Scholarship provides 'amazing' opportunities

This year’s MacGibbon Fellows may have different research topics, but their experiences of the US travel scholarship can all described the same – amazing.

Helena Abolins-Thompson, William Wun Tha Aye, Jasjot Maggo and Sara Crellin are the latest beneficiaries of the travel funding opportunity which is open to any PhD candidate studying human or animal vectors affecting human health, including Doctor of Clinical Dentistry tauira, who want to undertake research in the USA.

Health Sciences Research and Development Manager Dr Michele Coleman congratulates this year’s MacGibbon Fellows.

Recipients receive up to NZD$18,000-20,000 each towards spending two to six months studying in America.

“They get access to data, research facilities, other researchers in their fields, as well as training opportunities they might not have been able to access in New Zealand," Michele says.

“Not only does this open the door to doing postdoctoral work in the US, but the experience itself is exciting and one I would hugely encourage eligible candidates to apply for”.

This Fellowship is made possible by funding organised by the Alumni of the University of Otago in America Incorporated. For details on applying to the latest funding round, visit:

The MacGibbon PhD travel fellowship

Helena Abolins-Thompson – Department of Surgery and Anaesthesia, Wellington

The end of March to the start of August was a whirlwind of excitement and productivity for PhD candidate Helena Abolins-Thompson.

Under the guidance of her supervisors Dr Kirsty Danielson, Dr Claire Henry, Dr Megan Leask and Dr Bridget Simonson (USA), she visited the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts as part of their Cardiovascular Disease Initiative.

“The purpose behind this was to learn new techniques such as single cell RNA sequencing of samples that are traditionally difficult to work with,” Helena says.

“My cancer single cell RNA sequencing went very well, and I got some good data and learnt lots of new techniques as part of this process.

“I even had opportunities to develop in terms of some wet-lab techniques that we do not have access to at the Wellington campus and learnt a wealth of information on the computational biology side of my work which I thoroughly enjoyed.”

Helena was also able to incorporate tikanga Māori into her USA work which she hopes will serve as a new perspective for the Institute.

The research produced from her time overseas is awaiting its final revision before being published.

Helena says she enjoyed the trip immensely and is so grateful to the alumni for helping fund her trip to Boston.

“I am extremely thankful for my time in America – we’re already talking about potential postdoctoral collaborations with this group post my PhD and about how we can support Māori PhD students to get involved.”

William Wun Tha Aye – Department of Medicine, Christchurch

William found himself enjoying more than just the coffee during his six-month-long research trip to the Massachusetts General Hospital’s Athinoula A. Martinos Centre for Biomedical Imaging.

At the Martinos Centre, he had the opportunity to work on the’ Alzheimer's Biomarker Consortium: Down Syndrome (ABC-DS)’. A large-scale multicentre study rich with data and aimed at improving the quality of life of those with Down Syndrome - a heavily under-represented cohort in medicinal research says Will.

Professor Julie Price, who is one of the foremost researchers in the positron emission tomography (PET) imaging field, provided Will with a course on developing PET tracers and the latest state-of-the-art PET research techniques.

“Being based in Boston was amazing and I felt rather at home since they too drink ice coffee in the middle of winter,” William says.

“I had the opportunity to learn FreeSurfer, a brain imaging software that was actually developed at the Martinos Centre, attend weekly seminars on imaging, neurodegenerative disorders, neuroanatomy, machine learning, and various state-of-the-art topics presented by highly respected researchers.

“I was even able to visit nearby states including New York, Philadelphia, New Hampshire and Vermont.

“My mentors, Professor Price and Dr Jessie Fu, as well as the other staff at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Martinos Centre, were extremely helpful and made me feel very supported throughout my stay.”

He is extremely grateful for the opportunity and extends many thanks to his supervisors, Associate Professor Tracy Melzer, Dr Campbell Le Heron, and Professor Tim Anderson, for their support during his time in America.

Jasjot Maggo – Department of Medicine, Christchurch

Determined to make the most of her Fellowship, Jasjot Maggo spent her three months in America at the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at both Augusta University in Georgia and Michigan University in Michigan.

From 15 May to 15 August, Jasjot maximised her gastroenterology learning by working with two research groups under the guidance of her supervisors Professor Richard Gearry, Professor Nicole Roy and Dr Simone Bayer.

She says the trip was an amazing experience where she was able to learn about the ongoing and upcoming clinical trials in gastroenterology, specifically for disorders of gut-brain interactions.

“I learned about the methodology used to create a mock arm for a medical device in a clinical trial, including the protocol for the development of these physiologically complex devices.

“My experience not only gave me valuable insight into the development of medical devices, but I was also able to network with leading researchers who are investigating novel methods of diagnosing and managing gastroenterology conditions,” Jasjot says.

She joined a research team during their research symposium week, learned about the importance of dietary advice from dietitians, how translumbosacral neuromodulation therapy could be a non-invasive treatment for faecal incontinence and acid reflux, and connected with a patient representative group that manages an educational website, among many other learning opportunities.

With all the busyness, the trip seemed to race by for Jasjot and so she is hopeful to continue collaborating with those she met overseas post her PhD completion.

“My time away was beyond rewarding, and I look forward to sharing what I have learnt with others while I continue with my PhD and lifelong learning journey.”

Sara Crellin – Department of Psychological Medicine, Dunedin School of Medicine

Sara Crellin’s spent her four months in America at the Brain Stimulation Lab in the Department of Behavioural Sciences and Psychiatry at Stanford University.

Sara says her research experience was hugely successful and involved learning how to use the most modern software to process data from electroencephalography, a technique used to record electrical activity in the human brain.

She learned many new techniques that are not widely accessible in New Zealand, like transcranial magnetic stimulation protocols, intercranial electroencephalogram, the potential of deep brain stimulation in bipolar disorder and newer analysis techniques.

Sara also got involved with the local community, learnt about non-profits in the healthcare sector, sat in on board meetings, and was inspired by leaders in the field of psychiatry.

She thanks her supervisors, Professor Paul Glue, Professor Dirk De Ridder, Associate Professor Phil Sheard and Dr Phil Heyward, for their guidance through it all and looks forward to collaborating with overseas researchers again in the future.

Kōrero by the Division of Health Sciences Communications Adviser, Kelsey Swart.