ANZCA Foundation update - November 2024
12 November 2024
ANZCA Foundation prestigious named research awards; Prime Minister's Prize for Science; ANZCA Foundation grants and named research awards decided; 2026 research grant applications opening soon; ANZCA Foundation subscriptions appeal
Inaugural W. John Russell ANZCA Research Award conferred
The foundation is very pleased to announce that the Research Committee has conferred the ANZCA Foundation’s newest honorary named research award, the ‘W. John Russell ANZCA Research Award’, in recognition of ANZCA Robert Orton medallist Dr Walter John Russell’s landmark lifetime contributions to engineering, education, and patient safety in anaesthetic practice.
The inaugural award has been made to Associate Professor Vahid Mohabbati, from the Sydney Pain Research Centre, NSW, and his team, for their project ‘Investigating the Effects of Spinal Direct Current Stimulation on Glial Cells for Chronic Pain Neuromodulation’.
The award will be made for two consecutive years. The foundation is privileged to be facilitate this prestigious honorary award, made possible by the wonderful generosity of Mrs Jan Russell.
Second Innovation and Technology ANZCA research award
ANZCA Foundation research funding grants for projects to commence in 2025 also included the second year of the exciting ‘Innovation and Technology ANZCA Research Award’, established by the Foundation after a generous sequence of donations from Foundation Governor patron, Dr Stanley Tay.
The award for 2025 was conferred on Professor Jamie Sleigh from the Waikato Clinical School, University of Auckland, New Zealand, and his team, for their project ‘Novel ketamine analogues; Computer modelling to predict side effects and in vivo testing of analgesic efficacy.’
Professor Sleigh’s study will examine an innovative approach to exploring a viable alternative to opioids through ketamine analogues with potential for prolonged pain relief, without some of the commonly associated side effects. Its focus on computer modelling and prediction is particularly suited to the award’s innovation and technology focus.
The award builds on the tradition of advancement in research, innovation, and of technology that has empowered the world leading safety and quality delivered by ANZCA and FPM fellows across anaesthesia, pain medicine and perioperative medicine. The foundation thanks Dr Tay for his vision.
ANZCA investigator honoured at Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science
ANZCA’s Research Committee chair, Professor Britta Regli-von Ungern-Sternberg, received the 2024 Frank Fenner Prize for Life Scientist of the Year on 8 October for her research into reducing risks and improving recovery for children undergoing anaesthesia and surgery.
A consultant anaesthetist at Perth Children’s Hospital and Chair of Paediatric Anaesthesia at the University of Western Australia, Britta and her expert team’s research achievements have included discovering how to identify children at high risk of breathing problems; an important outcome as one in seven children experience breathing problems during surgery.
The foundation warmly congratulates Professor Regli-von Ungern-Sternberg and her research team for the difference they are making in making surgery as safe and pain-free as possible for children.
ANZCA Foundation grants and named research awards decided
Twenty-four ANZCA Foundation research grants were approved by the Research Committee in September for studies commencing in 2025. These once again represented a sector-leading grant success rate of 48 per cent; an outstanding outcome.
This makes ANZCA Foundation grants simply the best available research funding opportunity for ANZCA fellow and trainee clinician researchers at all levels.
Of the 24 successful applicants, seven applicants also received prestigious ANZCA Foundation honorary named research awards. More details of the following studies and their investigator teams will be highlighted in the upcoming summer edition of the ANZCA Bulletin.
The Foundation warmly congratulates all award recipients.
Research grant applications opening soon
The opening for applications of the ANZCA Foundation research grant round for projects to commence in 2026 is just around the corner, scheduled for 1 December 2024.
Although the grant round will be advertised in the forthcoming summer ANZCA Bulletin, as this will be some week safter the opening date, it will first be advertised on the ANZCA website along with this pre-opening announcement.
Applications forms and guides for all categories of ANZCA Foundation grants including Novice Grants, Project Grants, the Academic Enhancement Grant, the Patrons Emerging Investigator grant, and two Professional Practice Research Grants, and all related information will be available on the website from 1 December.
ANZCA Foundation subscriptions appeal
As usual the ANZCA subscriptions forms will again include an option for fellows to donate to support the high-quality work of our world-leading clinical researchers.
Donors to the foundation also support those of our fellows who selflessly give up their time to travel to nearby resource-limited countries to deliver crucially-needed additional training and education in our specialties, the provision of scholarships for anaesthetists and pain medicine physicians from those settings to attend and benefit from ANZCA CME meetings, and finally fellows who are contributing to the important ANZCA Indigenous health program.
We thank all our generous donors and patrons, who continue to inspire us as they give back to improve healthcare outcomes and access for all to high-quality care.
Contact & support
To donate, please search ‘GiftOptions – ANZCA’ in your browser.
For queries, contact: Rob Packer, general manager - ANZCA Foundation, +61 (0)409 481 295.
Research grants program: Susan Collins, research and administration coordinator.
ANZCA Clinical Trials Network: Karen Goulding, CTN manager.