There is a paradox in the funding of Hudson Institute's newborn health research. Rather than curing existing diseases, the success of this research is seen in the absence of illness.
It's something the members of Inner Wheel are familiar with, but they are looking for results, not recognition.
Take our umbilical cord blood (UCB) research, for example. Children born prematurely who previously may have endured life-long neurodevelopmental disorders such as cerebral palsy (CP), now have a better chance of living healthy, productive lives, thanks to the treatments they received shortly after birth.
Research, testing and development
Those treatments are the result of exhaustive research, testing and development by scientists like Dr Tegan White.
Tegan is a member of the Neurodevelopment and Neuroprotection Research group in The Ritchie Centre, working on better, faster ways to identify conditions that could compromise a baby's health, and treatments to counteract them.
It is vital research, and that is where the paradox comes in; the more successful Dr White and her colleagues are, the fewer babies will grow up with life-limiting health conditions like CP, and the less visible the problem will be.
But this crucial work is far from cheap. Government funding for medical research has never been more difficult to come by, so donations like those from Inner Wheel literally make the difference between employing researchers or not.
Inner Wheel's national fundraising effort
As Dianne Barlow, National Project Coordinator for Inner Wheel Club of Narre Warren says, "I grew up with the word 'volunteer' as a powerful word in my family. My mother and father inspired me to follow this course throughout my life."
With event like their "Two for Ten" Walk and International Women's Day fundraising luncheon (not to mention the garage sales, stalls, sales of homemade items, etc.), the Narre Warren branch of Inner Wheel is part of a national effort to raise enough money for a research grant to employ one more full-time researcher.
Due to the tireless efforts of dedicated volunteers like Dianne, the Narre Warren chapter has raised over $10,000 in the last two years alone.
Inner Wheel is also helping to spread the word about the importance of Cord Blood Research, through community advertising, and Dr White is thankful for more than just the funding they provide.
"It is incredibly rewarding to be reminded that people care about our research, and are so passionate about it themselves," she said. "In the case of the Inner Wheel group they are not necessarily impacted by the causes we are working on and still find such interest in our work and always eager to learn more."
This collaboration shows what one small group can do, and future generations of healthy Australians will be living proof of the difference one Hudson Institute lab has made….whether that difference is visible, or not.
