TOGETHER with You, We Make a Difference
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TOGETHER With you, we make a difference Celebrating 30 years of research Meet our community Saving newborn babies worldwide 1 MESSAGE FROM OUR DIRECTOR & PATRON respiratory conditions and more. Our commitment to ensuring that Aboriginal children have the same Birthdays are a great time for opportunities and outcomes as other Australian children is reflection and to unwavering. recognise and celebrate with those who have been with you along the way. At age 30 – still quite young in our view -- Telethon Kids is recognised as a leading medical research institute, That’s why we’re delighted to launch Together, a new home to more than 750 staff and students, with a level magazine that shines a light on our Telethon Kids Institute of impact that influences child health, policy and clinical community. This first edition officially launches our 30- practice across the world. Over the coming months we year celebration, and is just one small way that we will showcase how our research has made a difference to want to say thank you to those who tirelessly fundraise so many young lives. or volunteer at the Institute, to those who donate, advocate, participate in and help drive research. Our Institute’s relationship with the WA community is unique. In most other cities with research institutes, there Since the Institute was founded in 1990, it has only had is not the same intimacy which we have and value so two Directors – proudly, that’s the two of us. When you much. This has translated not only in people supporting have had the privilege of leading an organisation like this, us financially in so many ways, but through participation and interest in our research. Having it is genuinely hard to top. That’s not to say that it has all been easy. In the early days, it was a close connection with our community means our research aligns with the needs of the a battle for financial viability as we had to prove that world-class research could not only be community - and its kids, young people and families - and is used more effectively. And it has done in Western Australia, it could be done to the highest quality. made our job so much more rewarding too. Most recently, COVID-19 has thrown up a challenge to us all. As WA’s largest medical Our community is one of our greatest strengths. None of this could happen without you. You research facility, we quickly pivoted our focus to helping end this pandemic as safely and drive our research, our fundraising and our ability to make a difference. as swiftly as possible for the sake of all our families. Our response centred around three pillars - research, public policy response and keeping the community informed. We hope it has Thank you for your support. reinforced the importance of having internationally respected and connected medical researchers in WA that can respond locally, even in a global crisis. As Australia returns to a ‘new normal,’ our focus is again on finding answers to childhood diseases, disability and disadvantage. Our research teams are passionate in their pursuit of better therapies that will give children back their childhood and reduce the devastating Jonathan Carapetis AM Fiona Stanley AC impact of childhood cancer, poor mental health, infectious diseases, autism, rare diseases, Executive Director Founding Director and Patron JUNE 1995 OCTOBER 1987 We changed our name to The Western Australian Telethon Institute for Child SEPTEMBER 2000 AUGUST 2018 AUGUST 2019 Research Institute for Health Research in recognition The Governor-General, FEBRUARY 2014 After 14 years, John Langoulant stepped Child Health (WARICH) We moved to our JANUARY 1994 of ongoing support from the His Excellency Sir William DECEMBER 2011 The Institute changes down from our Board and the Hon Julie is incorporated as a new facility within HRH Prince Charles people of WA through Channel Deane, officially opens the Fiona Stanley its name to Telethon Bishop was appointed our new Chair public company Perth Children’s visits the Institute 7’s Telethon Roberts Road facility retires Kids Institute Hospital JUNE 1990 JULY 2011 2016 JUNE 2019 OCTOBER 2019 FEBRUARY 2020 JULY 1997 JULY 2012 His Excellency the Hon. MARCH 1994 Plans are announced to We established We opened We launched We received The State and Federal Jonathan Carapetis Bill Hayden Governor- The Institute changes build a state-of-the-art a permanent our Discovery CliniKids, our the Science in Governments together is appointed as the General of Australia its name from WARICH research facility for the presence in the Centre, a fun first stand-alone Australia Gender provide a $22.5M grant Institute’s officially opens the to the Institute for Child Institute within the new Kimberley and interactive clinical service Equity (SAGE) Institute; Fiona Stanley is Health Research to build the Roberts Road new Director space for kids Athena SWAN facility children’s hospital on the the