognition for a Monash University emergency care expert.
Dr Janet Bray added the Bethlehem Griffiths Research Foundation (BGRF) Young Researcher of the Year award to her prolific list of accolades at a ceremony this month. The award also included a $5,000 grant towards research-related travel.
Dr Bray, a Senior Research Fellow within the Pre-hospital, Emergency & Trauma Unit of the Monash School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine (SPHPM), was selected for her work in improving the outcomes for stroke and heart attack patients.
Patients often do not recognise the onset of symptoms, creating delays between when they first experience symptoms, when they seek help, and when and how effectively they receive treatment. Dr Bray’s research has included improving public campaigns to increase awareness of stroke and heart attack symptoms.
“I am honored and thrilled to have received this competitive award,” Dr Bray said.
“The money will certainly help my plans to present my research at key international conferences next year.”
For her doctoral thesis exploring factors related to prehospital delay in stroke, Dr Bray was awarded a National Heart Foundation Scholarship and received the Alfred Deakin Medal for Best Doctoral Thesis. She currently serves on a number of state and national committees and working groups, society conference committees and grant review boards.
She is also the recipient of a co-funded NHMRC/NHF Fellowship and is Associate Director of the NHMRC CRE: Australian Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium (Aus-ROC). Janet holds honorary appointments with The Alfred Hospital and the Prehospital, Resuscitation and Emergency Care Research Unit (PRECRU) at Curtin University.
Established in 1993, the Bethlehem Griffiths Research Foundation (BGRF) funds vital research into life threatening, progressive neurological disorders including Multiple Sclerosis, Motor Neuron Disease, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson's Disease as well as stroke and palliative care.
The BGRF launched the Young Researcher of the Year award initiative in 2010 to reward early to mid-career scientists in the fields of neuroscience and palliative care.