Dr Jess Buck recognised with Young Tall Poppy First Nations Award

Dr Jess Buck has been named the winner of the 2026 Young Tall Poppy First Nations Science Award by the Australian Institute of Policy and Science. This award recognises her contribution as an emerging leader in childhood cancer research and her commitment to working alongside Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to improve outcomes for children with cancer.

A proud Kamilaroi woman, Dr Buck is a researcher at The Kids Research Institute Australia (The Kids) and The University of Western Australia, and leads the Improving First Nations Outcomes Theme within the WA Comprehensive Kids Cancer Centre. Her work brings together research, community knowledge and lived experience to help build a more culturally informed approach to childhood cancer research and care.

The Young Tall Poppy Awards recognise emerging researchers who are making significant contributions to their fields and engaging with the broader community through their work.

For Dr Buck, community engagement is at the centre of her research, ensuring that her team’s work is relevant and meaningful to the people it is intended to benefit.

Turning research into resources for families and communities

Alongside the team’s ongoing engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across Western Australia, researchers are working with community members to develop resources that support greater awareness and understanding of childhood cancer.

“These resources are being co-developed with community to ensure the information is culturally informed, relevant and accessible to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, families and communities,” says Dr Buck.

“We are also exploring how research and health information can be shared in ways that are culturally safe and meaningful, informed by the knowledge and priorities of community.”

This work is complemented by the team’s continued engagement with communities across regional and remote Western Australia. Following recent work in the Pilbara, the team is planning further engagement in the Kimberley later this year, continuing to build relationships and ensure community perspectives help shape the direction of the research.

Dr Buck’s Young Tall Poppy Award recognises not only her achievements as a researcher, but also the importance of creating research that is shaped alongside the communities it seeks to support.

Congratulations to Dr Buck on this wonderful achievement!

The Kids Research Institute Australia delivers the WA Comprehensive Kids Cancer Centre’s laboratory research through its cancer research teams and The University of Western Australia, working alongside the Perth Children’s Hospital clinical team.