Released 16/06/2025
Emerging leaders in health research and innovation have been recognised at the Canberra Health Annual Research Meeting (CHARM) for their outstanding contributions to the ACT health system.
The CHARM Rising Star Awards recognise developing researchers who are making a significant impact through their work in areas such as allied health, nursing, midwifery, clinical research, and health policy.
Minister for Health Rachel Stephen-Smith congratulated the award recipients, noting their work aligns with CHARM’s mission to strengthen the ACT’s health system through collaboration, innovation and research.
“It’s always great to see local researchers getting well-deserved recognition through the CHARM Awards. These individuals and teams are making vital contributions to a more informed, responsive, and equitable health system in the ACT,” said Minister Stephen-Smith.
“Their work is helping to shape a learning health system that delivers world-class care, attracts top talent to Canberra, and improves outcomes for our community.”
Minister Stephen-Smith said CHARM was one of the many ways the ACT Government is building nation-leading, stronger and more collaborative relationships between research institutes, tertiary education and our health service sectors.
“Our Rising Star Award winners are advancing knowledge across a range of professions and fields, from critical care to rehabilitation to diabetes management. I congratulate them and thank everyone who is taking the opportunity to share their projects and knowledge at CHARM.”
The recipients of the 2025 CHARM Rising Star Awards are:
Outstanding New Researcher Award:Dr Sumeet Rai - Canberra Health Services
Recognised as an emerging leader in critical care research. Dr Rai’s PhD investigates the psychological impacts of ICU admissions on both, patients and their carers.
Clinician-Researcher Awards:Ms Gemma Wall - University of Canberra Hospital, Canberra Health Services & University of Canberra
Recognised for impactful rehabilitation research demonstrating that group and individual occupational therapies equally improve patient outcomes.
Dr Anupam Rao - Canberra Health Services & Australian National University
Recognised for cutting-edge AI models in cardiovascular care, including the development of a novel Hybrid-EM framework for STEMI risk stratification and interpretable machine learning models for heart failure and atrial fibrillation.
Collaborative Research Award: Ms Kathleen Cook & Ms Clare Robertson - Canberra Health Services
Recognised for their groundbreaking research demonstrating the safety and effectiveness of canine-assisted interventions in ICUs, significantly reducing patient and family anxiety and pain without adverse effects.
The recipients of the 2025 CHARM Highly Commended Awards are:
Outstanding New Researcher Highly Commended Awards: Ms Helen Truon - Canberra Health Services for advancing radiation therapy at Canberra Health Services, including innovations in stereotactic radiosurgery and developing clinical tools to enhance patient safety, and
Dr Chirath Hettiarachchi of Australian National University for pioneering AI-driven diabetes care, with a PhD focused on reducing the cognitive burden of Type 1 diabetes management.
Clinician-Researcher Highly Commended Award:Dr Christopher Chew of Canberra Health Services, University of Oxford (UK) & Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit (Thailand) for impactful research in acute fever management and digital health.
The Rising Star awards were delivered as part of CHARM 2025, which brings together clinicians, researchers, students and policy makers to explore how research is transforming healthcare in the ACT.
Held across Canberra Hospital and the University of Canberra, the CHARM 2025 program features keynote addresses, panel discussions and presentations on topics ranging from digital health and data analytics to community-led health initiatives and clinical trials.
Visit www.act.gov.au and search 'CHARM' for more information.
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Rachel Stephen-Smith, MLA | Media Releases