- State Government pledges nearly $5.5 million to
attract world-class researchers to WA
- Two researchers appointed to advance youth
mental health and ageing research
- Program to create jobs and advance WA as a global leader
in health and medical research
The Cook Government today unveiled two key health and medical research
appointments to bolster Western Australia as a globally recognised leader in
the youth mental health and epigenetic ageing research spaces.
Medical Research Minister Stephen Dawson announced a funding package of
$5.4 million over five years to support the Distinguished Fellows Program,
which is aimed at attracting outstanding and innovative world-class research
leaders to WA. The funding has been provided through the Cook Government's Future Health Research and
Innovation (FHRI) Fund.
Associate Professor Kathryn Modecki and Associate Professor Alexey
Terskikh will share in the funding which will bring vital research to WA - creating
local jobs and advancing the State as a leader in health and medical research. This
funding will be matched by the fellows' host and partner organisations,
bringing the total value of the fellowships to nearly $11 million.
Telethon Kids Institute will host Professor Modecki, who aims to advance
youth mental health by addressing the mechanisms through which early
experiences and social inequalities shape children's future mental health.
The research program will leverage WA's unique cohort studies and
smartphone technology to understand how children's unique developmental
histories influence their daily mental health experiences. This will help develop
prevention and treatment options for WA's young people, parents, carers, and
the community.
Professor Modecki is currently the inaugural Research Excellence Lead at
Griffith University's Centre for Mental Health in Queensland, and will move to
WA to begin her appointment. She is also a keynote speaker for the Society for Mental Health
Research Conference held in Perth this week from 29 November to 1 December 2023.
Associate Professor Alexey Terskikh from the Sanford Burnham
Prebys Medical Discovery Institute in California will lead a research study to better understand the cellular mechanisms
driving ageing, metabolic diseases and rejuvenation.
This research, which will be undertaken at the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research,
seeks to uncover targets that could promote health span and predict the risk of
diseases such as cancer.
Further information about the grant recipients can be found on the FHRI Fund -
funding outcomes website.
Comments attributed to
Medical Research Minister Stephen Dawson:
"It's fantastic to be able to bring such brilliant health and medical
research talent to WA, helping to drive outcomes and cement our expertise in
child health research, and precision health.
"The fellows will build capacity, help to create
local jobs, and encourage further investment into their fields of study.
"The Cook Government continues to build on our program to attract the
best and brightest to WA, and the inaugural Distinguished Fellows Program is
another important step in strengthening our State's reputation as a world
leader in the health and medical research sector."
