Future Health Research and Innovation Fund - FHRI Fund event celebrates early achievements

23/11/2021

On Monday 15 November 2021, key health and medical research and innovation stakeholders gathered at the WA Museum Boola Bardip to celebrate the early achievements of the FHRI Fund and to look to the State's future direction for research and innovation.

Mr John Van Der Wielen, Chair of the FHRI Fund Advisory Council, was the MC for the event, which was attended by the Minister for Health, the Directors General of the Departments of Health and Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation and representatives from the health, academic, charitable, not-for-profit and private sectors.

Presentations at the event were provided by FHRI Fund grant recipients, the Research and Innovation Office's Consumer and Community Involvement Coordinator, the Director of the Department of Health's Research and Innovation Office and the Assistant Director General of the Department of Health's Clinical Excellence Division.

Please see below for a list of the presenters.

	The Hon Roger Cook MLA, and Mr John Van Der Wielen Minister for Health; Medical Research and Chair, FHRI Fund Advisory Council
	Mr John Van Der Wielen Chair, FHRI Fund Advisory Council Opening Address Mr Van Der Wielen is the inaugural Chair of the FHRI Fund Advisory Council and CEO of HBF.
	Associate Professor Katie Atwell The University of Western Australia and the Telethon Kids Institute Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Coronavax 3: Helping the hard-to-reach A/Prof Atwell, who is a vaccine social scientist, received a FHRI Focus Grant for a project in the Program's research stream.
	Professor Merrilee Needham Fiona Stanley Hospital, The University of Notre Dame and Murdoch University TRANSFORM – Building for the WA Research Future Professor Needham is a neurologist at Fiona Stanley Hospital and the University of Notre Dame / Murdoch University Foundation Chair of Neurology. Professor Needham received a FHRI Focus Grant in the Program's infrastructure stream.
	Dr Fred Chen Lions Eye Institute, Royal Perth Hospital and Perth Children's Hospital Preventing blindness from retinal degeneration: from clinic to bench to trials Dr Chen received a WA Near-miss Awards Emerging Leaders Fellowship to conduct work that was highly rated by the National Health and Medical Research Council but narrowly missed out on funding.
	Mr Ben Horgan WA Health Translation Network Consumer and Community Involvement Program and the Department of Health, Research and Innovation Office Visionaries in consumer engagement Mr Horgan is a Consumer and Community Involvement Coordinator with the WA Health Translation Network Consumer and Community Involvement Program and the Department of Health's Research and Innovation Office.
	Dr Darren Gibson Department of Health, Research and Innovation Office FHRI Fund innovation initiatives Dr Gibson is the Director of the Research and Innovation Office, which supports the FHRI Fund and its Advisory Council, including through developing and implementing Programs and Initiatives.
	Dr James Williamson Department of Health, Clinical Excellence Division An ecosystem approach to research and innovation Dr Williamson is the Department of Health Director General's nominee on the FHRI Fund Advisory Council. Dr Williamson is also the Assistant Director General of the Department of Health's Clinical Excellence Division, which includes the Research and Innovation Office.