Chancellor's Prize for PhD thesis

Paediatric clinician and researcher Dr Jonathan Kaufman awarded the top university prize for excellence in a PhD thesis

Congratulations to Dr Jonathan Kaufman who was awarded the Chancellor's Prize for Excellence in a PhD thesis. Jonathan completed his PhD in the Department of Paediatrics at the Royal Children’s Hospital in 2020. His thesis studied diagnostic processes for young children with urinary tract infections, a very common condition encountered by clinicians across general practice, paediatrics, and emergency medicine.

He developed a novel method of sample collection which is quick for clinicians and gentle for children, and used qualitative and health economic data to inform research translation. His randomized controlled trial was published in the high-ranking medical journal The BMJ, and the new method he devised is now the recommended clinical practice in several international guidelines.

Jonathan’s PhD included 9 first author publications in peer-reviewed journals, 12 national and international conference presentations, and received over 30 research awards, grants and prizes. He completed his PhD in the Department of Paediatrics, supervised by Professor Lena Sanci and Professor Meredith Temple-Smith. He is now a General Paediatrician and Director of Clinical Training at the Joan Kirner Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Western Health.

There are six Chancellor's Prize for Excellence in a PhD thesis across the university each year.