Rate My Professor Sara Crellin

During her PhD, Crellin received several accolades recognizing her contributions. She won the Otago Medical School Research Society PhD Student Speaker Award in 2024 for her conference presentation 'Novel therapeutic targets in the treatment of bipolar disorder.' She was also named Best Speaker and Best PhD Presentation at Queenstown Research Week 2024, and placed as doctoral runner-up in the University of Otago's 3-minute thesis competition. In 2024, she was awarded the MacGibbon PhD travel fellowship, funding a four-month research stay at the Brain Stimulation Lab in Stanford University's Department of Behavioural Sciences and Psychiatry. There, she acquired advanced skills in electroencephalography data processing, transcranial magnetic stimulation protocols, intracranial electroencephalogram analysis, and deep brain stimulation applications for bipolar disorder. Crellin has engaged in public outreach, using a lightbulb analogy to explain her research: bipolar symptoms manifest like a faulty bulb, but treatments target the underlying 'cables'—axons—to restore neural function. Her efforts highlight disparities in bipolar disorder prevalence, including 2.1% among New Zealanders, 3.6% among Pacific peoples, and 4.6% among Māori, advocating for better empathy, support, and adherence to holistic management strategies.