2025 Robert and Elizabeth Albert Travel Grant ($10,000)

Recipient: Dr Wei Yeh

Project: Myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease (MOGAD): optimising treatment strategy and outcomes

Dr Wei Yeh is an early career researcher in the Department of Neuroscience, School of Translational Medicine, Monash University and neurologist in the Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology (MSNI) Service, Alfred Health. His clinical and research interests are in multiple sclerosis (MS), myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease (MOGAD), neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) and other inflammatory diseases of the nervous system.

His PhD investigated modifiable factors which interact with MS, specifically vitamin D immunobiology through transcriptomics, and peri-pregnancy disease activity. He is currently spending time in the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford and John Radcliffe Hospital, and investigating treatment outcomes in MOGAD through an international collaborative effort while gaining clinical experience in the specialised NMOSD/MOGAD and neuroimmunology clinics.

2025 Margorie Hooper Scholarship (SA) ($10,000)

Recipient: Dr Christopher Belder

Project: Blood-based biomarkers in familial Alzheimer’s disease - understanding pathogenesis and predicting clinical and pathologic variation

Dr Christopher Belder is an early career Neurologist based in Adelaide, South Australia. He undertook his basic physician training at the Royal Adelaide Hospital and Queen Elizabeth Hospital and was awarded the Bryan Hudson Medal (2019) for the highest performance in the RACP written and clinical examinations.

He completed advanced training in neurology at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Flinders Medical Centre, was the Australian and New Zealand Association of Neurologists Fellow at the National Hospital of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square, London (2022), and became a Fellow of the RACP in 2023, followed by a Clinical Research Fellowship at the Dementia Research Centre, University College London focusing on familial Alzheimer's disease (2023).

Through his clinical work and research, he is passionate about improving the care of patients with cognitive disorders, particularly younger onset, atypical, and familial dementia syndromes.

2025 Dr Helen Rarity McCreanor Travelling Fellowship (NZ) ($4,600 NZD)

Recipient: Dr Chang Ho Yoon

Project: Using RNA profiles to distinguish between viral and bacterial pneumonia

Originally from South Korea, Chang Ho has roots in Edinburgh (Scotland), Cambridge (England), London (England), and Auckland (New Zealand). He is dual-qualifying in Infectious Diseases & General and Acute Care Medicine, and recently completed a Wellcome Trust PhD at the University of Oxford. His research interests lie at the intersection of computerised decision support, artificial intelligence, clinical uncertainty, and causal inference.

2025 Rowden White Travelling Fellowship ($10,000)

Recipient: Dr Katie Lewis

Project: Development of a novel genomic assay for UBTF-tandem duplication acute myeloid leukaemia (UBTF-TD AML) and its application in molecular subgroup analyses of the UK NCRI AML19 and International MyeChild 01 randomised clinical trials

Dr Katie Lewis is an early career clinical and laboratory haematologist based in Perth, Western Australia. Her professional interests include genetic haematopathology and the diagnosis and management of acute leukaemias.

Dr Lewis will travel to the United Kingdom in 2025 to undertake a clinical and laboratory fellowship in acute myeloid leukaemia with Dr Richard Dillon (Guy’s Hospital London). During her fellowship she will conduct research on UBTF-TD acute myeloid leukaemia, an aggressive form of blood cancer. The fellowship has a strong focus on developing clinical expertise in the management of acute myeloid leukaemia, in particular the role of molecular monitoring to guide treatment and improve patient outcomes. Dr Lewis plans to implement the skills and knowledge she obtains during her fellowship to expand acute leukaemia services in Western Australia upon her return.