14 August 2015
The University of South Australia’s Dr Tasha Stanton has been awarded Tall Poppy of the Year at the 2015 South Australian Science Excellence Awards, presented at the Adelaide Convention Centre last night.
The chronic pain researcher is behind the ground-breaking discovery that if you change how a painful body part looks to an osteoarthritis sufferer using visual illusions, it can significantly reduce the pain they feel.
It is this ability to undertake high quality scientific research and then communicate the findings to the general public that has seen her take out the Tall Poppy of the Year title, an award designed to put the spotlight on world-class South Australian researchers who are actively sharing their passion for science with the community.
UniSA Vice Chancellor Professor David Lloyd congratulated Dr Stanton on her significant achievement, noting the important role researchers can play in inspiring the next generation to pursue a career in science.
“Dr Stanton is a fantastic example of a researcher who is able to conduct cutting-edge research in the laboratory and then take those results out into the wider community through a number of public engagement activities,” Prof Lloyd said.
“Whether it’s in her role as a Section Editor for prominent chronic pain website BodyinMind.org or by breaking down her research for a high school audience, Dr Stanton shows both a passion for and a tremendous ability to bring people into the world of science.”
A Research Fellow at UniSA’s Body in Mind Research Group, Dr Stanton said she was excited to be recognised for making science communication a priority.
“I’m really passionate about increasing public knowledge about pain and its treatment,” she said.
“It’s a condition that affects so many people around the world and I want to share with the wider community the exciting discoveries we’re making in the lab.”
Centre for Cancer Biology (an alliance between UniSA and SA Pathology) researcher and UniSA Adjunct Research Fellow, Dr Simon Conn was also a finalist in the Tall Poppy campaign, receiving his award at a ceremony held last month.
Media Contact
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