Funding from the Stan Perron Charitable Foundation will support world class researchers at The Kids Research Institute Australia to improve the health and wellbeing of WA children facing serious health challenges.
The Stan Perron Charitable Foundation has a long tradition of funding Western Australian research that aims to solve problems and deliver tangible outcomes that will benefit children, adolescents or young people.
Eleven researchers at The Kids have been awarded funding in the Foundation’s latest round of People and Platform grants designed to support outstanding health-related research.
The Kids Executive Director Professor Jonathan Carapetis AM, said the support of the Foundation across three decades has been transformational to child health research at The Kids.
“For 30 years, the Stan Perron Charitable Foundation has been a passionate supporter of our research to improve the health and wellbeing of children across Western Australia,’ Professor Carapetis said.
“From chronic childhood diseases through to precision health, the Stan Perron Charitable Foundation has been there with us in an aligned commitment to see every child live their healthiest and happiest life possible.’
“The Kids is deeply grateful for the Foundation’s continued commitment to support West Australian research and for the trust in our capacity to deliver health outcomes for our kids.”
Researchers from The Kids Research Institute Australia to receive 2024 People grants are:
- Dr Gail Alvares will be developing novel solutions for the autism mental healthcare crisis
- Associate Professor Debra Palmer will be working on food allergy prevention trials designed to be translated into national and international guidelines for both healthcare providers and families
- Dr Pamela Laird will be driving innovative Solutions and Partnerships for Indigenous Respiratory (and other health) Excellence (INSPIRE)
- Dr Vanessa Fear is investigating early genetic diagnosis to improve the life trajectory for WA children (Transforming tomorrow)
- Dr Penelope Strauss will focus on advancing the care of trans young people to improve their mental health and wellbeing
- Dr Alison McDonnell is focused on paving the way for effective immunotherapy in children with Neurblastoma
- Dr Charlie McLeod will develop an adaptive platform for vaccine trials in Western Australia to generate evidence to optimise immunisation practice and policy (ADAPTIVAX)
- Professor Nick Golding is working on forecasting and analytics to protect West Australian Kids from Future Epidemics
- Dr Emma Glasson and Dr Kate Dorozenko will both focus on siblings of children with developmental disabilities to improve mental health and wellbeing through better visibility
- Dr Tim Barnett (via The University of Western Australia) will be targeting the host–pathogen interface to reduce the burden of Strep A-associated disease
- Professor Britta Regli-von Ungern-Sternberg (via The University of Western Australia) is working on optimising perioperative outcomes for Western Australian children to advance knowledge and translate research findings into clinical practice improvements
Researcher from The Kids Research Institute Australia to receive a 2024 Platform grant is:
- Associate Professor Hayley Christian AM, Chief Investigator will be Sensing Movement Trends in Early Childhood for Better Health Outcomes (SENSitivity) by improving the measurement of children’s movement behaviours. Other researchers involved in this work include Dr Gina Arena, Dr Andrea Nathan, the PLAYCE research team and national and international collaborators Professor Jasper Schipperijn, Professor Kevin Murray and Professor Carol Maher.
In 2024, The Kids Research Institute Australia celebrates 30 years with the Stan Perron Charitable Foundation as generous partners of The Kids Research Institute Australia. More than 100 researchers at The Kids have been supported either directly or through the Foundation’s support of a research program, helping transform and accelerate scientific discoveries, treatments and solutions to improve the health of children and young people.