RMH Neuroscience Foundation

Let us WARM UP your winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, with these 🔥 auction items at the upcoming Annual Gala Ball!

Available on the night only!

Friday 2 August at Grand Hyatt Melbourne.

Tickets still available: neuroscience.org.au/gala-ball-2024

We are proud to share that our very own Bee Ho Teow has been recognised in the 2024 King’s Birthday Honours list, with the Medal of the Order of Australia for service to tourism, and to the community.

A fitting acknowledgement for our Chair of the Friends fundraising committee and Trustee of the Foundation for 20 years, plus Member of the RMHNF Scientific Advisory Committee for 16 years.

Thank you for your service, Bee!

We recently posted a video with Prof Bruce Campbell and Dr Vignan Yogendrakumar that highlighted their achievements in stroke treatment using Tenecteplase. Learn more about their study: https://shorturl.at/VMwwN

We are incredibly proud to provide support during the early stages of research, that leads to these achievements and makes such a meaningful difference to our patients and their families.



> The Royal Melbourne Hospital
> Stroke Foundation

1 WEEK LEFT!

Don’t miss out on your chance to WIN a mixed case of wine, valued at $328.

Book and pay for your tickets to the Annual Gala Ball on Friday 2 August, by Friday 31 May.

Each paid ticket counts as one entry into the draw.

Like this post for a bonus entry!

Book tickets online neuroscience.org.au/gala-ball-2024 or contact Jessica at [email protected] / 03 9342 8447.

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Prize includes:
4 x Irvine ‘The Estate’ Shiraz 2020, Barossa Valley SA
4 x Irvine ‘Altitude’ Chardonnay 2022, Eden Valley SA
4 x Risky Business Prosecco NV, King Valley VIC

Payment must be received by 5:00pm on Friday 31 May, 2024 to be eligible.

Winner will be drawn at random on Monday 3 June, 2024 and notified by e-mail.

Tickets and prizes are strictly reserved for persons aged 18+ years.

Are you feeling $300 richer after the freshly announced tax cut and incoming electricity bill bonus?

We’ve got a great idea for you!

Donate your $300 bonus in support of families living with brain tumour, dementia, stroke, MS, epilepsy and movement disorders.

Donate before end of financial year and get a tax deduction now too.

Now THAT sounds like a great outcome for everyone…

neuroscience.org.au/donate

Congratulations to two of our researchers for being awarded funding in the latest National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Investigator Grants round, announced this week.

Professor Bruce Campbell – Head of Neurology
‘Optimising stroke imaging and reperfusion therapies’
$2,924,080

Doctor Izanne Roos – Neurologist and postdoctoral researcher
‘Evidence based use of high-efficacy therapies in multiple sclerosis’
$674,400

Prof Campbell will use the funding to continue his work in developing pre-hospital systems to accelerate emergency treatments, improve the accuracy of brain imaging techniques to guide treatment decision-making and develop improved, widely-applicable strategies to open blocked brain arteries.

“Australian science is thriving, and our researchers, working in leading-edge health and medical research with a record of achieving impact, are setting the standard for others to follow.”
– Professor Steve Wesselingh, NHMRC CEO

Are you planning to attend the Annual Gala Ball on Friday 2 August?

Book and pay for your ticket/s by Friday 31 May, and you will go into the draw to win a mixed case of wine valued at $328!

Each paid ticket counts as one entry into the draw.

Like this post for a bonus entry!

Book tickets online neuroscience.org.au/gala-ball-2024 or contact Jessica at [email protected] / 03 9342 8447.

---------------------------------------

Prize includes:
4 x Irvine ‘The Estate’ Shiraz 2020, Barossa Valley SA
4 x Irvine ‘Altitude’ Chardonnay 2022, Eden Valley SA
4 x Risky Business Prosecco NV, King Valley VIC

Payment must be received by 5:00pm on Friday 31 May, 2024 to be eligible. All tickets paid prior to this announcement will be automatically included in the draw.

