Dr Steven Tong

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2011 Fulbright Northern Territory Scholar

“Staphylococcus aureus (golden staph) is a major cause of severe community and hospital acquired infections.”

Dr Steven Tong, a Consultant Physician at Royal Darwin Hospital and Postdoctoral Fellow at the Menzies School of Health Research is the winner of the inaugural Fulbright Northern Territory Scholarship, supported by the Northern Territory Government, Charles Darwin University and corporate sponsor Blackboard Asia Pacific.

Through his Fulbright, Steven will spend seven months at the Duke University Medical Center in North Carolina. At Duke University, Steven will work on two projects investigating the bacterium, Staphylococcus aureus.  

The first project will examine the relationship between the bacterium and infection of the lining of the heart muscle. The second will build on Dr Tong’s existing work on a certain strain of the bacterium to assess its virulence and assist with management of infections. The projects will have benefits both for the medical profession generally and for the Top End in particular.

“The Menzies School of Health Research is establishing an internationally and nationally recognized role in staphylococcal research. This project will further enhance this reputation and establish an ongoing collaborative link with one of the world’s leading centres for staphylococcal research,” Steven said.

Steven has an MBBS with honours from the University of Melbourne, is a fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians and has a PhD in Biomedicine from Charles Darwin University.  He has received various awards and prizes including the Australasian Society of Infectious Diseases travel award: best advanced training project, American Society of Microbiology Student and Post Doctoral Fellows Travel Grant, and the Australian Society for Antimicrobials travel award, and he has also published extensively.

In his spare time he enjoys reading, bike riding and assuming the role of the prince in various games with his two young daughters.

The prestigious Fulbright program is the largest educational scholarship of its kind, created by U.S. Senator J. William Fulbright and the U.S. Government in 1946. Aimed at promoting mutual understanding through educational exchange, it operates between the U.S. and 155 countries. In Australia, the scholarships are funded by the Australian and U.S. Governments and corporate partners and administered by the Australian-American Fulbright Commission in Canberra.

Steven is one of 26 talented Australians to be recognised as a Fulbright Scholar in 2011. Applications for Fulbright Scholarships in 2012 open on 1 June.

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