Dr Tom Goddard of the Women’s and Children’s Health Network and his team, with the support of our Bloom Research Program, will develop a rapid diagnostic tool to allow clinicians to diagnose and treat lung infections in Aboriginal children living in rural and remote regions in a timely manner.

Aboriginal children in rural and remote communities have the world’s highest rates of bronchiectasis, a preventable lung condition caused by chronic lung infections.

Dr Goddard is a paediatric respiratory and sleep physician based at the Women and Children’s Hospital and performs outreach clinics at Alice Springs Hospital and Mount Gambier Hospital, where he sees many children with chronic lung disease.

He says, “We have children that are dying young, often in their teens or twenties, from preventable health conditions. Anything we can do to try and improve outcomes for these children is really important.”

Effective treatment of these infections is reliant on an accurate diagnosis. However, it can take weeks to determine the cause of lung infections in these children due to their remoteness, by which time infections have worsened.

Funds from our Bloom Research Program will support the development of a rapid diagnostic tool, using DNA sequencing, to allow clinicians to diagnose and treat lung infections in Aboriginal children living in rural and remote regions, through the team’s project titled ‘RRR2 Rapid Respiratory Response in Rural and Remote Regions – an observational study of bronchiectasis using ground-breaking tools’.

Dr Goddard says, “We’re hoping that we can get results back within an hour so that we can make an educated decision on what the best form of treatment is for these patients.”

It is hoped that this tool will mean timely treatment, preventing the need for children to be hospitalised at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital away from home and family support, and reduce the risk of permanent lung damage.

Learn more about our 2024 Bloom Research Program grant recipients

Professor Peter Anderson of the Women’s and Children’s Health Network and his team, with the support of our Bloom Research Program, will investigate a targeted, non-surgical treatment for craniosynostosis based on stem cell technology, to prevent the bones of the infant skull fusing prematurely, reducing the need for invasive surgery.

Professor Anderson, Senior Craniofacial Surgeon in the Cleft and Craniofacial SA Unit at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital, and Principal Fellow at South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, says, “The brain grows more quickly than any other part of a baby, so by the time they’re just over two, their brain is 85% adult size.”

“For that to happen safely, the brain box has to grow rapidly, or else the brain gets squashed. So, my job as a surgeon is performing surgery to make brain boxes bigger on children whose growth plates in their skulls have fused too early and are not getting normal growth.”

Craniosynostosis is a devastating and potentially life-threatening condition, where the bones of the infant skull prematurely fuse before the brain is fully formed.

Current treatment involves major surgery, and if this is not performed in a timely manner, the condition can lead to increased cranial pressure, causing developmental delay and blindness.

Professor Anderson says, “Dealing with parents, particularly first-time parents, when they’ve got their new baby who’s their pride and joy, and a surgeon is telling them they need major surgery – it’s devastating.”

“If we could do things to improve these families’ lives, they would be incredibly grateful.”

Funds from our Bloom Research Program will support Professor Peter Anderson and his team to develop targeted medical treatment based on stem cell technology to prevent the fibrous joints between the bones of the skull from converting to bone, with their project titled ‘Precision Medicine to treat Craniosynostosis’.

It is hoped that the findings of this project might reduce the need for invasive surgery in infants with craniosynostosis, making treatment of this condition less physically and psychologically burdensome on infants and their families.

Learn more about our 2024 Bloom Research Program grant recipients

Dr Jacqueline Gould of SAHMRI and her team have previously shown that Omega 3 DHA given to very preterm infants can improve their IQ.

With funding from our Bloom Research Program, they will now undertake research to develop guidelines that will make DHA supplementation in very preterm infants standard practice in South Australia and beyond.

Very preterm infants miss out on months of placental supply of the Omega 3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA, during a phase of rapid neurodevelopment.

Dr Gould and the team of researchers at SAHMRI Women and Kids have a long history of groundbreaking research exploring the benefits of DHA in women and babies.

One of their recent findings was that very preterm infants supplemented with DHA have a higher IQ.

Dr Gould says, “Of the infants who miss that full last trimester of the placental supply of DHA, about 50% will have some kind of neurodevelopmental problem, like a learning disability or a behavioural problem.”

“We’ve seen that if you can restore the DHA supply to these infants after birth, you increase their IQ by about three and a half points.”

Funds from our Bloom Research Program will enable the team to undertake a series of projects to resolve the remaining evidence gaps before developing guidelines that will allow adoption of DHA supplementation in very preterm babies in South Australia, and beyond, through their project titled ‘Overcoming barriers to clinical practice: meeting the omega-3 fat DHA requirements of infants born very preterm with personalised feeding protocols.’

Learn more about our 2024 Bloom Research Program grant recipients

Professor David Lynn of Flinders University and SAHMRI, and his collaborators, with the support of our Bloom Research Program, will explore whether probiotics can help improve the vaccination response of infants who have received antibiotic treatment, so they are better protected against disease.

Vaccination is the best way to protect infants against infectious disease, but some infants produce lower than expected amounts of antibodies following vaccination, so may not be as well protected from disease.

Professor David Lynn, Professor of Systems Immunology at Flinders University and SAHMRI, and his collaborators, discovered that antibiotic treatment in infancy leads to lower levels of ‘good’ bacteria in the gut, and the levels of these good bacteria at the time of vaccination was linked with how well infants responded to their vaccinations.

Professor Lynn says, “When different infants get the same vaccine, some infants will produce lots of antibodies which mediate the protection against those vaccines. Other infants will produce middling levels of antibodies, and some will produce very little antibodies, and will then not be as well protected.”

“It has been a mystery for quite a while, but my group has been trying to understand the role of the microbes that live within us, and whether that can influence how well you respond to a vaccine.”

