Dr Tran (from The George Institute, Nuffield Department of Women's & Reproductive Health) was named joint winner in the Young Achievers category for her work in chronic disease research and public health. The awards were announced at a star-studded ceremony in London on 9 May 2018, in the presence of Her Royal Highness The Countess of Wessex, Tulip Siddiq MP, and Baroness Amos, Director of the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London.
‘It is an honour to be recognised with this award – all the candidates are such amazing and inspiring women!’ Dr Tran said. ‘This award really isn’t about me – the recognition goes to the teams I have had the privilege to work with, from the incredible team at The George Institute, the innovative and resilient team at CHASE, to my mentors at The University of Melbourne, only to name a few, and of course, my family and friends.’
Dr Tran is a PhD student at The George Institute in the UK, having been awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to study at the University of Oxford. Her doctorate focuses on multimorbidity, which is defined as the presence of two or more conditions in the same person. She recently had a paper published in the journal PLOS Medicine which highlighted the sharp rise in heart disease patients experiencing five or more other conditions.
Dr Tran was previously involved in a range of community projects that aimed to improve chronic disease prevention and management, including REACH (now Strive), Australia’s first, student-run multidisciplinary health clinic. She was also one of the founders of Community Health Advancement and Student Engagement (CHASE), a not-for-profit health mentoring program that empowers youths to take action and improve the health of their own communities.
The Asian Women of Achievement awards, now in their 19th year, celebrate the achievements of Asian women and the contribution they make, both professionally and in their communities, across a range of industries and professions, from science, medicine and technology to sport, business and charity work.