Founding Director QEII site Bronze Award 2 3 We teamed up as a research partner with the We created Australia’s first COVID-19 A YEAR LIKE WA State Government on a study of 80 Western Community Advisory Group Australian schools, education support settings With researchers in a race against time to and residential colleges for the DETECT program understand and develop treatments for 4 NO OTHER in schools. The study will help us learn more COVID-19, we knew it was vital to ensure about any undiagnosed and asymptomatic community representation in this process. COVID-19 cases in the school environment and Telethon Kids Institute’s Manager of Community When the novel coronavirus we now know as COVID-19 swept the world, killing the impact the pandemic has on the mental Engagement, Anne McKenzie AM, and her hundreds of thousands of people and putting millions of lives and livelihoods at stake, health and wellbeing of WA schoolchildren, team tapped into their extensive networks their families, and staff. of consumer and community advocates we had a new, urgent issue at hand. While children will always be at the heart of what to rapidly draw together Australia’s first we do, as any infectious disease outbreak fast proves, the strongest and quickest In another Australian-first, theORIGINS national Community Advisory Group for defence we have in protecting the community is research – and this is why we knew Community Wellbeing during COVID-19 Project COVID-19 research. The group of 19 senior we had to join the global COVID-19 fight. is measuring the perceived stress, financial experienced community advocates from all hardship and family functioning of more than over Australia are providing rapid input into So, hand-in-hand with our critical mission of modelling framework that is tailored to Western 2,000 families in the northern suburbs of Perth. grant applications, ethics applications, plain healthy, happy kids, we’ve been proud to use Australia: its population structure and mobility; Telethon Kids’ Professor Desiree Silva, who co- language summaries, consent and recruitment. our expertise, technologies and experience to its outbreak status; and its response capability. leads the project, anticipates the information join the global fight against this pandemic. being collected will help plan essential support The CoCo Study is a world-first trial to test the services for families both during and after the We adapted for our kids We created a new COVID-19 research portfolio effectiveness of the drug Interferon in stopping pandemic. • Led by Professor Andrew Whitehouse, the outbreaks of COVID-19 by reducing the team at CliniKids swiftly re-imagined the Within a matter of days, Telethon Kids infectiousness of people who contract the virus. delivery of crucial allied health services for researchers were ready to start tackling Funded by BHP’s Vital Resources fund, the trial is children with autism spectrum disorder or COVID-19, assembling a comprehensive being led by Telethon Kids paediatric infectious developmental delays during COVID-19 portfolio of research projects across three diseases physician Professor Tobias Kollmann restrictions, providing speech therapy, areas: and respiratory specialist Professor Stephen occupational therapy, and clinical • Save lives and contain spread Stick. psychology services via telehealth sessions. Critical interventions to stop and slow viral A huge THANK YOU to everyone • Developed by Telethon Kids Institute and transmission. In the absence of a COVID-19 vaccine, who helped make this happen. Minderoo Foundation through their CoLab • Map and track Professors Peter Richmond, Tobias Kollmann partnership, the Bright Tomorrows app launched a new campaign encouraging Map the spread across communities to and Stephen Stick have led our participation in THANK YOU to ALL our donors, for parents and carers to use time at home enable more effective controls and inform the internationally acclaimed BRACE trial that your generosity and for the care you during COVID-19 restrictions to develop government policies on social restrictions is exploring whether the BCG vaccine, used consistently show the WA community. and safe return-to-school options. for more than a century to fight tuberculosis, their children’s life skills. The app prioritises tips ideal for social isolation, such as • Reduce impact on families could help protect against the virus. Run in THANK YOU to everyone who has taken activities to help children burn off excess Preserve the mental health and collaboration with the Murdoch Children’s part in our trials and studies, including over energy indoors and ideas to help children development of our children and families Research Institute, more than 10,000 frontline 2,000 healthcare workers and families and parents manage difficult emotions. during the isolation and as we return to healthcare workers in Australia and Europe will from the northern suburbs. Your time and • With our Discovery Centre at Perth normal.