Funding boost offers fresh hope for childhood dementia cure

Congratulations to Dr Siti Mubarokah who has received $250,000 in funding from The Hospital Research Foundation Group to help develop new and more effective treatments for childhood dementia, for which there is currently no cure.

Childhood dementia is a deadly brain condition that affects memory, behaviour, emotions and communication. According to Dementia Australia, an estimated 1,500 children live with childhood dementia in Australia.

Dr Mubarokah, along with collaborators at Adelaide University and the Women’s and Children’s Hospital, will investigate whether ursolic acid, a naturally occurring compound, could help slow brain damage, offering fresh hope for affordable and accessible treatment options for children and families.

 

Health expert recognised for work reforming aged care

Congratulations to Associate Professor Stephanie Harrison who is a finalist for the 2026 Marie Krogh Young Women in Science Prize, for her outstanding contributions to health services research, epidemiology and aged care reform.

Associate Professor Harrison’s research has underpinned landmark changes in how Australia monitors aged care quality and safety, leading to new national quality indicators and policy reforms, helping improve health outcomes for hundreds of thousands of older Australians living in aged care facilities.

Her work has also informed recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety to reduce inappropriate psychotropic medicine use in aged care.

 

Agricultural scientist recognised for crop resilience research

Congratulations to Associate Professor Rhiannon Schilling who is a finalist for South Australia in the Sustainability in Agriculture category in the 2026 Australian Agriculture Awards.

Associate Professor Schilling’s research focuses on improving crop and soil management to help farmers better adapt to extreme weather events, such as drought, which are becoming more frequent and severe because of climate change.

She works closely with industry partners and regional communities to increase grain production on cropping farms, while ensuring it is done sustainably.

SA winners will be announced on 7 October and will go on to compete against other state and territory winners at a national awards ceremony in Canberra in November.