I’m incredibly excited to share that our team received a 2024 Hunter Children’s Research Foundation Grant to support our work in developing new human-relevant models for ear disease research. This support means a great deal to me, both personally and professionally, and it represents a major step forward for the kind of ear health research we need in Australia.
Ear disease remains one of the most common and burdensome conditions affecting children, particularly Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander kids. Yet, for decades, researchers around the world have largely been restricted to using non-human or biologically limited models that simply don’t reflect the complexity of the human middle ear. This has slowed progress and limited our ability to design better, targeted treatments.
Thanks to the generosity of HCRF, my team and I are now able to overcome one of these long-standing barriers by developing a human middle ear cell model, created using donated samples from local children. This model will allow us to study, with far greater accuracy, how infections form, how ear cells respond, and why some kids develop severe or persistent disease. Ultimately, this will strengthen our search for better interventions that reduce repeated grommet surgeries and long-term hearing problems.
This project also feeds into a broader program of work where I am fortunate to mentor junior researchers and clinicians who are passionate about improving outcomes for children. The grant provides the time and resources to build something meaningful; not just a study, but a platform that will make our team more competitive for national funding bodies such as MRFF and NHMRC, enabling the work to grow in scale and impact.
I’m also excited to take this research to national and international audiences, including upcoming presentations at OMOZ and ISOM, where Australian-led innovation in ear health is drawing global attention. We’re already forming new collaborations with researchers in the US who are eager to learn from the models we are building here in Newcastle.
As a proud Wailwan man, contributing to research that directly benefits our local communities and supports the next generation of Aboriginal scientists is deeply important to me. I'm thankful to HCRF for believing in this vision and helping us push the field forward.
This is just the beginning, I’m looking forward to the next steps in transforming how we understand and treat otitis media in children.
Ear disease remains one of the most common and burdensome conditions affecting children, particularly Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander kids. Yet, for decades, researchers around the world have largely been restricted to using non-human or biologically limited models that simply don’t reflect the complexity of the human middle ear. This has slowed progress and limited our ability to design better, targeted treatments.
Thanks to the generosity of HCRF, my team and I are now able to overcome one of these long-standing barriers by developing a human middle ear cell model, created using donated samples from local children. This model will allow us to study, with far greater accuracy, how infections form, how ear cells respond, and why some kids develop severe or persistent disease. Ultimately, this will strengthen our search for better interventions that reduce repeated grommet surgeries and long-term hearing problems.
This project also feeds into a broader program of work where I am fortunate to mentor junior researchers and clinicians who are passionate about improving outcomes for children. The grant provides the time and resources to build something meaningful; not just a study, but a platform that will make our team more competitive for national funding bodies such as MRFF and NHMRC, enabling the work to grow in scale and impact.
I’m also excited to take this research to national and international audiences, including upcoming presentations at OMOZ and ISOM, where Australian-led innovation in ear health is drawing global attention. We’re already forming new collaborations with researchers in the US who are eager to learn from the models we are building here in Newcastle.
As a proud Wailwan man, contributing to research that directly benefits our local communities and supports the next generation of Aboriginal scientists is deeply important to me. I'm thankful to HCRF for believing in this vision and helping us push the field forward.
This is just the beginning, I’m looking forward to the next steps in transforming how we understand and treat otitis media in children.