Recognising three outstanding researchers with the 2026 Lea Medal
24 February 2026
Peter Mac’s Dr Aparna Rao, Dr Deborah Meyran and Associate Professor Safeera Hussainy have been awarded the 2026 Lea Medal.
The Lea Medal was first awarded at Peter Mac 10 years ago in response to historic gender imbalances in the senior ranks of health and science.
With generous support from the Peter Mac Foundation, the award is designed to help raise the profile of Peter Mac’s female-identifying, early to mid-career researchers as many of them face barriers and lack support at this critical time in their career.
Presented at this year’s Women in Science Symposium, the award provides $50,000 to each researcher to assist their career advancement.
Learn more about the 2026 winners below.
Dr Deborah Meyran
Dr Deborah Meyran, a researcher in the Paul Neeson Lab, will use the Lea Medal to advance her research program focused on immunotherapy for childhood cancers. The award will enable her to visit leading cancer centres in the United States and Europe to present her work, acquire cutting-edge techniques, and strengthen international collaborations aimed at accelerating the translation of innovative therapies into clinical trials for children.
The funding will also support laboratory-based research to deepen understanding of how the immune system interacts with paediatric tumours, including sarcoma and neuroblastoma. By dissecting the mechanisms that drive immune resistance within the tumour microenvironment, Dr Meyran’s work seeks to identify strategies to enhance the effectiveness of immunotherapy in children, where outcomes remain poor for high-risk disease.
In addition, the award will contribute to the development of her research team by supporting international conference presentations and collaborative engagement, further elevating Peter Mac’s leadership in paediatric and adolescent cancer immunotherapy.
The judges commended Dr Meyran for clearly articulating a compelling research vision and recognised her as both an outstanding clinician and an exceptional scientist.
Associate Professor Safeera Hussainy
Associate Professor Safeera Hussainy will use the Lea Medal to advance research aimed at improving sexual health care for people affected by cancer. Her work focuses on addressing an often-overlooked aspect of cancer treatment that can significantly impact quality of life for patients and their partners.
The funding will support a research assistant to help translate her findings into practical outcomes, including developing a proposal for a dedicated sexual health clinic at Peter Mac. It will also help build training programs for healthcare professionals and support applications for further research funding to expand this work.
In addition, the award will enable Associate Professor Hussainy to continue her professional development and strengthen collaborations with leading international experts. Her goal is to ensure sexual health care becomes a routine and supported part of cancer treatment and survivorship.
The judges noted her passion for her work was evident and recognised the courage it takes to set up an interesting new program in a fresh space. They also noted the work she’s tackling is complex and highly innovative and were impressed with her bold leadership.
Dr Aparna Rao
Dr Aparna Rao, a researcher in the Grant McArthur Lab, will use the Lea Medal to advance her research into how cancer cells and immune cells use energy, with a focus on melanoma. Her work aims to better understand how tumours interact with the immune system and why some cancers respond differently to treatment.
The funding will support a pioneering study using advanced imaging techniques to examine tumour samples from patients. This research will help reveal how immune cells behave within the tumour environment and identify new targets for future therapies.
The award will also support Dr Rao to collaborate with national and international experts, present her research at major conferences, and gain mentorship from leaders in cancer metabolism. These opportunities will help accelerate her goal of establishing an independent research program and improving treatment strategies for melanoma.
The judges noted she articulated her research vision well and is an excellent clinician as well as an outstanding scientist.
The Lea Medal Award was made possible through the generosity of donors to the Peter Mac Foundation and this year’s medals were presented at the Women in Science Symposium.