A Healthy Start to Life for All Australians
The National Health & Medical Research Council (NH&MRC) has announced the recipients of ‘A Healthy Start to Life for All Australians’ grants, designed to promote and maintain good health through medical research. Murdoch Childrens received two of the total five grants for 2007.
Dr Jeff Craig, Dr Richard Saffery and Professor John Carlin were awarded $667,362 over three years for their epigenetics research project. The study will use twins to investigate factors in the prenatal environment that can lead to low birth weight and increased risk of disease later in life.
Professor George Patton and Dr Craig Olsson from the Centre for Adolescent Health will receive $639,650 over three years. Their project will investigate how good and poor mental health patterns can be passed on from generation to generation, directly affecting the emotional development of children from puberty onwards. This study will help define intervention and policy direction for breaking cycles of depression, substance use and violence. The team from the Centre for Adolescent Health will also collaborate on the epigentics research project.
Congratulations to these dedicated researchers whose innovative projects show great promise for the future health of Australians.