Explore research this summer with NQRTH!

Are you a JCU medical student eager to dive into research and make a meaningful impact in rural, remote, and tropical health? Then here’s your chance!  The NQRTH MBBS Summer Research Bursary Program offers a unique opportunity to gain hands-on research experience over the summer break (December 2025 – March 2026).

Open to MBBS Years 1–4, this competitive program provides $500 bursaries to support students undertaking 4–6 weeks of research alongside experienced researchers. Projects span diverse areas including clinical research, infectious diseases, Indigenous health, and community development. 

Explore our sixteen diverse research projects on offer this round which range from investigating the impact of climate change on melioidosis, to analysing health workforce policy reform, to exploring empathy in neonatal care education. Whether you're interested in lab-based immunology, systematic reviews, qualitative studies, or bioinformatics, there's a project to match your curiosity and career goals.  Locations include Townsville, Cairns, and remote options, with supervision from experienced researchers across a wide range of disciplines.

Whether you're curious about becoming a clinician-researcher or simply want to explore the world of medical research, this is your chance to learn, grow, and contribute to real-world health challenges.

How to apply

1. Prior to submitting an application, read through the NQRTH MBBS Summer Research Bursaries guidelines and application information. 

VIEW GUIDELINES

Application information

2. Review the project list below and select two projects that you are most interested in applying for.

3. Send an email to the supervisors for these TWO PROJECTS ONLY, introducing yourself and expressing an interest in their project as part of the NQRTH MBBS Summer Research Bursary Program. Supervisor email addresses can be obtained via staff search on the JCU website. 

4. Once you have made initial contact with each of the two supervisors and they have responded, then you can fill in the application form. You will need to submit a completed online application form by the closing date. A copy of your curriculum vitae and a personal statement must be uploaded as part to the online form.

Application Form

Application close: 5:00pm Friday 26 September 2025. 

If you have any further questions about the application process send an email to: nqrth.admin@jcu.edu.au.  

2025 Project list 

Definition of rurality and remoteness in Australian medical research

Numerous studies in the field of medicine have reported healthcare and disease prevalence in rural and remote areas of Australia. Several classification tools—such as the Modified Monash Model (MMM), which mainly uses postcode data—are commonly employed to define remoteness and rurality. However, these tools may have limitations in states like Queensland and Western Australia, where a single postcode can cover large and diverse geographic regions. Furthermore, when evaluating healthcare needs, access to care may be more relevant than physical distance alone—an aspect not fully captured by existing tools. This review aims to systematically identify and evaluate the various rurality and remoteness classification tools used in Australia, assess their applicability and accuracy across different regions, and explore additional contextual factors that could be important in defining rurality within a healthcare setting. The findings will be published as a systematic review and will guide the development of more practical and contextually suitable classification tools for future use.

Supervisor: Dr Zinat Mihammadpour
Project location: Online
Type of research: Systematic literature review

Mental health and Travel Medicine

Mental illness affects one in three Australians at some time of their life. Considering the increasing popularity of international travel, the relationship between international travel and the onset or exacerbation of episodes of mental illness requires consolidation and interpretation. This systematic review of research into mental illness and international travel will seek to quantify the known relationships and risks, to aid in prevention of mental illness events in travelers, recognise possible intervention and protective measures, and identify areas for future research.

Would suit an applicant whois interested in travel medicine and health promotion/health education. This project is geared for a student looking for a research project, an honours student or master student. The preferred background would be in public health, medicine or allied health.

Supervisor: A/Prof Lars Henning
Project location: Townsville 
Type of research: Quantitative

Transforming Australia's Health Workforce Policy

The Summer Bursary student projects are nested within a five-year NHMRC-funded program investigating health workforce policy reform in Australia. The overarching project includes mapping and analysing federal, state, and territory health workforce policies to identify gaps, duplication and tensions in policy from different jurisdictions and across different health professional groups. Summer projects will focus on one (1) Australian state or territory, applying a tested methodology to identify, curate and synthesise data from health workforce policy documents. Working alongside a supportive research team you will gain hands-on experience in conducting policy review, and if interested, contribute to academic and policy outputs, and develop practical skills in data synthesis, report writing, and knowledge translation. The project would be ideal for students interested in health systems, workforce planning, or public policy, and will be a chance to make a meaningful contribution to the future of Australia’s health system. The work will involve collaboration with a team, but will be remote in nature. Projects can be tailored from 4-6 weeks depending on student availability.

