Image caption: Some of the Menzies REACT (Remote Aboriginal Communities Ending Tuberculosis) team
Despite being preventable and treatable, tuberculosis (TB) remains the leading infectious cause of death globally and continues to place a heavy burden on some of Australia’s nearest neighbours and on remote communities in the Top End.
Dr Chris Lowbridge, the 2025 recipient of the Harry Christian Giese Research Impact Prize, leads a team whose program of work focuses on strong health systems in Northern Australia and across the region to help end TB.
The Menzies TB team, under the guidance and mentorship of Professor Anna Ralph, works in partnership with the Northern Territory TB and Leprosy Control Program and Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services, to deliver TB prevention and care that is patient-centred, culturally safe and responsive to community needs and priorities. Initiatives include ultra-portable X-ray screening, meaning that people living in remote communities, who previously would have had to travel to a regional centre to be screened, can now have this done in their own communities and even their homes. 
The program has facilitated training for Aboriginal Community Health Workers, equipping them with the skills and knowledge to support patients receiving TB treatment in communities.
Regionally, Menzies’ TB research program has supported improvements in TB care and prevention in Indonesia, and worked with the Timor-Leste Ministry of Health to undertake a nation-wide survey to measure the prevalence of TB. A focus of Dr Lowbridge’s work has been providing training and opportunities for other researchers and clinicians, both in Australia and overseas.
On receiving the Harry Christian Giese Research Impact Prize, Dr Lowbridge said, “This Prize acknowledges our team’s dedication to addressing a significant health inequity, and most importantly, the leadership and contributions of the communities and health services we partner with, in reducing the impact of TB on individuals and families.”
This Prize is awarded in memory of Harry Christian Giese (1913-2000), a pioneer of health and education in the Northern Territory, and a key founder of the Menzies School of Health Research (Menzies). As Chair of the Menzies Foundation’s Northern Territory Committee, he brought together researchers and stakeholders to help establish Menzies. He served on its Board from 1985-95, and during those early years was also a member of the Foundation’s National Board and Executive Committee.
2024 Prize winner, Dr Steven Kho and his team have made significant progress during the past year. In 2025, the Menzies Malaria Spleen Program has advanced understanding of malaria and its hidden reservoir in the spleen, with the ultimate goal of reducing the global burden of this disease. Several important research initiatives have commenced or advanced, including generation of the world’s first single-cell transcriptome datasets of malaria parasites and immune cells within the spleen; comprehensive genotyping studies exploring the genetic diversity of splenic parasites; as well as pathophysiological studies dissecting deeper into mechanisms of splenic parasite survival. These unique and expansive datasets provide an unprecedented opportunity to study the fundamental biology of the splenic reservoir.
Steven said, “With the support of the 2024 Harry Christian Giese Research Impact Prize, we are also evaluating the performance of new, highly-sensitive malaria diagnostic tools in detecting infections that are hidden outside the bloodstream. These developments mark important steps towards improving malaria detection and informing strategies for more effective disease control.”