MESSAGE FROM THE ACADEMIC DIRECTOR
As we approach the mid-point of the year, it’s a good opportunity to reflect on our progress this year, and the impact we’re having on healthcare across the local, national and global landscape. Our researchers are making significant inroads, directly broadening our understanding of health conditions and diseases, and providing crucial data for better and more informed models of care. As you read through this newsletter, you’ll gain an insight into some of our current collaborative research projects from our basic science through to our translational work. For example, our researchers have developed the first national guidelines for physiotherapists supporting people with spinal cord injuries. We’re working to ensure more consistency in treatments for osteoarthritis, and our teams are driving clinical trials into chronic pain, and bone health treatments for women, post menopause. As we expand our clinical trial capacity, it was encouraging to attend the recent events to mark International Clinical Trials day. We have a large number of researchers involved in clinical trials, and I would like to acknowledge their efforts to establish new treatments and lift the standard of care we all receive. For me personally it has been a busy time, travelling internationally and within Australia to progress our collaborative, multidisciplinary MuscleMap research around the age-related composition of skeletal muscles using Artificial Intelligence. It’s envisaged that the advances we are making will support the
development of a new high-tech space suit and inform health and performance guidelines for astronauts before, during and after spaceflight. Closer to home, a transition is taking place across the priority research area leadership teams. New chairs and co-chairs are being progressively recruited to the three committees, with an emphasis on building on the gains achieved in recent years. There is not expected to be a change across the research enabler committee leadership teams at this time. The changes are inline with the terms of reference for the committee appointments and permits an opportunity to thank the previous co-chairs for their leadership to drive and achieve research-strategy aligned initiatives. As part of the transition, iterative planning sessions are being co-ordinated to commence in late July for Kolling researchers and our joint venture partners to report on what has been achieved with our current 5-year research strategy and a co-designed focus on the next 5-year strategy. I am pleased to confirm planning is already underway for the 2024 Kolling Research Symposium. This year’s event will be held on November 14th at the Northside Conference Centre in Crows Nest, with the theme centred on wellbeing. The symposium will feature an invited keynote speaker as well as a collection of early to mid-career researchers, and will provide an opportunity to showcase the Kolling’s recent research achievements.
We continue to work closely with the NORTH Foundation team to investigate further philanthropic opportunities and partners. I’m pleased to report a new Trust and Foundations Officer at the NORTH Foundation has been appointed to actively engage with the Kolling Institute. The NORTH Foundation is also supporting a series of information- based events like the recent Meniere’s Disease seminar and the Musculoskeletal Showcase to further engage potential donors. I would like to thank the NORTH Foundation team for their ongoing efforts to raise vital funding and I would encourage our researchers to reach out if they have questions. I would like to acknowledge the remarkable contribution of Professor Michael Cousins AO who died recently. Michael was a trailblazer in anaesthesia and pain medicine, and a mentor to many at the Kolling Institute. He was instrumental in the establishment of the Kolling’s Pain Management Research Institute. This multidisciplinary centre, named in his honour, is internationally regarded for its clinical care, teaching and research. I would like to honour his extraordinary influence on so many clinician researchers and the care offered today. Professor James Elliott
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KOLLINGNEWS | JUNE 2024
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