Understanding genetic and environmental risks of emotional disorders in childhood and adolescence. To reduce the burden of mental health disorders in Australia, this project will advance knowledge on genetic and environmental causes of anxiety and related disorders in children and adolescents. The results will allow better identification of children at risk for emotional problems and will identify new ways of tailoring prevention and treatment.
Improving the quality of life of children born very premature. This research program is in line with the national research priority to promote good health and well being, and more specifically to provide a healthy start to life for high-risk infants. This research program is attempting to improve the quality of life of infants born very preterm by improving our understanding of the nature of the problems faced by these high-risk children. This knowledge will inform future preventative care and ....Improving the quality of life of children born very premature. This research program is in line with the national research priority to promote good health and well being, and more specifically to provide a healthy start to life for high-risk infants. This research program is attempting to improve the quality of life of infants born very preterm by improving our understanding of the nature of the problems faced by these high-risk children. This knowledge will inform future preventative care and early intervention strategies. More directly, this research program incorporates a series of randomised controlled trials which are all attempting to improve the health and well being of these vulnerable infants.Read moreRead less
Providing children with a healthy start to life: promoting physical activity and reducing sedentary behaviours during early childhood. Early childhood (0-5 yrs), when health behaviours develop and may track into later life, represents promise as a time to positively impact physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Yet study of these behaviours in 3-5 yr olds is only emerging, and is almost non-existent in younger children. This project aims to understand predictors of these behaviours using a s ....Providing children with a healthy start to life: promoting physical activity and reducing sedentary behaviours during early childhood. Early childhood (0-5 yrs), when health behaviours develop and may track into later life, represents promise as a time to positively impact physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Yet study of these behaviours in 3-5 yr olds is only emerging, and is almost non-existent in younger children. This project aims to understand predictors of these behaviours using a suite of longitudinal studies, including objective measures, and will commence as early as 3-mths of age. It will study strategies for promoting physical activity and reducing sedentary behaviours during early childhood, by investigating mechanisms of behaviour change in existing interventions to inform new strategies with potential to provide children with a healthy start to life.Read moreRead less
A new understanding of responsibility in the ethics of human reproduction. New developments in reproductive medicine and prenatal testing technologies are transforming pregnancy and generating difficult moral and policy questions for parents and the Australian community. This project will provide a new framework for reproductive responsibility that helps to ensure a healthy start to life for all Australians.
Changing the lives of young Australians with emotional disorders using a simple three-step treatment based on cognitive-neuroscience insights. Anxiety and depression are emotional disorders that affect many Australian children and place them at risk of lifelong impairment. The latest evidence from cognitive science and neuroscience shows that these children have maladaptive thinking strategies that lead to avoidance and withdrawal. Capitalising on these basic science insights, this project exami ....Changing the lives of young Australians with emotional disorders using a simple three-step treatment based on cognitive-neuroscience insights. Anxiety and depression are emotional disorders that affect many Australian children and place them at risk of lifelong impairment. The latest evidence from cognitive science and neuroscience shows that these children have maladaptive thinking strategies that lead to avoidance and withdrawal. Capitalising on these basic science insights, this project examines a new treatment, referred to as the 'Emotional Flexibility Program', that targets childhood distress in three simple steps over just four weeks of treatment. This treatment could change the way childhood emotional disorders are treated and prevented, improve the quality of life for thousands of young Australians, and offset the associated economic burden of disease.Read moreRead less
Defining the pathways of developmental brain injury, for a healthy start to life. Injury to the developing brain, whether sustained during pregnancy or at birth, is the underlying cause of many cognitive and motor disabilities, including cerebral palsy. This project will identify the cellular pathways that cause developmental brain injury, arising from the three principal complications of pregnancy or birth; intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), preterm birth with/without intrauterine infectio ....Defining the pathways of developmental brain injury, for a healthy start to life. Injury to the developing brain, whether sustained during pregnancy or at birth, is the underlying cause of many cognitive and motor disabilities, including cerebral palsy. This project will identify the cellular pathways that cause developmental brain injury, arising from the three principal complications of pregnancy or birth; intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), preterm birth with/without intrauterine infection and birth asphyxia. This project will utilise this knowledge of the causal pathways leading to brain injury to implement targeted therapies to reduce injury or repair the brain. It will progress fundamental biomedical discoveries into clinical practice to decrease the incidence and severity of newborn brain injury and cerebral palsy.Read moreRead less
Identifying the major targets of protective antibodies against malaria. This project aims to understand how immunity to malaria develops and to use this knowledge to develop effective vaccines against malaria. The development of a malaria vaccine would be of great value in Australia's region where malaria is a leading cause of death and illness and impairs economic development. The project will advance our knowledge of how the immune system fights infections and will contribute to building Austr ....Identifying the major targets of protective antibodies against malaria. This project aims to understand how immunity to malaria develops and to use this knowledge to develop effective vaccines against malaria. The development of a malaria vaccine would be of great value in Australia's region where malaria is a leading cause of death and illness and impairs economic development. The project will advance our knowledge of how the immune system fights infections and will contribute to building Australia's strength in infectious diseases research and developing strategies to combat important infections. The project will help build and maintain expertise in developing vaccines in Australia and the approaches used and knowledge gained will be applicable to understanding and combating other important infections.Read moreRead less
Tracking blood and blood products for a healthy start to life. This project will aim to coalesce multiple data sources to track blood and blood products from supply to recipient and improve safe and appropriate blood product transfusions for mothers and newborns. Tracking blood will assist in early identification of adverse outcomes. Identification of at-risk women and babies will allow early prevention and treatment.
What about the children? A study of the intergenerational consequences of paternal incarceration. Parental incarceration may have a profound and detrimental effect on children, heightening risk of offending and extreme disadvantage. The proportion of children affected is certain to increase as prison populations continue to grow. This research will identify policies and prevention strategies that will interrupt the cycle of disadvantage for children of prisoners and prevent social exclusion. Sig ....What about the children? A study of the intergenerational consequences of paternal incarceration. Parental incarceration may have a profound and detrimental effect on children, heightening risk of offending and extreme disadvantage. The proportion of children affected is certain to increase as prison populations continue to grow. This research will identify policies and prevention strategies that will interrupt the cycle of disadvantage for children of prisoners and prevent social exclusion. Significant cost-savings and prevention of victimisation could result from effectively targeting this high-risk population, reducing risk of offending and increasing the young person's ability to contribute meaningfully to society. Appropriately timed programs can deliver a range of long-term benefits for children, families and communities.Read moreRead less
Academic Buoyancy and Academic Resilience: New Approaches to Examining and Understanding Adversity and Setback in the Academic Domain. Although Federal & State/Territory governments inject millions of dollars into schools, multitudes of students fall short of their academic potential due to an inability to deal with academic adversity. Essentially, these students are not academically buoyant or resilient. This diminishes their personal capacity through life & ultimately Australia's capacity to c ....Academic Buoyancy and Academic Resilience: New Approaches to Examining and Understanding Adversity and Setback in the Academic Domain. Although Federal & State/Territory governments inject millions of dollars into schools, multitudes of students fall short of their academic potential due to an inability to deal with academic adversity. Essentially, these students are not academically buoyant or resilient. This diminishes their personal capacity through life & ultimately Australia's capacity to compete globally. The proposed Research Program conducts a comprehensive analysis of academic buoyancy & resilience & the attributes pivotal to them. In so doing, it seeks to promote & maintain young people's good academic health. According to Australian authorities (eg. Australian Bureau of Statistics, The Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs), young people's academic health is vital to our nation's economic, cultural, & social success.Read moreRead less