Exploring Big Questions: JCU Medicine Student Anna Duan

James Cook University fifth year Medicine student Anna Duan has a passion for medical research, she believes it’s what keeps medicine alive.

“Without it, we’d just be repeating yesterday’s successes and not really be prepared for tomorrow’s challenges,” Anna says.

Herself an eager researcher, Anna currently has three research projects underway and recently presented at the inaugural MED NORRTH Conference, joining a gathering of medical students, junior doctors, and early career researchers from across northern Australia to showcase medical research.

The event—hosted by NQRTH, JCU’s College of Medicine and Dentistry, and the Tropical Australian Academic Health Centre (TAAHC)—was designed to share ideas, strengthen research skills, and build connections across the North. And Anna says it did just that, and more:

“It created space to learn about research in our own region, to hear about methods and approaches that aren’t always taught in textbooks, and to see how questions can be tackled from different disciplines. The panel discussions were thoughtful, and the networking opportunities were invaluable. It also reminded me that research isn’t solitary, it’s something we do together.

 "I’d love to see more of these events in the future.”

Anna’s work stood out at MED NORRTH. She was awarded Best Poster at the event, adding another achievement to her growing list of academic achievements.

Her poster project, supervised by Professor Robert Norton, explored whether there might be links between Q fever — a common zoonotic infection in Far North Queensland — and blood cancers.

Anna’s current research projects span infectious diseases and public health.

“One of my projects, under Emeritus Professor Maxine Whittaker, has been about speaking with doctors, vets, and environmental health workers, to understand how we can apply a ‘One Health’ approach to controlling soil-transmitted worms in humans,” she says.

“These parasites affect millions worldwide, and One Health is about finding solutions through collaborative approaches between human, animal and environmental sectors.”

She’s also been working with A/Professor Richard Bradbury’s team on diagnostics, comparing a commercial Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test with microscopy to ascertain how accurate and effective they are.

Anna says she’s passionate about researching infectious diseases because they highlight global inequities.

“I think my love for infectious diseases comes from how honest they are. A virus, a bacterium, a parasite – they don’t discriminate. They follow the rules of biology, yet they reveal the deep inequalities of our world,” she says. “That paradox – where something as small as a worm can shape the destiny of a child, a family, or even a country – is why I am passionate.”

Her research journey has already been recognised: in 2022 she received the Amuthan Memorial Research Bursary to explore One Health approaches to parasitic disease with Emeritus Professor Maxine Whittaker.

Since then, she has presented at three conferences, with another presentation scheduled at the Southern Cross Tropical Medicine Conference in Melbourne. Beyond her own projects, she has worked as a research assistant in Public Health and Tropical Medicine since 2024, contributing to malaria, arboviral control, and broader One Health studies.

Alongside her research, Anna is thriving in her clinical training as a fifth year medicine student.

“I’ve loved the course, and I am loving my experience at the Mackay Clinical School,” she says. “My highlights would have to be rural placement, I did at Thursday Island, and Cloncurry! I’m also completing my Master of Public Health and Tropical Medicine alongside medicine.”

Quoting physician and humanitarian Paul Farmer, “The idea that some lives matter less is the root of all that is wrong with the world," Anna says this principle has guided her approach to medicine and research.

“Public health asks us to step back and look at who gets left behind and why,” she says.

Looking ahead, Anna wants to combine her love of parasitology and infectious diseases with a career in rural and tropical medicine.

“My dream is to combine clinical work with global health and public health practice, living and working in underserved settings where though the challenges are greatest, there are also opportunities to make changes.”

For Anna, research is essential to medicine’s future.

“For me, research is about staying humble, it reminds us that what we ‘know’ today might only be part of the truth. It’s also about imagination, looking beyond just the patient in front of us to the bigger picture: the health system, the environment, policies, and even the impact on future generations.”