Supervisor: Prof Stephanie Topp
Additional supervisor: Dr Thu Nguyen
Project location: Online
Type of research: Mixed: policy analysis / literature review

Impact of drugs and other compounds on ciliated respiratory epithelial function in a mouse model

The respiratory epithelium protects the lungs by producing mucus that traps inhaled pollutants and pathogens. This mucus is cleared from the airways by motile cilia, which beat in a coordinated manner in a process known as mucociliary clearance. The respiratory epithelium protects the lungs by producing mucus that traps inhaled pollutants and pathogens. This mucus is cleared from the airways by motile cilia, which beat in a coordinated manner in a process known as mucociliary clearance. My laboratory investigates the basic biology regulating cilia activity using mouse tissue and examines how various inhaled substances affect cilia function. Depending on the progress of ongoing studies and/or student interests, the following research projects will be available for summer students:

• (Data Analysis) Quantifying cilia beat frequencies from high-speed video microscopy movies using ImageJ
• (Data Analysis) Quantifying respiratory epithelial cell survival from Live/Dead confocal microscopy data using ImageJ
• (Lab Work) Dissecting mouse airways then acquiring high-speed video microscopy data following experimental treatments
• (Lab Work) Dissecting mouse airways, performing immunohistochemistry, and using confocal microscopy to assess cell survival under different treatment conditions

Supervisor: Dr Richard Francis
Project location: Townsville 
Type of research: Mixed Methods

Melioidosis and climate change

Melioidosis caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei, carries significant morbidity and mortality in southeast Asia and northern Australia. The annual incidence of infection in an endemic area may be affected by a number of weather or climate related variables including humidity, rainfall, and severe weather events such as monsoons and tropical cyclones. Rainfall is thought to increase bacterial concentration in topsoil and the rhizosphere via the rise in the water table. Severe weather events and wind are associated with the transmission of bacteria-contaminated aerosols resulting in acquisition of infection via inhalation. Changing weather patterns associated with climate change are currently becoming more frequent .Some regions within Australia and worldwide, are now experiencing unusually high periods of rainfall associated with cyclonic conditions. This review will look at the published literature on the potential for melioidosis to increase in prevalence in those regions.

Supervisor: Prof Robert Norton
Project location: Online
Type of research: Systematic literature review

Q fever - Changes in occupational risk factors

Q fever is caused by Coxiella burnetii and is most commonly associated with occupations that involve close contact with animals. Cattle, sheep and goats were traditionally regarded as the primary reservoirs for infection. Abattoir workers in particular were once considered the major group at risk of acquiring this infection at work. However, it is now recognised that the bacterium may be carried by many animals including wildlife, feral animals and domestic pets. The range of occupations with a high risk of exposure to C. burnetii at present has evolved, and now includes abattoir workers, farmers, shearers, veterinarians and their staff, wildlife and zoo workers, cat and dog breeders and people living on acreage in a rural or semi-rural area. This study will work with the Public Health Unit in Townsville to look at notifiable data on people with Q fever. In particular a comparison will be made of occupations acquiring Q fever 20 years ago and the present, to see if there are any significant changes.

Supervisor: Prof Robert Norton
Additional supervisor: Dr Mikaela Seymour
Project location: Townsville 
Type of research: Mixed Methods

The Epigenetic Aetiology of Cleft Palate Disorders

Non-syndromic Cleft Lip and/or Palate (nsCLP) is the most common congenital defect globally. While the aetiology remains incompletely understood, epigenetics is likely a key contributor. We have recently generated a large methylomic and RNA-seq dataset from nsCLP patients and their parents, which has undergone initial bioinformatic analysis. However, critical questions remain: What heritable epigenetic markers exist between parents and children? How does geographic location influence the methylome? How is gene expression linked to these findings? This project is ideal for any aspiring scientist or clinician-scientists, regardless of their prior experience with large-scale data analysis, with support available throughout.