The winner will be drawn at random on Monday 3 June, 2024 and notified by e-mail.

Tickets and prizes are strictly reserved for persons aged 18+ years.

As we prepare to take a moment of silence for our ANZACs, we’d like to take a moment to introduce you to one of our Epilepsy Research Co-ordinators, Corporal Sean Hosking, who has been with The Royal Melbourne Hospital for 14 years, and recently returned from a 6-month deployment for the second time in two years.

Sean looks after our patients, his family, and our country, across his many hats. Here he is when out of scrubs and into one of those hats, having received the Australian Operational Service Medal.

Eliza and Jack celebrated their beautiful wedding on Saturday 6 April, 2024 at Stones of the Yarra Valley.

We were lucky enough to have a small presence on their special day, after Eliza contacted us to make a donation to the Foundation and include our lapel pin as their wedding favours!

Thank you for thinking of us - and many others - with your kind contribution; we’re sure you had plenty on your plate already.

Congratulations! We wish you a lifetime of health and happiness.

Our major fundraiser - the Annual Gala Ball - is coming up on Friday 2 August, 2024 at Grand Hyatt Melbourne.

We are truly proud to say that all of the auction items are wholly donated, meaning that EVERY dollar raised on the night goes directly to the research grants that we are able to offer each year.

No hidden fees, no reserves, no commission – just fundraising profit.

These auction items are donated by generous businesses and people – like you! – enabling the event to be a fundraising success.

If you or your business has an item, voucher or experience that you would like to donate, please get in touch!

Your contribution will be formally recognised on the night, and directly support the detection, prevention and treatment of diseases of the brain.

Please contact:
Jessica Hall – Foundation Administrator
[email protected]
03 9342 8447

In the spirit of April Fools Day…

Sometimes our researchers support philanthropic causes in other ways, like posing for this fundraising calendar of ‘how NOT to do it’ at …

Thanks for the laugh Prof Kate Drummond and !

Statistically, 305 Australians will be diagnosed with epilepsy this week. In support of the 250,000 Australians living with epilepsy, Purple Day brings epilepsy into the spotlight to raise awareness, dispel myths, and increase support for people living with the condition.

For many, epilepsy can deeply affect the personal lives, employment, education, and wellbeing of the person and their family.

“While there have been advances in the treatment of people with epilepsy, a major challenge in epilepsy research has been identifying treatments which not only suppress seizures, but prevent the development of epilepsy altogether or mitigate its severity. This includes the development of epilepsy after various insults, whether this be stroke, infection, or traumatic brain injury.” – Dr John-Paul Nicolo, Head of Epilepsy Program,

“Women with epilepsy have a lot to consider when planning a pregnancy or once a pregnancy is confirmed. The Australian Pregnancy Register research aims to understand the effects of anti-epileptic medication on mothers and babies.” – Janet Graham, Research Coordinator, APR

You can help raise awareness and make a life-saving donation to epilepsy research 💜

Congratulations to our Research Grant recipients for 2024!

Read about these new and on-going projects based at The Royal Melbourne Hospital: https://shorturl.at/oqHZ2

Just 20 weeks until we meet for the 2024 Annual Gala Ball! Tickets now on sale. Secure yours online: www.neuroscience.org.au/gala-ball-2024

We recently posted a video with Prof Kate Drummond, Prof Lucy Palmer and Dr Heidi McAlpine that highlighted their amazing achievements in glioma research. To learn more about their study, you can do so by reading the article here: https://shorturl.at/jptO2

We are so proud to support projects that are creating such a meaningful difference to our patients!

On International Women’s Day, we proudly acknowledge the incredible outcome of ‘Katie's Support for Brain Tumour Research’.

When Katie De Ruvo, a Year 9 student at Immanuel College in South Australia, was given a school term assignment to complete a community project, she chose to assist in raising funds for the “much needed on-going research into brain tumours”.

Katie’s mum was diagnosed with a brain tumour before Katie was born, and was cared for by the neurosurgery team at The Royal Melbourne Hospital.

