This phenomenon was recognised as playing a critical role in the development of autoimmune disease and in resistance or susceptibility to different infections. This led to his work on the role of complex carbohydrates in inhibiting inflammation, tumour metastasis and angiogenesis.

2004 – Professor TJ Martin

Professor Thomas Martin, Emeritus Professor of Medicine at the University of Melbourne, and John Holt Fellow (associated with St Vincent's Institute of Medical Research), was awarded the 2004 medal for his work in the field of endocrine research.

His research was vital to discovering how hormones control and maintain bone cells to prevent osteoporosis. Professor Martin also discovered a new hormone produced by cancers and one of the main causes of the spread of cancers to the bone – particularly breast and prostate cancers.

2003 – Professor Colin Chesterman

Professor Chesterman, Director of Haematology at the Prince of Wales Hospital and conjoint Professor of Pathology and Medicine at UNSW was awarded the 2003 medal for his work in the development and improvement of diagnostic and therapeutic techniques.

Professor Chesterman’s research focused on improving the prognosis of intravascular thrombosis which often proved fatal in the past.  The work led to new diagnostic and treatment approaches in these conditions.

2002 – Professor Bob Baxter

Professor Bob Baxter, Director of the Kolling institute of Medical Research at the Royal North Shore Hospital and Head of the Department of Molecular Medicine at the University of Sydney, was awarded the 2002 Medal for his work in human physiology and pathology.

His work focused on understanding normal tissue and body growth and how it is impaired in diabetes, renal failure and critical illness. The work led to the understanding of and development of therapies for breast and other cancers.

2001 – Professor Grant Sutherland

Professor Grant Sutherland of the Women’s and Children’s Hospital, South Australia was awarded the 2001 Medal for his work on improving diagnosis of ‘X’ syndrome, where children are born with an intellectual handicap.

His laboratory identified special DNA sequences on the fragile ‘X’ chromosome, which led to improved diagnosis, reliable identification of carriers and more reliable prenatal diagnosis. 

2000 – Professor Rob Sutherland

Professor Rob Sutherland, of the Garvan Institute of Medical Research was awarded the 2000 Medal for his laboratory’s contribution to breast and prostate cancer research.

His research centred on the way in which female sex hormones regulate the proliferation of breast cancer cells, which led to developments in the treatment of breast cancer.

1999 – Professor George Paxinos

George Paxinos of the University of NSW was awarded the 1999 Medal for his contribution to mapping the human brain.  His work helped in the comparison of normal brain and what is abnormal in diseases such as Parkinsonism, Schizophrenia and Alzheimers disease and also in areas of neuro-radiology.

1998 – Professor Elspeth McLachlan

Professor Elspeth McLachlan of Sydney's Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute was awarded the 1998 Medal for her research on neural pathways within the autonomic nervous system.

Her work has led to improved understanding and treatment of hypertension, stress, disorders of blood flow and bodily functions such as digestion, body temperature control, continence and ageing problems.

1997 – Professor Murray Elser

Professor Murray Esler’s outstanding contribution to biomedical science has been to develop and exploit a method for measuring the strength of drive by sympathetic nerves that release catecholamines, in the body as a whole and in individual organs such as the heart, kidney and even brain.

He has utilised this technique in normal individuals under a variety of circumstances such as exercise, ageing and obesity and in patients suffering from a variety of disorders such as heart failure, hypertension, and mental illness. 

1996 – Professor Max Bennett

Professor Bennett was awarded the 1996 medal for his study of the formation and function of synapses. His pioneering work has had a profound impact on our understanding of the nervous system and the way in which it controls other systems in the body.

1995 – Dr John Paul Coghlan

Professor John Coghlan was the inaugural recipient of the Ramaciotti Medal. His field of research is molecular biology within which he developed a technique known as ‘in situ hybridization histochemistry’. This technique made it possible to identify which cells within complex organs of the body, such as the brain, kidney, liver and intestine contain the machinery to manufacture specific hormones.

Professor Coghlan’s technique has also been employed by other biomedical scientists around the world, in such diverse disciplines as endocrinology, hypertension, atherosclerosis, foetal development and cancer.

2003: The Brain and Mind Research Institute (BMRI)

A consortium of University of Sydney researchers linking basic and clinical research in mental health, neurology and neuroscience was awarded a $1 million grant in 2003.

The grant was used to purchase an animal positron emission tomography (micro-PET) scanner, allowing the establishment of the ‘Clive and Vera Ramaciotti Centre for Brain Imaging’. The Centre encourages collaboration between more than 65 laboratories in the University and its affiliated hospitals.

2001: The Clive and Vera Ramaciotti Centre for Proteomic and Genomic Research

The Clive and Vera Ramaciotti Centre for Proteomic and Genomic Research was awarded the grant in 2001 to fund their research.  It placed Australian biomedical researchers among the most advanced in the world when it came to accessing leading-edge technology to further the knowledge of proteomics and ultimately, to enhance the treatment of major disease.