Eleanor J. Ong, our Global Health Early Career Research Fellow, achieved exceptional recognition at the Association for Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) Global Health Conference 2025 in Kuala Lumpur (October 28-31, 2025).
Key Achievement Eleanor received the Best Postgraduate Student Poster Award for her PhD research examining substance use behaviours among sexual and gender minorities with a history of adverse childhood experiences through a systematic review and narrative synthesis. Her work was recognized for excellence across originality, methodological rigor, sound conclusions, and exceptional presentation quality.
Leadership Impact Eleanor played a pivotal role in the Student-led Forum — Youth Power in Planetary Health From Campus Idea to Global Action. Alongside emerging scholars Xiaoyu Duan, Shuaibu Saidu Musa, and Dantzel Tiakia, she advocated for centering community voices in research and practice. The panel demonstrated how diverse methodological approaches — from migration health economics to Indigenous Pacific frameworks and trauma-informed community recovery models — can unite around shared commitments to dismantling credibility barriers facing young researchers and translating lived experiences into culturally grounded, equity-driven solutions.
Conference Significance The conference’s focus on Planetary Health provided a vital platform for exploring intersections between environmental sustainability, social equity, and human well-being. Eleanor’s contributions exemplified our commitment to ensuring marginalized populations remain visible in planetary health conversations while empowering young researchers to bridge academic research with community-driven advocacy.
This recognition reflects our dedication to nurturing global health leaders who understand that solutions for communities are already within communities — we simply need to listen, support, and amplify their voices.