Supervisor: Dr Daniel Browne
Additional supervisors: A/Prof Justin Curtin, A/Prof Ulf Schmitz
Project location: Online
Type of research: Quantitative

Immunity to COVID 19 in the Tropics: Where are we now?

COVID-19 remains a significant health concern in tropical Australia. However, little is known about the current state of human immunity in Cairns and similar regions. This longitudinal immunology study will track human immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 in tropical populations, aiming to improve our understanding of fundamental immunity and inform future vaccine development. In this wet-lab immunology-based project, students will gain hands-on experience in experimental design, safe handling and manipulation of human immune cells, techniques for detecting mRNA and protein responses to stimulation, and data interpretation and analysis. The project is fully funded and has received biosafety and human ethics approval.

Supervisor: Dr Daniel Browne
Additional supervisor: A/Prof Kate Miller, Dr Chanika Alahakoon
Project location: Cairns 
Type of research: Lab-based

Interprofessional collaboration amongst rural generalist practitioners

This project aims to:

1. Explore how rural practitioners conceptualise Rural Generalism, and how it informs their scope of practice and professional identity
2. Identify key performance indicators that effectively capture interprofessional collaboration among rural practitioners.

Throughout this project, students may engage in different aspects of research, such as conducting literature reviews, recruiting participants, and collecting and analysing data. The study will be conducted across Queensland’s North West Hospital and Health Service (HHS) and Torres and Cape HHS regions. The project does not require in person attendance at any of the study sites.

Supervisor: Dr Sonia Minooee
Additional supervisor: Susan Wright
Project location: Online
Type of research: Mixed Methods

Finding the C in CST - a health literacy project

In 2017 the Australian National Cervical Screening Program officially changed from the Pap smear to the cervical screening test. This assumes a degree of health literacy when there appears to be a paucity of evidence about what the average person knows about the cervix. In Year 4 of the MBBS degree at JCU we teach students about breast and pelvic examinations in the clinical teaching associate (CTA) program. During the session we assume the population know what a cervix is and where the cells are being collected from, but there is limited evidence to support this assumption. There are a lot of articles about “women’s understanding of the Pap test”, “risks for cervical cancer” and similar, but nothing answering the basic anatomical question of “what/where is the cervix?” from a population testing point of view. This project aims to utilise a team of medical students to conduct a random population survey to assess the anatomical understanding of a random sample of the population.

Supervisor: Dr Aileen Traves 
Additional supervisor: Dr Anne Creaton
Project location: Online
Type of research: Mixed Methods

Mothers and students tutorials – empathy resource (MAST-ER)

The Mothers and students tutorials – empathy resource (MAST-ER) project is an innovative educational initiative designed to enhance medical students’ clinical competence, empathy, and communication skills in neonatal care through structured engagement with parents of former NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) babies. The project brings together final-year medical students and two experienced mothers who share their firsthand journeys through the NICU — from birth trauma to long-term care — in an honest, emotionally safe / resonant, and structured format.

The focus of each session is guided by ten key lessons derived from lived parental experience, emphasizing areas such as compassionate communication, trauma-informed care, shared decision-making, and long-term impacts of neonatal illness. These sessions are integrated into the paediatrics rotation and delivered in a reflective, small-group format.

After each session, students and parents complete structured feedback forms assessing:

• Usefulness of the session to their learning
• Insights gained regarding parental perspectives
• Suggestions for improving NICU-family communication

Preliminary feedback indicates high levels of engagement, empathy development, and improved understanding of psychosocial and emotional factors affecting families in neonatal care.

The MASTER project also explores ethical and medico-legal considerations of incorporating patient voices into formal education. The mothers involved are co-designers and co-educators, ensuring authenticity and emotional safety. All sessions are delivered with appropriate clinical supervision and ethical oversight.
Ultimately, MASTER aims to model a co-produced education strategy where lived experience enriches traditional medical teaching. The anticipated outcomes include enhanced clinician-family relationships, improved neonatal communication, and a framework for future parent-involved teaching in other specialties.
This proposal seeks support to evaluate, refine, and expand the MASTER project across clinical schools, with the goal of embedding it as a sustainable, student- and parent-valued teaching practice in paediatrics education.

