- Government renews Raine Foundation partnership
- A total of $3.6 million funding commitment for the next three years
- Funding for clinicians to help realise their research aspirations
A Perth clinician who is developing a revolutionary treatment for malignant mesothelioma is one of a number of local medical researchers benefiting from a unique partnership between the Cook Government and the Raine Foundation.
Medical Research Minister Stephen Dawson today announced the Government has renewed a $3.6 million partnership deal to support Western Australian clinicians to achieve their research goals through the Raine Foundation Clinician Research Fellowship (the Fellowship).
The Fellowship is co-funded through the Cook Government's successful Future Health Research and Innovation Fund (FHRI) and will enable clinicians employed by Western Australian health service providers to continue their research while continuing to work their day jobs on hospital wards or in health clinics.
Through the partnership with the Raine Medical Research Foundation, the FHRI fund will contribute $2.85 million, along with Raine's $765,000, to support clinician-led research projects over the next three years.
Previous beneficiaries of the partnership include Dr Wee Loong Chin who works at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital. As part of the Fellowship, Dr Chin is investigating new lines of treatment to combat mesothelioma and his research has produced highly promising results, leading to the initiation of a Phase 3 clinical trial.
Dr Mon Ohn, based at the Perth Children's Hospital, has also discovered a new detection method to identify children at high risk of surgical complications due to obstructive sleep apnoea. Dr Ohn said the Fellowship had been a game-changer, as without the funding she would not have been able to make such an impact in making surgeries safer for kids with sleep apnoea.
The next round of applicants will be vying for funding of up to $450,000 over three years to work on Western Australia-based research projects which have direct relevance to the State's public health system.
For more information, visit the Raine Foundation Clinician Research Fellowships website.
Comments attributed to Medical Research Minister Stephen Dawson:
"The Cook Government is excited to continue this important medical research initiative in partnership with the Raine Foundation.
"Our Government is focused on positioning WA as a global leader in medical research and innovation.
"This important partnership with the Raine Foundation enables our talented clinicians to continue in their working roles while pursuing their research projects.
"With the Raine Foundation's 60-year history supporting health and medical research, continuing this partnership is another significant step to supporting local researchers to develop breakthrough treatments that will help improve health outcomes for Western Australians.