“I feel that if it were not for the amazing work and dedication of the surgeons, hospital staff, and research teams, I may never have come to be. I want to give my thanks, and give back as much as I can.”

Katie’s project raised a jaw-dropping total of $6,928 in just 30 days - talk about an A+ project!

Katie plans for this project to be the start of a lifelong commitment to the RMH Neuroscience Foundation. Thank you, Katie!

Following an approach from a fellow aviator’s family, former Club President, Warren Canning initiated the Aero Club ‘Gourmet Hot Dog Fly-In’ fundraising event at Kyneton Airfield. Held on the first Saturday of every month, since 2017, this humble event has raised an incredible $11,233 for the RMH Neuroscience Foundation.

Fellow pilot and good friend of the club, Chris Pain, lost his life to brain cancer in 2017. After Chris’ diagnosis, treated at the RMH, the fundraising event began to support brain tumour research in detection and treatment, and has continued for over 6 years.

The next event is this Saturday 2 March. Be sure to visit the club and the beautiful Macedon Ranges this week, or the first Saturday of any month, to enjoy a local Bratwurst, drink, cake, chat and viewings with local pilots and aircraft owners, and support brain tumour research.

Year of the Dragon | In 2024, red and purple are predicted to bring luck for Dragons. We’ve got your purple luck covered!

Happy Lunar New Year!

Get this one into your calendar! The Annual Gala Ball will be held on Friday 2 August at Grand Hyatt Melbourne. We look forward to welcoming you to the fundraising event of the year!

Dr Jordan Jones | RMH Department of Neurosurgery and PhD Researcher

The Warren Haynes Fellowship will help fund Jordan’s brain tumour research project, alongside his full-time clinical work at the RMH in brain tumour care and a world-first clinical trial for patients with low grade glioma.

The research project will test the hypothesis that tumour specific DNA is released from gliomas into the circulation; glioma being the most common brain cancer, with extremely poor prognosis and the biggest loss of quality-adjusted life years of any cancer.

Their detection and analysis can improve clinical decision-making by predicting tumour biological activity, determining tumour burden and monitoring molecular changes that occur during tumour evolution and in response to therapies.

Congratulations Jordan!

Dr Vivien Li | RMH Neurologist and PhD Researcher

The Warren Haynes Fellowship will help fund both Vivien’s clinical and laboratory research components in multiple sclerosis (MS).

The primary aim of the clinical cohort study is to develop a set of markers to describe the trajectory of MS disability progression and how it may be more effectively targeted by current treatments.

The laboratory research aims to address limitations of current therapies by developing a new and more potent way to treat MS based on using patients’ own blood immune cells.

Congratulations Vivien!

Today we remember Rachael Woodhams, who lost her life to brain cancer 10-years ago on this day.

Rachael’s family and friends began donating to our brain tumour research in honour of Rachael, a commitment they maintain every year, and together have raised a total of $24,905!

"Far too often we lose extraordinary young people to brain cancer. Rachael was one of those extraordinary people. She had so much to give this world as a daughter, friend, student and future counsellor. She never got to be a mum or a wife, or develop her career to what would have been an enormous contribution to society. Brain cancer takes so much from us. The work for the urgently-needed cure continues thanks to families like Rachael's." – Prof Kate Drummond, Head of Neurosurgery

We were thrilled with the opening of the RMH Neuroimmunology Centre in Melbourne CBD; lead by Head of MS, Prof Tomas Kalincik (left) and RMH CEO, Prof Shelley Dolan (right), and attended by Minister for Health, the Hon. Mary-Anne Thomas MP (centre).

Congratulations Tomas and our wonderful team of researchers, clinicians and co-ordinators!

Thank YOU, to all of our supporters, for everything you have contributed this year. Wishing you a very Happy New Year!

Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a safe and happy holidays! 💜💜💜

Pop it in your diary! Bookings coming soon. If you would like to donate an item or experience to our fundraising Auction or wish to volunteer on the night, please get in touch! [email protected]