NRP Grants Awarded

The NRP/Insurance Commission funded grants from the February 2021 round have now been awarded, for neurotrauma research to be undertaken across 2021-2022.

The successful projects were:

Bartlett D/ Cruickshank T, Blacker D, Durham M, Stanley M, Lo J, Walsh J, Richardson C, Turner M
The effectiveness of a 12-week remote-delivered green-blue light therapy intervention on daytime sleepiness, fatigue, work productivity and quality of life outcomes in individuals following traumatic brain injury

Becerra R, Pestell C, Weinborn M, Gross J, Pepping N, Rushworth N, Durham M
Pilot study of a group therapy program for individuals with emotion dysregulation after an acquired brain injury

Congratulations to the successful applicants!

And thank you to everyone who applied. De-identified reviewer feedback has been provided to the research applicants and we hope this will be helpful when submitting applications in future rounds.

The Insurance Commission of Western Australia  supports this research to find innovative rehabilitation and care solutions for individuals living with neurotrauma injuries caused from vehicle and workplace accidents.  The Insurance Commission’s overall aim is to increase the independence of its claimants, reduce care costs, and keep insurance premiums affordable.

And finally, thank you to our team of peer reviewers, whose generous assistance in this process is invaluable.

Best of luck to all of our neurotrauma researchers!

High school students learn the science behind the human brain

More than 300 high school students across WA learnt about the complex world of neuroscience at an event held at The University of Western Australia in June.

The Australian Brain Bee Challenge is the country’s only neuroscience competition for high school students, and is supported by UWA, the Perron Institute and the Neurotrauma Research Program in WA.

Read more here.

Call for Applications: Implementation Science Fellowships 2021 and Translation Fellowships 2021

Applications are invited for the following Future Health Research and Innovation Fund programs:

• Implementation Science Fellowships 2021

Implementation science seeks to understand the system-level facilitators and barriers to implementing evidence into practice and identify evidence-based approaches to promote translation. The Implementation Science Fellowships program seeks to identify potential pathways and strategies, using implementation science, for the successful implementation of research findings into policy and practice.

• Translation Fellowships 2021

The Translation Fellowships program seeks to support translational research to increase translational research expertise and capacity in WA and facilitate the translation of research findings into policy and/or practice.

These Fellowships will support high-quality fellows and research programs that address a contemporary challenge or need faced by the WA public health system, through collaboration and partnership with WA Health Service Providers, in the following two streams:

• Aboriginal health issues
• Country and regional WA health issues.

One Implementation Science Fellowship and one Translation Fellowship will be made available in each of the above streams. The value of each Fellowship is $200,000 per annum for three years, which may be used for salary and research costs. These programs are funded by the Future Health Research and Innovation (FHRI) Fund.

The application period for each program closes 1:00pm, Tuesday 31 August 2021.

The Guidelines and Conditions and Application Form can be accessed from the FHRI Fund website:
• Implementation Science Fellowships
• Translation Fellowships.

For further information please email the Research and Innovation Office, Department of Health via RIO.DOH@health.wa.gov.au

Information on other FHRI Fund programs can be accessed by subscribing to updates or checking the Current Opportunities page on the FHRI Fund website.

Queen’s Birthday Honour for NRP Chairman

Congratulations to Professor Bryant Stokes AM RFD who has been recognised for his contributions to public health in WA and has been awarded an Officer of the Order of Australia in the Queen’s Birthday Honours announced on the 8th June 2020.

Professor Stokes, Chairman of NRP for over 20 years, received the honour for “distinguished service to public health care governance and standards in Western Australia through leadership and advisory roles.”

The neurotrauma research community is honoured to have Professor Stokes advocating for their cause and NRP is indebted to his leadership, vision and tenacious commitment to this vital program.

ECU Spinal Cord Injury Research Study

Looking for participants!

We are looking for people (18 – 70 years of age) who suffered a spinal cord injury at a cervical level at least 1 year ago to take part in a research project, funded by NRP. We use non-invasive brain stimulation (rTMS) to try and enhance the efficacy of residual connections between the brain and arm. The effect of rTMS will be measured with neurophysiological and behavioural measures including motor control and sensory measures. Participants will be asked to visit ECU Joondalup seven times. In order to participate in this study, you will have to have a residual upper limb motor deficit with muscle weakness and no joint-related limitations of passive range of movement of the upper extremities.

If you are interested and would like more information, then please contact Dr. Onno van der Groen via email o.vandergroen@ecu.edu.au or phone 08 6304 3644.

Grant Outcomes

Visit the ICWA sponsored grants and the recent DoH sponsored grants pages to find out more.