Two Metro South Health clinician-researchers have secured prestigious National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Investigator Grants, bringing almost $3 million in research funding to projects aimed at transforming care for people living with schizophrenia and blood cancer.
Professor Dan Siskind, a psychiatrist with Metro South Health’s Addiction and Mental Health Services, and Dr Joshua Tobin, a haematologist at Princess Alexandra Hospital, were both successful in the 2026 NHMRC Investigator Grants round.
Together, their grants provide $2.94 million over five years, supporting research that has the potential to change clinical practice and improve outcomes for patients in Queensland and around the world.
Professor Siskind was awarded a Leadership 1 Investigator Grant worth $2.42 million for his project, Transforming physical and mental health care for people living with schizophrenia.
His research program will focus on people living with schizophrenia, particularly those with treatment-resistant schizophrenia, for whom treatment options remain limited.
“Schizophrenia affects 80 million people worldwide, and one-third of those don’t respond to standard treatment,” Professor Siskind said.
“My previous research has helped improve the safe use of clozapine, address the physical health needs of people living with schizophrenia, and build capacity for clinical trials.
“This new grant is a tremendous opportunity to build on the progress we’ve already made and take that work to a national and international scale.”
Over the next five years, Professor Siskind’s team will conduct two world-first clinical trials investigating whether an existing heart medication can improve symptoms such as low motivation, social withdrawal and reduced emotional expression, and whether a medication currently used to treat diabetes can prevent the weight gain commonly associated with antipsychotic medicines.
The program will also lead the development of Australia’s first national schizophrenia clinical trials network, bringing together researchers, clinicians and trial sites to test new treatments and generate stronger evidence for clinical care.
Professor Siskind’s research group has also received significant support through the Metro South Health Research Support Scheme, helping build the program and its capacity to compete for major national funding.
Dr Joshua Tobin received an Emerging Leadership Investigator Grant worth $518,569 for his project, Developing a Translational Pipeline for Personalised Immunotherapy in Follicular Lymphoma.
Follicular lymphoma is a blood cancer that often returns after treatment. Some patients with follicular lymphoma can remain stable for years without treatment, suggesting their immune system can naturally keep the disease under control.
Dr Tobin’s research aims to understand how a patient’s immune system recognises their cancer and use that knowledge to develop personalised immune therapies.
Dr Tobin’s research builds on the strong foundation established through his 2025 Queensland Health Clinical Research Fellowship, which provided protected time to develop the research program and establish collaborations with the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
Metro South Health’s Chief Research and Innovation Officer, Associate Professor Helen Benham, congratulated both clinician-researchers, and their teams, on their achievement.
“The success of Professor Siskind and Dr Tobin highlights the strength of clinician-led research across Metro South Health – and the value of investing in clinician researchers at different stages of their careers,” Associate Professor Benham said.
“The NHMRC Investigator Grants are highly competitive national awards that support outstanding researchers to pursue innovative programs and advance health and medical knowledge.
“Both of these projects are closely connected to clinical practice, with the potential to translate discoveries made through research into better treatments and care for patients.”