Research Showcase: 'Restoring Hope' for TBI and Cure Asthma Initiative
The School's recent Research Showcase explored insights in Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) & the CURE Asthma Initiative - with Profs Peter Crack and Gary Anderson.
At the inaugural School of Biomedical Sciences (SBS) Major Research Initiatives Showcase held last week, attendees were invited to hear from Professor Peter Crack (DBP) who has just pressed ‘send’ on an application for a $25M Frontiers Grant working on Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Professor Gary Anderson (DBP) who shared his experience on the CURE Asthma Initiative.
As part of the Big Ideas Programme, the SBS Showcase has been formulated to share insights from some of our colleagues who are working on…BIG ideas! It was welcomed by an enthusiastic audience from across the School.
Image: Attendees at the Research Showcase
Both Peter and Gary credited Dr Peter Fairlie who has been integral in helping transform ideas into proposals and submissions that will resonate with their audience – challenging the thinking and outputs of both along the way. He, along with others, is seen as a catalyst in transforming ideas into a significant ‘product’ offering that is able to be understood and grasped more broadly – and he is an SBS resource making him even more contactable to researchers in the School!
Take aways for the audience included the concept of failure - something both Peter and Gary highlighted as part of their career journeys.
Don’t be afraid to fail. Be afraid not to try.
Michael Jordan - American businessman & former basketball player
Image: Prof Peter Crack presenting
You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.
Wayne Gretzky ('The Great One’ ) - former ice hockey player
Peter Crack shared his personal journey stemming from his interest in TBI and he surprised the audience when he stated that, with a traumatic brain injury, once a patient is stabilised there is nothing else a clinician can do. There have been great strides made in terms of rehabilitation however little progress for clinical treatment options for TBI.
Image: Prof Peter Crack presenting
Reflecting on his own research and grant experience, Peter suggested having discussions prior to submission on how the research funding will be spent. This will save any unexpected surprises regarding your involvement (or not) following grant success.
Gary Anderson spoke about asthma and the current mindset that sees it as an incurable inflammatory disease. He talked about shifting this paradigm to a primary goal of treatment of the disease that induces remission.
Image: Prof Gary Anderson presenting
Key insights from Gary on the development of the CURE Asthma initiative included bringing the best science to the table, sharing information and building a research culture so people can personally contribute into the future.
Both Peter and Gary shared with the audience the remarkable talent they are each collaborating with on their initiatives - and look forward to celebrating their successes together in the future.
Professor Stuart Mazzone from the Respiratory Sensory Neuroscience Lab (DAP) who curated the event with the School's Research Committee shared the vision on the Research Showcase events. They will show the evolution of research work underpinned by the aspiration to help build large collaborative bodies of research experts and initiatives, like the two shared by Peter and Gary.