Five The Kids Research Institute Australia researchers working across diverse and highly impactful areas of child health research have been named as finalists for the 2023 Premier’s Science Awards.
Premier Roger Cook and Science Minister Stephen Dawson today named 26 finalists across six categories, with the winners to be announced at the Premier’s Science Awards ceremony on 11 September.
Professor Andrew Whitehouse is a finalist in the Scientist of the Year category for his internationally recognised research and advocacy focused on autism. Professor Whitehouse is Angela Wright Bennett Professor of Autism Research at The Kids and The University of Western Australia and Director of CliniKids at The Kids Research Institute Australia. His work has significantly improved our understanding of autism, transformed clinical care for autistic children, and driven wide-ranging policy reform across Australia’s Health, Education and Disability sectors. His passionate commitment to clear science communication has also contributed significantly to the public’s understanding of science and research.
Professor Britta Regli-Von Ungern Sternberg is a finalist for Mid-Career Scientist of the Year in recognition of her extensive contributions to the high-risk specialty of paediatric anaesthesia, both as a researcher and clinician. Research and advocacy led by Professor Regli-Von Ungern-Sternberg – who is foundation Chair of Paediatric Anaesthesia at The University of Western Australia, Co-Lead of the Perioperative Medicine research program at The Kids Research Institute Australia, and a consultant paediatric anaesthetist at Perth Children’s Hospital – have led to significant changes in global paediatric anaesthesia practice and resulted in safer surgery for babies and children.
Also in the running for Mid-Career Scientist of the Year is youth mental health researcher Professor Ashleigh Lin. Professor Lin – who is Program Head of Mental Health and Youth at The Kids Research Institute Australia, Co-Director of Embrace @ The Kids and an Adjunct Professor at The University of Western Australia – was recognised for her work focused on the mental health of marginalised young people, including LGBTQA+ and Aboriginal youth. One of Australia’s leading researchers into the mental health of trans youth, she was the senior researcher on the landmark Trans Pathways study which transformed understanding of challenges faced by this group.
The Kids Research Institute Australia and Curtin University PhD student Denby Evans is a finalist in the Student Scientist of the Year category for her research focused on improving the lung health of premature babies. Ms Evans, who works within the Wal-yan Respiratory Research Centre – a powerhouse partnership between The Kids, Perth Children’s Hospital and Perth Children's Hospital Foundation – established a cellular model to enable researchers to better understand the drivers of poor lung function in babies born preterm. Her subsequent discoveries about the behaviour of airway cells in these babies have paved the way for new treatment options.
Rebecca Famlonga, a proud Wadawurrung woman, Senior Research Officer with the Healthy Skin and ARF Prevention Team at The Kids Research Institute Australia and a Research Masters student with Murdoch University, is a finalist for Aboriginal STEM Student of the Year. Ms Famlonga, who switched to a research career after more than 20 years as a teacher, is based in Broome and is currently working with a remote Kimberley community to identify community-led skin health interventions that can help to prevent and treat skin sores among children. She is passionate about decolonising the research process and empowering Aboriginal voices within research.
The Kids Research Institute Australia Executive Director Professor Jonathan Carapetis congratulated the five finalists, saying all were contributing in real and significant ways to improving the lives of children and young people.
“We are proud as an Institute to support scientists who not only exhibit excellence as a matter of course, but who work tirelessly to translate that excellence into meaningful outcomes for children and young people both here in Western Australia and further afield,” Professor Carapetis said.
“The work they are doing is having a profound impact locally, nationally and, for some of these researchers, globally.”
For more information on the Premier’s Science Awards, see Premier Cook and Minister Dawson’s media release here, and you can find a list of all finalists here.