I’m excited to share that our recent Hunter Children’s Research Foundation (HCRF) grant has been featured in Hearing Practitioner Australia, a leading national publication for audiologists, ENT specialists, and hearing health professionals. It’s a real honour to have our work highlighted on a platform dedicated to advancing hearing care across Australia.
The story explored the aims of our project: developing a human middle ear epithelial model to transform the way we understand otitis media in children. For decades, researchers have been limited by models that don’t truly reflect the biology of the human middle ear. This new model will help us investigate how bacteria drive inflammation, how children’s ear cells respond to infection, and why some kids, particularly Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, experience more severe and persistent disease.
The story explored the aims of our project: developing a human middle ear epithelial model to transform the way we understand otitis media in children. For decades, researchers have been limited by models that don’t truly reflect the biology of the human middle ear. This new model will help us investigate how bacteria drive inflammation, how children’s ear cells respond to infection, and why some kids, particularly Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, experience more severe and persistent disease.
In the article, I was grateful to acknowledge the people who make this work possible, including Prof Kelvin Kong AM, Dr Olivia Carroll, Prof Jay Horvat and Dr Gerard Kaiko. Our team is deeply committed to improving ear health outcomes for kids, and it was encouraging to see Hearing Practitioner Australia highlight this collaborative effort.
The feature also recognised Prof Kong and Eura Lim for their outstanding work reducing ENT referral wait times at John Hunter Children’s Hospitalan incredible achievement that speaks to the power of multidisciplinary, community-focused healthcare.
The feature also recognised Prof Kong and Eura Lim for their outstanding work reducing ENT referral wait times at John Hunter Children’s Hospitalan incredible achievement that speaks to the power of multidisciplinary, community-focused healthcare.
As a proud Wailwan man working in Aboriginal ear health research, being featured in a publication that reaches clinicians across the country means a lot. It helps bring attention to the inequities our communities face, reinforces the importance of culturally informed research, and showcases the strength of Indigenous-led science and teamwork.
I’m incredibly thankful to HCRF for supporting early-stage ideas like this one and to Hearing Practitioner Australia for helping share our story with a wider audience. This recognition reinforces why this work matters: improving health outcomes for our kids and driving long-term, meaningful change.
I’m incredibly thankful to HCRF for supporting early-stage ideas like this one and to Hearing Practitioner Australia for helping share our story with a wider audience. This recognition reinforces why this work matters: improving health outcomes for our kids and driving long-term, meaningful change.