RECOGNISING CLINICAL TRIALS AND THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE RESEARCH, NHMRC CEO signs off tenure with final co-presenter role at ACTA Trial of the Year Awards
With
Prof Christopher Reid, Board Chair
Australian Clinical Trials Alliance (ACTA)
Professor Steve Wesselingh, CEO
National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)
Chandana Guha,
Australasian Kidney Trials Network
Dr Menglu Ouyang on behalf of Professor Craig Anderson
Australasian Stroke Trials Network with The George Institute for Global Health
Professor David Curtis
Australasian Leukaemia and Lymphoma Group
Delaine Smith
Chief Executive Officer
Australasian Leukaemia & Lymphoma Group
SEGMENT
Filmed in Sydney | August 2026
Australia’s clinical trials community came together to celebrate outstanding research and recognise the people and teams making a meaningful difference to healthcare at the 2026 ACTA Trial of the Year Awards.
Now in its 10th year, the awards continue to shine a light on investigator-led clinical trials and initiatives that are improving clinical practice, influencing healthcare policy and delivering better outcomes for patients across Australia and beyond.
This year’s awards showcased the breadth and strength of Australia’s clinical trials sector, with achievements recognised across six categories spanning clinical trials, statistics, health economics, implementation science, consumer involvement and clinical quality registries.
ACTA Chair, Professor Chris Reid, highlighted the contribution of the nominees and winners to the broader clinical trials community, noting the expertise, collaboration and commitment demonstrated through their work.
Since their establishment in 2016, the ACTA Trial of the Year Awards have provided an opportunity to recognise the impact of clinical research and celebrate the people behind the trials. The 2026 ceremony continued this tradition, highlighting the important role Australian researchers and collaborators play in advancing healthcare and improving the lives of patients.
Source: ACTA news story 19th August 2026 https://clinicaltrialsalliance.org.au/latest-news/celebrating-outstanding-achievements-in-clinical-trials/
-
Making clinical trials participant friendly
Clinical trials are essential in developing new, improved, and more effective treatments and interventions. Without trials, researchers and professionals in the field cannot properly determine whether these new treatments and interventions are safe and effective.
The Clinials platform is geared towards patient centric trials and reducing site burden. The aim is to accelerate lifesaving medicines coming to market by connecting participants and researchers. The platform allows participants to come to researchers with their eligibility in hand among other capabilities.
-
Implementing improvements in referral management and demand
Nalani Cox joined Gold Coast Health in 2019 as a Nurse Manager focused on improving referral management processes within the outpatient environment through the implementation of the Clinical Prioritisation Criteria. This work became a focus point for the organisation in 2020 when Nalani led an organisational wide change project introducing Smart Referrals, Refer Your Patient website and HealthPathways which has culminated in her position as the ADON of the Referral Strategy and Performance Department.
-
Representing the profession that impacts individual lives and communities
Michelle Oliver is a highly experienced Occupational Therapist with nearly two decades of leadership and clinical expertise across the mental health, homelessness, and disability sectors. She holds a Master of Occupational Therapy from the University of South Australia and is a registered practitioner with AHPRA.
