MCCT Researchers, Prof Brett Manley, Prof Rana Hinman and Kate Francis Recognised at 2025 ACTA Awards

Members of the Melbourne Centre for Clinical Trials (MCCT) team have been celebrated for their outstanding contributions to clinical research at the 2025 Australian Clinical Trials Alliance (ACTA) Awards.

Professor Brett Manley (University of Melbourne) won an ACTA Award, recognising his innovative work to improve outcomes for premature babies through a pioneering clinical trial of surfactant therapy. The PLUSS trial investigated whether the administration of intra-tracheal budesonide during the early treatment of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) in extremely preterm infants increased survival without bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) at 36 weeks’ postmenstrual age (PMA). This trial involved over 1,000 extremely premature babies in 21 hospitals across Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Canada.

Professor Rana Hinman (University of Melbourne) was named runner-up for her leadership on the PEAK trial - Telerehabilitation consultations with a physiotherapist for chronic knee pain versus in-person consultations in Australia: the PEAK non-inferiority randomised controlled trial. In this study, nearly 400 people with long-term knee pain, likely caused by osteoarthritis, were treated by physiotherapists in two ways. One group had traditional in-person appointments, while the other used video calls, like Zoom, to receive the same type of care—exercises, activity guidance, and education. This trial was done across 27 clinics in Queensland and Victoria and supported by Australia’s National Health & Medical Research Council.

Kate Francis (Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics Unit (CEBU), MCRI) received the ACTA STInG Excellence in Trial Statistics Award, acknowledging her contribution to trial design and analysis of the PLUSS trial.

You can view the full list of award winners on the ACTA website.