The enduring kindness and philanthropic vision of our donors in support of innovative medical research at St John of God Subiaco Hospital is truly inspirational. Thanks to people like you, research at the hospital is improving clinical outcomes and quality of life for individual patients and the community.
In the past financial year alone, donor contributions totalling over $400,000 have meant that Subiaco researchers can continue important work that will help to shape the future of health care in Australia and across the globe. We are delighted to be able to provide an update on just some of the key achievements made possible thanks to generous donor support.
- The Bendat Family Foundation has made an extraordinary $1.5 million gift to enable leading medical research into respiratory illness, through the Bendat Respiratory Research and Development (BRRD) Fund. The Bendat family name is synonymous with pioneering philanthropy and is well known for improving lives and health care outcomes for Western Australians. We are honoured to continue our long standing partnership with the family, who have long shared our mission in caring for our communities.
- Generous donor support for St John of God Subiaco Hospital’s Colorectal Cancer Research Group has paved the way for integrated benchtop and clinical research into bowel cancer. The research will aim to provide patients with more personalised care directed at their unique tumour biology, and improve survival and quality of life for patients with bowel cancer. With great thanks to you, our generous donors, researchers will continue a translational biomarker discovery program over the next 12 months, as well as commencing data analysis.
- A new donor-funded clinical trial led by St John of God Subiaco Hospital’s Dr Paul Cohen has the potential to change the way in which ovarian, fallopian tube and primary peritoneal cancer patients receive follow-up care. MOST (Measure of Ovarian Symptoms and Treatment concerns) aims to improve patient experience and outcomes by offering more holistic care and relieving the stress of travelling to appointments, particularly for women in rural and remote areas.
- Thanks to generous support from the Ladybird Foundation and other supporters, researchers, led by Dr Michelle McMullen, will run a randomised placebo-controlled clinical trial which aims to assess the effectiveness of different vaginal creams at reducing the symptoms of dryness, pain and irritation that are common in women after breast cancer therapy. Vaginal atrophy is a common and frequently distressing condition affecting breast cancer survivors, and this trial will provide further information regarding much-needed treatments.
- With thanks to the Massey Charitable Trust, biostatistical analysis of data from robot-assisted joint replacement surgeries at St John of God Subiaco Hospital has potential to determine the optimal treatment decisions for individuals undergoing joint replacement.
- Earlier this year, the new St John of God Foundation Research Grants program was launched in partnership with St John of God Subiaco Hospital. The program aims to further support and grow Subiaco’s world class clinician-led research, with the ultimate goal of improving patient care, treatment and health care outcomes through translatable research. The inaugural grant recipients, including an Early Career Researcher and Seed Funding grant, were announced as part of the hospital’s annual Research Week events in August 2022 (read more here). St John of God Subiaco Hospital’s annual Research Week took place from August 22-25, giving members of the Western Australian community the opportunity to hear about current research, new discoveries, treatments and case studies. The events included a welcome keynote from the University of Western Australia’s Professor Christopher Blyth, who presented on Vaccine Translation.