Media Release: Wednesday 11 May 2016
Decades’ worth of highly-specialised experience is being added to the leadership of Research Australia, with the appointment of a new CEO and four new Board members.
Research Australia is an alliance of 160 members and supporters advocating for health and medical research in Australia.
Media Release: Friday 20 May 2016
A clinical trial investigating reducing risk of neonatal infections related to pre-labour ruptured membranes, has been awarded the inaugural Trial of the Year Award 2016 by the Australian Clinical Trials Alliance (ACTA).
Professor Johnathan Morris, chief investigator, this morning accepted the award on behalf of the trial investigators at the Clinical Trials 2016 Breakfast and Award Ceremony this morning from Health Minister Sussan Ley.
Continue reading “Australian take on International Clinical Trials Day”
The MRFF provides a unique opportunity to transform Australian health and medical research and innovation.
The Health Minister has appointed an Advisory Board of eminent Australians to develop a five-year Strategy for the MRFF and the funding priorities for the first two years.
The Australian Medical Research Advisory Board supporting the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) has announced the commencement of a two stage consultation process on the five-year Strategy and two-year Priorities. The first stage is a public call for submissions.
A consultation Paper and more information in relation to making a submission are available on the Department of Health website. Submissions close on 6 June 2016. This will be followed by a second stage of targeted consultations to be held in July.
Continue reading “Medical Research Future Fund consultations commence”
Media Release: Tuesday 3 May 2016
Recently the University of Sydney officially opened the Australian Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology.
Nadia Levin is CEO of Research Australia, the peak group representing 160 members advocating for health and medical research in Australia. In response to requests for comment, she said:
“In 1965, Intel co-founder Gordon Moore correctly predicted exponential growth in computing technology, with computer power to double in capacity, and halve in price, every two years.
“Common computers since that time have gone from the size of houses to rooms to watches and beyond, and their capabilities today are at levels considered sci-fi even at the turn of this century.
Continue reading “Nanoscience Facility is a $150M Investment in Australian Ingenuity”
Media Release: Wednesday 4 May 2016
Research Australia, which represents 160 health and medical research organisations, has described last night’s budget as mixed bag – with some wins, some losses and some more detail required.
“The Federal Government is making all of the right noises when it comes to innovation, health and research, and it is pleasing that they remain on the agenda,” said CEO Nadia Levin.
“The budget would be described by my members as a combination of ‘treatments, placebos and nocebos’, and the challenge for government is to back it up with funding.”
The following are some of the key announcements in the 2016-17 Budget which affect health and medical research. Information has been drawn from the budget papers, including portfolio and agency statements. The Budget papers are available here.
The Budget has confirmed the Government’s continued commitment to the MRFF. However, it is now expected to meet the $20 billion target in 2020-21, a year later than first projected in the Budget in 2014 (Note 1). 2019-20 was confirmed as the target date for full capitalisation of the MRFF as recently as December last year, in the NISA Fact Sheet on the Biomedical Translation Fund (Note 2).
Continue reading “The 2016-17 Budget: Health and Medical Research”
Dr Gardner has conducted research in the field of sports concussion for the past eight years. He received first class honours in Psychology (University of New England) and subsequently completed a Doctor of Psychology (Clinical Neuropsychology) degree at Macquarie University, Sydney, where he conducted research in to the acute and cumulative neuropsychological consequences of sport-related concussion. His thesis received the prestigious award for the Most Outstanding Dissertation for 2011 from the National Academy of Neuropsychology (USA). During his post-graduate studies he also pioneered and managed the Macquarie University Sports Concussion Clinic.
Following this Dr Gardner completed his PhD at Newcastle University, studying the potential long-term consequences of participation in collision sports. He has published 16 peer review articles, two book chapters, presented at numerous national and international conferences, and has contributed to the policy papers of Brain Injury Australia and Alzheimer’s Australia (NSW). In 2013 he was invited as a leading early career researcher to contribute to the Australian Academy of Science Theo Murphy High Flyer’s Think Tank on ‘inspiring smarter brain research in Australia’. He was also awarded an Australian Endeavour Research Fellowship to visit Harvard Medical School for four months in 2014. He is the Co-Director of the Hunter New England Sports Concussion Clinic.
Dr Gardner is now focusing on the potential long-term consequences of participation in collision sports. He is attempting to delineate the effect of head trauma as a risk factor for later life neurodegenerative disease by undertaking neuropsychological testing and neuroimaging investigation in active and retired athletes. His current research includes working on assessing retired rugby league players to determine their cognitive, neurological, psychiatric and psychological profiles. He is also currently also working on the video analysis of concussion in the National Rugby League, the first time this has ever been conducted. Dr Gardner created a tool, the Observational Research Analysis of Concussion in League Evaluation (ORACLE), that he is validating to assist club medical staff with recognising/detecting players who may have sustained a concussion (and should be removed from play for further assessment).
The results of the video analysis and the use of the ORACLE will hopefully help prevent concussions by identifying at-risk behaviour, in addition to detecting concussion, which will significantly improve player welfare. He is currently involved with a consortium of researchers from Cardiff University Brain Imaging Research Centre (CUBRIC) in research discussion with the Welsh Government and Welsh Rugby Union to monitor and examine concussed active and retired players.
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The Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science are Australia’s most prestigious and highly regarded awards for outstanding achievements in scientific research, research-based innovation and excellence in science teaching.
These awards are presented by the Prime Minister and the Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science at a black-tie dinner in the Great Hall.
Cure Brain Cancer Foundation is committed to encouraging brilliant minds into brain cancer research and want to attract the best and brightest to work in this challenging and rewarding field.
