Five emerging researchers will have the chance to develop their skills and raise the international profile of the Kolling Institute thanks to generous funding from the Skipper Jacobs Charitable Trust.
Academic Director Professor James Elliott said a total of $40,000 will be shared by the early-to-mid career researchers to increase their research impact and strengthen their collaborations.
Pablo Cruz-Granados: travelling to Spain
Pablo, a PhD candidate within the Kolling’s Menière's Disease Neuroscience Lab, will complete a three-month stay with the Otology and Neurotology group at the University of Granada.
Pablo said I would like to thank the Skipper Jacobs Charitable Trust for this amazing opportunity.
“During my time, I will be investigating the clinical phenotypes of Ménière’s Disease to gain a better understanding of its presentation in different populations,” he said.
“I will be expanding my skill set by learning advanced bioinformatic tools to analyse structural variants in DNA which could identify mechanisms underlying the disease.
“I’m excited to accept the Beryl and Jack Jacobs Travel Award and truly appreciate the generous support. It will be incredibly valuable for my research and upcoming travel.”
Dr Kenji Fujita: travelling to Denmark and Japan
Kenji, a postdoctoral research fellow in the Departments of Clinical Pharmacology and Aged Care has helped develop a real-time calculation system to measure frailty in older hospitalised adults.
During his trip, he will deliver a keynote address at the International Pharmaceutical Federation conference in Copenhagen on innovative approaches to reduce the inappropriate use of medications in older adults.
He will also meet with research partners in Japan to advance their collaborative project analysing medication data from millions of older adults across community pharmacies in Japan.
Kenji said he was truly honoured to receive the award.
"This international travel will enhance my academic leadership profile, while strengthening cross-institutional partnerships and promoting the Kolling Institute's innovative translational research globally," he said.
Dr Noriko Sato: travelling to Washington, USA and Wakayama, Japan
Noriko is a research fellow within the Kolling who specialises in frailty research in older patients using data from six hospitals in NSW.
She will present the frailty study at the International Society for Pharmacoepidemiology conference in Washington and chair an international symposium at the Japanese Society of Social Pharmacy.
Noriko said I am very pleased to have received this award and excited about the chance to present our study at the largest and most prestigious pharmacoepidemiology conference.
“This travel grant will broaden my expertise, strengthen international collaborations and extend the impact of our Kolling research using data to improve the use of medications in clinical practice," she said.
Kate Bryce: travelling to North Carolina and Florida, USA
Kate, a PhD student with the Osteoarthritis Clinical Research Group at Kolling, investigates the use of digital technologies to encourage behaviour change in the treatment of osteoarthritis.
Kate will attend the 2026 Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI) World Congress in the USA, where she will meet with experts in behaviour change and implementation science, including collaborators from Duke University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Wake Forest University.
Kate says their expertise will allow us to enhance the broader rollout of the ATLAS clinician eLearning platform for osteoarthritis and a mobile app for knee osteoarthritis named OA Coach.
“Visiting their universities and learning from their work will help refine digital interventions to support clinician and patient behaviour change more effectively, and I’m grateful to have received this travel award.”
Bimbi Gray: travelling to Florida and North Carolina, USA
Bimbi, a PhD candidate also with the Osteoarthritis Clinical Research Group, will attend the 2026 OARSI World Congress and deliver a presentation on the ATLAS program.
The trip will strengthen partnerships with leaders at the Thurston Arthritis Research Centre in North Carolina and the Arthritis Foundation’s Osteoarthritis Action Alliance. These collaborations will speed the implementation of ATLAS with insights to refine and scale the program for broader adoption.
Bimbi said she was thrilled to receive the travel award.
“As an early-career researcher, this experience will bolster my expertise in knowledge translation, implementation science and international collaboration, while also boosting the reputation of our research at the Kolling Institute,” she said.
Professor Elliott thanked the Skipper family for their generous backing of the program, and the NORTH Foundation for their ongoing support.