2015 Advocacy Award Winners: Connie and Sam Johnson

Research Australia
Health & Medical Research Awards

2015 Advocacy Award

The Advocacy Award recognises a prominent Australian who has raised community awareness about the benefits of Health & Medical Research, and the need for increased funding.

Award Winners

Connie Johnson & Samuel Johnson
Co-Founders, Love Your Sister

Connie is vibrant, loving, compassionate, tough and inspiring. She’s a mother of two beautiful boys. She’s 35 years old. And she’s dying of Breast Cancer.
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This is her third battle with cancer. At the age 11 Connie, with the help of early detection and chemotherapy, fought off a very rare and aggressive bone tumour in her leg. At 22, she overcame a tumour in her womb, again with the help of early detection and treatment.
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This time Connie has Breast Cancer. It has spread to her lungs, liver, pelvis, spine and knee. This time it’s terminal and she has a life expectancy of 6 – 12 months.
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Nothing can prepare you for to say goodbye to your kids at such a young age. That’s why Connie is hard at work to raise Breast Cancer awareness. Early detection is the key to survival and Connie wants everyone to know it.
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Samuel is one of Australia’s most recognisable personalities in the Australian entertainment industry.
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He’s best known for his roles on The Secret Life of Us, Crackerjack, Underbelly II and Network Ten’s Rush. He’s made a number of TV guest appearances… and he’s the voice of Vodafone, Suzuki and Pedigree.
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Plenty of career accolades have come his way. He’s enjoyed multiple Logie nominations, an AFI Award and an Australian Centenary Medal in the 2000 Queens Honours list. He’s very  proud of all of this, but none of it is as important to him as his sister.
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Research Australia Events

2016 Research Australia
Health & Medical Research Awards

The 14th annual Research Australia Health and Medical Research Awards honoured some of the country’s top minds and big hearts for their incredible contribution to health and medical research in Australia.

Research Australia is proud to have had such an extraordinary night with incredible researchers who have distinguished themselves in their careers, be it early stage, mid career or through a lifelong commitment to HMR.

It is with great pleasure that we present the 2016 winners of the Research Australia Awards :

2016 AWARD WINNERS

THE PETER WILLS MEDAL

Recognises an Australian who has made an outstanding contribution to building Australia’s international reputation in the area of health and medical research, and fostering collaboration for better health.

Awarded to: Professor Ian Gust AO

ADVOCACY AWARD

Recognises an Australian from the media, a celebrity or member of the community who has raised community awareness about the benefits of health and medical research.

Awarded to: Brenda King, SIDS Stampede

THE GRIFFITH UNIVERSITY DISCOVERY AWARD

Griffith logoRecognises an early researcher (no more than five years post PhD) whose paper/patent/discovery has already demonstrated its importance or impact.

Awarded to: Dr Rebecca Coll

Highly Commended: Dr Felicity Davis and Dr Michael Livingston

GREAT AUSTRALIAN PHILANTHROPY AWARD

To recognise and encourage personal philanthropic donations over a period of time by an individual or family to health and medical research.

Awarded to: The McCusker Charitable Foundation

DATA INNOVATION IN HEALTH AND MEDICAL RESEARCH AWARD

For the development of the most innovative method of gathering, making available, processing or interpreting data in a way that advances the sector.

Awarded to: Capital Markets CRC, Health Market Quality Team

Highly Commended: The National Breast Cancer Foundation and DreamLab (Vodafone and the Garvan Institute of Medical Research)

LEADERSHIP IN CORPORATE GIVING AWARD

Recognises outstanding leadership by a corporation or business giving to and supporting health and medical research through relationships or partnership and commitment over time.

Awarded to: Volvo Car Australia

NSW HEALTH HEALTH SERVICES RESEhealth-nsw-govARCH AWARD

Created in 2014 to recognise the importance of the emerging field of health service research.

Awarded to: Professor Michael Barton OAM

 

GSK AWARD FOR RESEARCH EXCELLENCEGSK_newlogo_april14

With its accompanying grant of $80,000, has played a part in assisting some of Australia’s most important leaders and innovators in the medical research sphere. Its focus is on helping support career development with an emphasis on human health and Australian research.

Awarded to: Professor Prof Arthur Christopolous & Patrick Sexton

 

Previous Research Australia Health & Medical Research Award Winners

Some of the 2016 Award Nominees and their stories