Supervisor: Prof Tieh Hee Hai Guan KOH
Additional supervisor: Prof Tarun Sen Gupta
Project location: Townsville, Cairns, Mackay or Mount Isa
Type of research: Prospective and Quality Based

Liver Cancer and Oncology

The candidate will have the opportunity to learn some basic cell biology, cell culture, biochemical techniques, and histology.

Supervisor: A/Prof Lionel Hebbard 
Additional supervisor: Dr Craig MacFarlane
Project location: Townsville
Type of research: Lab based and computational (bioinformatics)

Potential presence of a novel, anthelmintic resistant, whipworm of humans in Gabon, West Africa

Recently, a new whipworm species, Trichuris hominis, has been reported infecting humans in Cote d’Ivoire, West Africa. This novel species is highly significant in that it has been found to be refractory to standard anthelmintic (albendazole and ivermectin) treatment. This study will test up to 240 samples from Gabon with a high prevalence of Trichuris spp. These samples have been shipped to JCU for analysis for the presence or absence of T. hominis using ITS-1 and ITS-2 sequencing.

Supervisor: A/Prof Richard Bradbury
Project location: Townsville
Type of research: Lab based  

Demographic and clinical characteristics, and discharge outcomes of patients with knee conditions at an orthopaedic physiotherapy screening clinic: A 15-year retrospective audit.

A physiotherapist-led orthopaedic screening clinic (OPSC) has operated at Townsville University Hospital (TUH) since 2005. This project will conduct a health record audit to determine if the characteristics and discharge outcomes of patients with knee problems attending the OPSC has changed over time.

The investigators will compare OPSC records from 2008 and 2023. A profile for each year will be provided and comparisons between the two time periods will be conducted.
Results from this audit will provide evidence on whether the original model of service remains fit for purpose in the current health environment. The results will provide evidence for patient centered recommendations to ensure that the OPSC will provide optimal service delivery to patients in the future.

The principal investigator is Mr Ben Phillips, an Advanced Physiotherapist working in the OPSC at TUH. Mr Phillips and his clinical colleagues Ms Amanda Lanarus and Ms Anneke Wake are joined by Dr Carol Flavell (Senior Lecturer in Physiotherapy, JCU) and Dr Tilley Pain (Principal HP Research Fellow – TIHRI; Adjunct Professor at College of Health Sciences, JCU) on the research team.

The research team are seeking support with the audit of paper-based patient records for the 2008 cohort.

Supervisor: Dr Carol Flavell
Additional supervisor: Ben Phillips (Primary Investigator), Amanda Lanarus, Anneke Wake, Tilley Pain
Project location: Townsville
Type of research: Clinical audit

Entheses of hand muscles and how it relates to hand dominance, gender, age and body mass

The enthesis is the ‘footprint’ of a tendon as it attaches to a bone and have been used by anthropologists to reconstruct the activity and behaviours of past human populations. Some studies have shown that the anatomy of entheses may not be directly related to muscle activity, but more related to the size of the individual. The dominant hand in individuals would be expected to be the most active and have larger muscles, compared to the less dominant hand. We expect the enthesis anatomy to be different in size and potentially shape in the dominant hand. In this study we will investigate differences in sex, age and the overall body mass of different human body donors for hand muscles reviewed.

Supervisor: Dr Alexandra Trollope 
Additional supervisor: A/Prof Monika Zimanyi, Prof Kate Domett
Project location: Townsville
Type of research: Lab based

Cortical bone Histomorphometry in a sample of North Queensland body donors

The histomorphometry of cortical bone, such as osteon size, is able to be used to estimate the age-at-death of skeletal remains from forensic and archaeological contexts. This project will create histological slides from existing bone samples of the femur, humerus, and rib of known age individuals from the JCU Human Bequest Program. The student will be trained to process the bone samples and create histology slides and to take measures of osteon size and distribution and other histomorphometric features of cortical bones using imaging software. Following published methods, the student will assess the accuracy in estimating age-at-death and if there is any intrapopulation variability that might affect results.

Supervisor: Dr Alexandra Trollope 
Additional supervisor: A/Prof Monika Zimanyi, Prof Kate Domett
Project location: Townsville
Type of research: Lab based