The Blackmore Family Foundation has generously bestowed a $10 million gift on Southern Cross University to further develop research and education in naturopathic medicine.
It's the second major gift to Southern Cross from the Blackmore Family Foundation, the personal philanthropic trust of Mr Marcus Blackmore AM and his wife Caroline Furlong. The first gift of $10 million in 2018 helped establish the University's National Centre for Naturopathic Medicine (NCNM).
Since launching in 2020, the NCNM has developed six accredited degrees, taught 280 undergraduate and postgraduate students, and has mentored 18 Higher Degrees by Research students.
The NCNM has also developed one of the largest clinical trial units in regional Australia, which has conducted several clinical trials into the use of natural medicines and integrative healthcare. These have included a world-first trial into the use of medicinal cannabis for treating brain cancer and the use of natural medicines in the treatment of vertigo, urinary tract infections and diabetes among other conditions.
"This is an incredibly generous gift from the Blackmore Family Foundation. It is significant not just because of this generosity but because of the transformative vision that it aspires to. The University very much shares this vision and we are excited about the work to be done in future and the enormous societal benefits that will be catalysed because of the Foundation's investment," said Southern Cross University Vice-Chancellor Professor Tyrone Carlin.
The Blackmore Family Foundation gift was prompted by the wishes of Marcus Blackmore's father, the late Maurice Blackmore, who founded the Blackmores company. Blackmores grew from a tiny dispensary in Queensland to become Australia's leading brand in vitamin and dietary supplements.
"When my father died in 1977, he was sad to not see naturopathy regarded as a true profession. But I think public perception has changed and that is a function of good research, good education and advocacy at all levels," said Mr Blackmore.
"The NCNM has done a terrific job in such a short time and we are delighted to help fund this work into the future."
Caroline Furlong, co-director of the Blackmore Foundation, said: "We're really proud of what our original donation has achieved since 2018, and luckily we're in the position to do something similar again. We believe the money will be put to really good use in the Centre. They've taken it to the next level with world-class research and education."
NCNM Foundation Director Professor Jon Wardle said the Blackmore Foundation gift future-proofs the work of the Centre.
"It's clear integrative healthcare can have major benefits for the health system overall. Our world-class innovative research and education programs in this area consistently break new ground. This very generous gift will make sure we can continue that into the foreseeable future."
Southern Cross has been a leader in integrative and complementary medicine tertiary education since the University was founded 30 years ago. Mr Blackmore has a long association with the University, receiving an honorary doctorate in 2006 and serving on the Southern Cross University Foundation board.
"My vision for the future is that a naturopath will be the first port of call when you are feeling unwell, and naturopaths will be an essential first line of defence in primary healthcare," said Mr Blackmore.
