Research Summit

This annual event brings together expert minds involved in health and medical research to consider an emerging topic of importance to our community. The summit provides an excellent opportunity to hear from, network and engage with some of the leading experts in health and medical research.

Information on the next Metro North Health Research Summit will be available in early 2026.

2025 Metro North Health Research Summit

The Metro North Office of Research is pleased to have hosted the second annual Metro North Research Summit on Thursday August 21 at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre.

We welcomed over 140 guests from across Metro North, Queensland Health, and our academic, philanthropic and commercial clinical trials partners, to hear from local, national and international experts.

The day opened with a welcome address from our Metro North Board Chair, Mr Bernard Curran, who joined us for the second year in a row to reinforce the value of research to the health service. Next we heard from Dr David Rosengren, Director General of Queensland Health, who shared his vision for the future of health care in Queensland.

Professor Grant McArthur AO provided a keynote address on the role and value of institutes and centres of excellence in cancer care, with lessons learned from his experience as Chief Executive Officer of the VCCC Alliance in Victoria. He was joined by Associate Professor Melissa Eastgate, Dr Michael Wagels, Professor Steven Lane, Professor Gail Garvey, and Professor Kim Alexander for a lively panel discussion.

International Keynote, Dr Natalie Pageler MD, Stanford University delivered an engaging presentation on the future of artificial intelligence in healthcare, and was joined by Professor Clair Sullivan, Associate Professor Quan Nguyen and Professor Steven McPhail for an insightful panel discussion.

After lunch, we welcomed the ever curious and entertaining Dr Karl Kruszelnicki AM who took us on a journey of discovery from chocolate and wine to clean energy and everything in between.

We closed the afternoon with five presentations from our Metro North researchers who are striving to deliver excellence in health care through research. Chaired by Associate Professor Joel Dulhunty, we heard from Adj.A/Prof Thuy Frakking, A/Prof Kylie Burke & Sharon Gordon, Professor Jed Duff, Dr Natasha Roberts and Dr Peter Bell.

Metro North would like to thank our event sponsors, the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital Foundation, the Prince Charles Hospital Foundation, The Common Good, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), the University of Queensland (UQ) and the Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMRB). Without their generous sponsorship, events like this would not be possible.

The Metro North Health Research Summit brings together expert minds from across Queensland Health and our academic partners in the health and medical research sector to discuss emerging topics. We look forward to welcoming you to the Metro North Health Research Summit in 2026.