FHRI Fund Open Day marks major milestone with RHD Spotlight announcement

Western Australia’s health and medical research sector came together last week at the Future Health Research and Innovation (FHRI) Fund Open Day: RHD Spotlight Awarded to mark a significant milestone — the announcement of the inaugural Spotlight Program recipient.

Held at Perth Town Hall on 4 June 2026, the event brought together leaders from government, research, healthcare and the community to share progress, strengthen partnerships, and align on future priorities for the sector.

The Open Day formally commenced with a Welcome to Country by James T Webb, followed by remarks from John Van Der Wielen, Chair of the FHRI Fund Advisory Council, who highlighted the role of the Fund in bringing the sector together to address Western Australia’s most pressing health challenges.

Spotlight on Rheumatic Heart Disease

A key highlight of the event was the announcement of the inaugural FHRI Fund Spotlight Program, targeting Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD) — a preventable condition that continues to disproportionately impact Aboriginal communities in Western Australia.

The Hon Stephen Dawson, Minister for Medical Research, announced that the Spotlight 2025–26 has been awarded to Professor Jonathan Carapetis AM and the END RHD WA partnership.

Led by Professor Jonathan Carapetis AM, the partnership brings together the Aboriginal Health Council of Western Australia, WA Country Health Service, and The Kids Research Institute Australia to deliver a coordinated, State-wide response to RHD.

The initiative is underpinned by strong Aboriginal leadership and focuses on tackling the entire continuum of care — from prevention and early intervention through to long-term management — with the goal of delivering meaningful and lasting improvements in health outcomes.

In his address, the Minister noted that the Spotlight Program represents a flagship initiative of the FHRI Fund Strategy 2025–30, backing major Western Australian health challenges with focused, multi-year investment to “shift the dial” on outcomes.

Following the announcement, Professor Jonathan Carapetis AM was joined by Chris Bin Kali from the Aboriginal Health Council of Western Australia and Jeff Moffet, Chief Executive of WA Country Health Service, to speak about the vision and collaborative approach behind the initiative.

Bringing the sector together

The Open Day program highlighted the breadth of activity across the FHRI Fund and the importance of collaboration in delivering impact.

Department of Health Director General Dr Shirley Bowen spoke on future Spotlights, Saum Vahdat presented Bridgewest Venture’s perspective on moving from innovation to commercial success, and the Office of Medical Research and Innovation’s Dr Stacey Waters highlighted the suite of FHRI Fund programs and opportunities rolling out — supporting researchers and innovators at every stage and strengthening WA’s pipeline from discovery to impact.

These initiatives are designed to strengthen Western Australia’s research capability, foster collaboration, and accelerate the translation of discoveries into improved health outcomes.

Speakers reinforced the importance of aligning research, policy and practice — with a strong emphasis on partnership, translation and delivering real-world outcomes for Western Australians.

As highlighted throughout the event, the FHRI Fund continues to play a central role in supporting a connected, innovative and globally competitive health and medical research sector.

Read the Minister’s media releases highlighting the Spotlight Program and the suite of FHRI Fund programs being rolled out. 

Watch the event

A recording of the FHRI Fund Open Day is available online.