Harry Christian Giese AM MBE (1913-2000) was a pioneer of health and education in north Australia and a key founder of Menzies School of Health Research. As Chair of the Menzies Foundation Northern Territory Committee, he brought together researchers and stakeholders to help establish Menzies. He was a member of our Board from 1985-95 and served the people of the Northern Territory for 50 years. 

In memory of Harry Giese’s great contribution, the Giese Family, with Menzies developed the Harry Christian Giese Research Impact Prize in 2024. The Prize is designed to recognise an early or mid-career researcher at Menzies whose medical research has led to measurable improvements, better health policies, expanded programs, or established collaborative partnerships across northern Australia, our region or further afield.
 
2025 Prize Recipient:
     Dr Chris Lowbridge
Congratulations to Dr Chris Lowbridge who is the 2025 recipient of the Harry Christian Giese Research Impact Prize for his leadership and work in tuberculosis (TB) research. Dr Lowbridge manages projects to improve our understanding of the epidemiology of TB in remote communities and across our region. He and his team have developed a digital tool to scale up TB contact tracing in high-burden settings. They are also working towards shorter treatment regimens for latent TB, to reduce the numbers of those who don’t complete the course. All programs, including routine screening and diagnostic tests, aim to empower TB-affected communities in shaping their response to the disease. Read more
 
2024 Prize Recipient:
Dr Steven Kho  
Dr Steven Kho was the 2024 recipient of the Harry Christian Giese Research Impact Prize, for his groundbreaking discoveries in malaria research. 
During his PhD, Dr Kho discovered a large hidden malaria parasite reservoir in the human spleen and a new lifecycle for 2 major parasite species causing malaria, P. falciparum and P. vivax. These findings are widely regarded as one of the most significant malaria discoveries of the past 50 years. Led by Dr Kho in Indonesia, the research challenged a century-old belief that the spleen is solely responsible for removing malaria parasites. Read more
 
 
Harry Christian Giese Research into Action Award 
The Harry Christian Giese Research into Action Award has supported Menzies researchers from 2013-2023. Recipients of this award helped to strengthen medical education, research and training in remote and regional communities. Learn more about their work below. 
 
Ngirramini ngini awarra yimanka api awarra ngawurrangurumiga – ‘We look after the story that we made’
Josie Povey  |  2023
In collaboration with community leaders, Dr Josie Povey created a Tiwi-language digital resource for mental health and wellbeing. It is now being distributed and used to improve mental health and self-management, while strengthening connections to language and culture.
 
Adaptation of the Vaccine Barriers Assessment Tool (VBAT)
Bianca Middleton  |  2022
Dr Bianca Middleton's work was in validating the Vaccine Barriers Assessment Tool (VBAT) encouraging early childhood vaccination for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families, and aiming for a national roll-out. 
 
Improving education and follow-up for severely malnourished children in Dili, Timor-Leste

Nicholas Fancourt  |  2019

Dr Nicholas Fancourt led a team that aimed to improve outcomes for children hospitalised not only for malnutrition, but also for pneumonia. The Harry Christian Giese Research into Action Award supported a Nutrition Worker to lead an education program for 8 months, to better understand the social and cultural drivers of malnutrition, the experience of hospital care and perceived barriers to recovery.

Improving the treatment of malaria: working with communities and policy makers to facilitate the translation of research outcomes into better policy and practice
Kamala Ley-Thriemer  |  2018
Associate Professor Kamala Thriemer (2018 award recipient) sends out a regular newsletter about work on clinical malaria trials with communities in Cambodia, Indonesia, Pakistan and Ethiopia. This was started during the COVID-19 lockdowns, when travel and on-the-ground networking became impossible. Visit the Malaria 'EFFORT' project page to read past editions of the newsletter. 
Sharing the Diabetes in Pregnancy Story
Renae Kirkham  |  2017
Associate Professor Renae Kirkham (2017 award recipient) is Lead of the Diabetes across the Lifecourse: Northern Australian Partnership, supporting a program with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to break the cycle of type 2 diabetes.
Closing the loop on life-threatening melioidosis infections: observational research informing clinical practice change and policy for adults with severe kidney disease
Jaquelyne Hughes  |  2016
Professor Jaquelyne Hughes (2016 award recipient), is the first Indigenous kidney specialist. She is now the inaugural Clinical Research Professor, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Advancement at Flinders University. 
 
Supportive Cancer Care Needs Assessment Tool for Indigenous people with cancer - Project Implementation
Gail Garvey  |  2015
Professor Gail Garvey (2015 award recipient) is now Professor of Indigenous Health Research in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Queensland.
 
Randomised control trial for treatment of knowlesi malaria
Matthew Grigg  |  2014
Associate Professor Matthew Grigg (2014 award recipient) is part of a malaria study across eight sites in Indonesia, including human surveillance for zoonotic malaria; monkey camera estimates; mosquito trapping; and geospatial analysis of human risk of infection. A new Malaysian Army cohort study will look at exposure to zoonotic infections and malaria in those posted to remote forest areas. Matthew's post-doc student Jacob Westaway is analysing parasite strains from East Malaysian monkeys, to see if any are associated with transmission or disease severity in humans. 
Improving lung health for children and adolescents 

Gabrielle McCallum  |  2013
Associate Professor Gabrielle McCallum received this award in 2013. She is now Head of Discipline in the School of Nursing at Charles Darwin University. Her research focuses on improving long-term health in Australia, Timor-Leste and the Asia-Pacific, through prevention, intervention and management programs.