International student from Germany.

2015 winner of the USC Chancellor’s Medal for academic excellence.

Corinna has achieved 3 degrees over 8 years from USC - a Bachelor of Biomedical Science, Science Honours (First class), and a PhD in Cardiovascular Pharmacology.

I first came to Australia in 2005 as a nanny, fell in love with the Sunshine Coast and later met my husband. I decided to stay on the Sunshine Coast because it was beautiful and more affordable than elsewhere.

In 2007, I came back on a student visa for three years and completed a Bachelor of Biomedical Science. That was when I met Dr Fraser Russell and did a special research project with him in the third year of my degree. I then extended my student visa for 12 months to do Honours. After Honours, I gained residency through a spouse de facto visa.

USC is great because of the small class sizes, excellent teaching quality and it’s a very supportive environment.

My PhD in Cardiovascular Pharmacology developed a method of detecting a protein in human plasma and investigated whether omega-3 fatty acids have anti-inflammatory effects.

USC is still growing in its capacity for research, is open to change and it is encouraging of an innovative approach. Research at USC has definitely changed a lot. They’ve brought in a lot of research fellows, the new University Public Hospital is nearing completion, and the Health Research Institute is being set up. Research by Higher Degree Research at USC offers lots of opportunities for future students.