WAHTN commends the Australian Government for setting aside an additional $21 million for dementia research. This is a significant area of research and the funds will help focus research on risk reduction, prevention and tracking of dementia – which is Australia’s second leading cause of death.
The need for investment in research to develop new treatments and to improve dementia care is evident. The $21 million is in addition to the $185 million Dementia, Ageing and Aged Care 10 year mission which is funded through the Australian Government’s Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF).
We congratulate the recipients of the 13 funded projects (listed below) who are all part of our Australian Health Research Alliance (AHRA) partner organisations.
Funded Projects from Round 5 – Dementia Risk Reduction and Prevention:
| Chief Investigator | Project Title | Organisation |
| Assoc Prof Lisbeth Evered | The PROJECT Trial: PeRiOperaTive Enhancement of Cognitive Trajectory | University of Melbourne |
| Prof Kaarin Anstey | Translating the evidence on dementia risk reduction to generate assessments, advice and training for health professionals, policy makers, patients and public | University of New South Wales |
| Prof Andrew Pipingas | Mediterranean diet and exercise to reduce cognitive decline and dementia risks in independent living older Australians: the MedWalk randomised controlled trial | Swinburne University of Technology |
| Dr Ashleigh Smith | Living your best day – Optimising activity and diet compositions for dementia prevention | University of South Australia |
| Prof Sharon Naismith | REducing Sleep Apnoea for the PrEvention of Dementia (REShAPED): a multi-site feasibility RCT | University of Sydney |
| Prof Katherine Samaras | Preventing cognitive decline with metformin: a randomised controlled trial | The Garvan Institute of Medical Research |
| Dr Paul Gardiner | Taking a whole of day approach to optimising activity to prevent dementia in people with type 2 diabetes | The University of Queensland |
| Dr Yen Ying Lim | BetterBrains: Person-Centred, Multi-Domain, Primary Prevention Strategies to Delay Memory Decline | University of Melbourne |
| Dr Johnson George | Holistic Approach in Primary care for Preventing Memory Impairment aNd Dementia (HAPPI MIND) | Monash University |
| Assoc Prof Amy Brodtmann | Cardiovascular exercise to prevent cognitive decline in high risk patient populations: a post-ischaemic stroke exercise intervention study | University of Melbourne |
| Assoc Prof Edward Strivens | Reducing dementia risk in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities | James Cook University |
Funded Projects from Round 6 – Improving Dementia Data and Methods:
| Chief Investigator | Project Title | Organisation |
| Prof Annette Dobson | Improving Australia’s Dementia Statistics | The University of Queensland |
| Prof Velandai Srikanth | Leveraging electronic medical records and routine administrative data towards a population approach for monitoring dementia frequency, risk factors and management | Monash University |