Kids win in health research milestone
A LEADING paediatrics expert is elated that Jerusalem’s Hadassah University Medical Centre will work with a top Australian research body to improve children’s health services in Israel using a model he developed locally.
A LEADING paediatrics expert is elated that Jerusalem’s Hadassah University Medical Centre will work with a top Australian research body to improve children’s health services in Israel using a model he developed locally.
Professor Frank Oberklaid, founding director of the Centre for Community Child Health at Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, said the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Hadassah and Australia’s Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI), the leading Australian research centre into children’s diseases, is a milestone in paediatrics cooperation between the two countries.
“We’re really thrilled because Hadassah is one of the leading research institutes in Israel and they have a very impressive program in children’s research. Murdoch is the biggest children’s research institute in Australia and one of the best in the world,” he told The AJN.
What’s more, Oberklaid signalled that the MoU will reap benefits for Australian paediatrics. “As this collaboration grows, there will be a two-way exchange of intellectual property and ideas between areas of research at Hadassah and at MCRI.”
At the core of the agreement is an initiative known as the Goshen Project, backed by Hadassah Australia, and named after the Tel Aviv restaurant at which it was conceived several years ago.
The paediatric community health project will address the treatment of chronic illnesses among children, as well as developmental and behavioural problems. “Many of the conditions we see in adult life, such as diabetes, heart disease, and mental health problems, begin in early childhood,” Oberklaid stated. “In Australia, paediatricians are among the leaders pushing for government policy to reflect this.”
Hadassah Australia executive director Martin Splitter welcomed the MCRI agreement. “Hadassah is absolutely thrilled to be associated with the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, an internationally recognised centre of excellence in children’s health. It’s a win-win for research both in Australia and in Israel, and is a wonderful extension of our longstanding and very successful collaborations with Melbourne’s Royal Children Hospital.”
PETER KOHN
Professor Frank Oberklaid, founding director of the Centre for Community Child Health at Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne.
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