Summer Bursary Launches JCU Student into Tropical Health Research

As her second year of medicine drew to a close, James Cook University student Jasmeen Kaur took on an additional challenge—one that would expand her research skills and deepen her understanding of immunity and virus response in the tropics.

Jasmeen was eager to pursue research, driven by a personal desire to improve health outcomes in rural and marginalised communities. She successfully applied for a North Queensland Regional Training Hubs (NQRTH) MBBS Summer Research Bursary Program—an annual NQRTH initiative that offers JCU medical students exposure to hands-on research over the summer break. The program provides financial support for students to undertake four to six weeks of research alongside experienced clinicians and researchers.

“I have always been drawn to research because of its potential to contribute to significant, large-scale impact. However, I was unsure how to get involved and felt that, as a second-year student, I lacked the theoretical knowledge and experience to contribute meaningfully,” she says.

“The Summer Research Bursary stood out as an opportunity to explore research in a supportive and low-pressure environment. I was particularly interested in gaining exposure to laboratory-based research, as I wanted to better understand how the scientific and physiological principles we learn in medical school are applied and validated in a laboratory setting.

“This experience allowed me to explore that side of medicine, which I found both challenging and rewarding. This research project followed my rural clinical placement, where I was exposed to a wide range of infectious disease cases and gained insight into the realities of healthcare delivery in regional settings, particularly at Innisfail Hospital.

“Observing challenges such as limited staffing, infrastructure constraints, and barriers to access reinforced my interest in contributing to research in the local Cairns community.”

Bridging Rural Clinical Experience with Cutting-Edge Tropical Research

Jasmeen chose to work with Dr Daniel Browne on a project exploring COVID-19 immunity and virus response in Far North Queensland. His research aims to map the region’s immune landscape to better understand how tropical populations respond to the virus.

“I worked on learning key laboratory techniques, including assessing the T cell immune response, an important but less commonly studied component of immunity, to a range of positive and negative controls,” Jasmeen explains.

“Under Dr Browne’s guidance, I refined immune cell extraction from blood samples and quantitative PCR (Polymerase chain reaction) techniques to measure and interpret gene expression related to T cells.

“I also gained experience in core research processes such as the experimental design, selection of different parts of the COVID-19 spike protein and the importance of triplicate replicates to assess protocol reliability. I was introduced to broader aspects of research including ethical approval processes and evaluating effective methods."

The hands-on experience allowed Jasmeen to bridge the gap between classroom theory and real-world application, providing valuable insight into how laboratory research is conducted in practice.
Shaping Health Equity for Rural and Underserved Communities

Jasmeen says Dr Browne’s COVID-19 project has the potential to inform future public health policy.

“Although COVID-19 is no longer at the forefront of public attention, it continues to disproportionately affect disadvantaged populations, including rural, Indigenous, and immunocompromised communities.

“Having grown up in Western Sydney in a culturally diverse community, and later moving to Far North Queensland, I became increasingly aware of the challenges in delivering equitable and culturally sensitive healthcare. These challenges are often amplified in rural settings due to resource limitations and access barriers.

“Understanding COVID immunity over time is essential in informing public health strategies and ensuring that underserved communities are not overlooked. I was also interested in investigating T-cell responses because it offered a valuable opportunity to engage with challenging laboratory techniques. I am keen to apply these l techniques to contribute to research that generates locally relevant data and can help inform more effective healthcare approaches.”

Now in her third year of medicine at JCU, Jasmeen says the Summer Research Bursary experience has strengthened her commitment to pursuing research alongside her clinical training.

“I am interested in continuing work related to cellular immune responses and hope to further contribute to Dr Browne’s research. I am also considering undertaking a laboratory-based honours project in the future, as this experience has highlighted the value of integrating research into a medical career,” she says.

“This bursary highlighted the strong relationship between clinical practice and research. While clinical work allows us to make a direct impact on individual patients, research enables us to improve outcomes on a much broader scale.

“My rural placement and research experience together reinforced the importance of developing both skill sets. I feel motivated to continue refining my abilities in both clinical practice and research, with the goal of contributing to a more equitable, evidence-based, and responsive healthcare system. Thank you NQRTH for providing me with such an amazing learning experience!”

We wish Jasmeen all the best in her future medical and research endeavours!