“What we have observed is that infants, particularly those that get antibiotics in the very early neonatal period, have much lower antibody responses to different vaccines.”

“And so we’re now interested in if there is a way that we can improve our gut microbiome health to boost immune responses to vaccinations.”

Funds from our Bloom Research Program will support a trial of probiotic treatment in infants who have received antibiotics, in the hope that it will restore their good bacteria, improving their vaccine response, and better protecting them against potentially deadly disease, through the team’s project titled ‘Precision Vaccinology: A randomised controlled trial to assess if a probiotic intervention leads to enhanced immune responses to vaccination in antibiotic-treated infants.’

Learn more about our 2024 Bloom Research Program grant recipients

The Women’s & Children’s Hospital Foundation (WCH Foundation) is proud to announce the awarding of $4 million in research funding to projects aiming to close the gap in health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and children, and to enhance healthcare in newborn infants.

Research teams from the Women’s and Children’s Health Network (WCHN), South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI) and Flinders University were awarded funds through the WCH Foundation Bloom Research Program. The 2024 Bloom Research Program grant round sought applications focusing on priority populations, emerging technologies and innovative solutions to health problems faced by women, children and families in SA.

After a rigorous and competitive application process, five projects were awarded a share in $4 million of research funding, including:

• Professor David Lynn of Flinders University and SAHMRI and his collaborators will trial probiotic treatment in infants who have received antibiotics, in the hope that it will restore the good bacteria in their gut, improving their vaccine response, and better protecting them against potentially deadly disease.
• Dr Tom Goddard of WCHN and his team will develop a rapid diagnostic tool to allow clinicians to diagnose and treat lung infections in Aboriginal children living in rural and remote regions in a timely manner, preventing the need for hospitalisation in the city and reducing the risk of permanent lung damage.
• Dr Jacqueline Gould of SAHMRI and her team have previously shown that Omega 3 DHA given to very preterm infants can improve their IQ. They will now undertake research to develop guidelines that will allow adoption of DHA supplementation in very preterm infants in SA and beyond.
• Cathy Leane of WCHN and her team will integrate Aboriginal ways of knowing into the healthcare system, by co-designing and testing community-based yarning circles to improve sexual, reproductive and perinatal healthcare amongst Aboriginal women and families.
• Professor Peter Anderson of WCHN and his team will investigate a targeted, non-surgical treatment for craniosynostosis based on stem cell technology, to prevent the bones of the infant skull fusing prematurely, reducing the need for invasive surgery.

Verity Gobbett, Head of Mission at the WCH Foundation, said that following last year’s huge inaugural year for the Bloom Research Program, this exciting outcome is even more wonderful news for the women, children and families of South Australia.

“Health and medical research is the backbone of modern healthcare for women, children, and families.”

“Our Bloom Research Program empowers South Australia’s brightest researchers to embark on large-scale projects, providing clear answers and innovative solutions to some of healthcare’s most pressing challenges. We are so proud to be supporting these projects, which would not be possible without the generous support of the South Australian community.”

Cathy Leane of the Women’s and Children’s Health Network and her team, with the support of our Bloom Research Program, will integrate Aboriginal ways of knowing into the healthcare system, by co-designing and testing community-based Yarning Circles to improve sexual, reproductive and perinatal healthcare amongst Aboriginal women and families.

The rate of stillbirth, preterm birth and other sexual and reproductive health issues in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women remains unacceptably high. There is a clear need for culturally safe education and support to close this gap in health outcomes.

Bec Smith, Principal Project Manager of the SA Health Maternal, Neonatal and Gynecology Strategic Executive Leadership Committee, says, “We undertook specific Aboriginal engagement and what we found is that we weren’t embracing Aboriginal ways of knowing and traditional Aboriginal ways of finding information.”

“If we were able to approach things in a different way, where we were valuing community members, and particularly Aboriginal women who are Elders, Aunties, grandmothers, trusted members within the community, we could potentially inform the community members in a better way, and then perhaps we would be able to have people better engage in care.”

Funds from our Bloom Research Program will enable the co-design and testing of community-based yarning circles to improve sexual, reproductive and perinatal health care amongst Aboriginal women and families through a project titled ‘Building on Aboriginal women’s ways of knowing – collaborative Yarning Circles to improve sexual, reproductive, and perinatal health literacy and engagement in care.’

Yarning uses storytelling to share knowledge, build understanding and create connection, and has been used by Aboriginal communities for generations.

Cathy Leane, Darug woman and WCHN Manager Strategic Partnerships, Aboriginal Health Division, says, “We are building up the skills and knowledge of our Aboriginal grandmothers, our Aboriginal Aunties, our Aboriginal big sisters, who will then be able to support women on their journey through sexual health and parenting.”

It is hoped that integrating Aboriginal ways of knowing into the healthcare system will engage and empower Aboriginal women and families, leading to improved sexual, reproductive and perinatal health.

Learn more about our 2024 Bloom Research Program grant recipients

The Delta Therapy Dogs Program is the leading provider of Animal Assisted Services in Australia, and we are proud to sponsor their visits to the Women’s and Children’s Hospital.

Over the past year we have been able to grow the Therapy Dog Program, increasing our dog teams to support more patients in their wellness journey.

There are many benefits to Animal Assisted Therapy. Patients who engage with Therapy Dogs experience a reduction in stress and anxiety, gain physiological and social benefits, and improve their communication and social interaction to help them recover sooner.

We sponsor Delta Therapy Dogs to support patients and families in Newland Ward, Mallee Ward and as part of the Paediatric Rehabilitation Service.

Cathie and Winnie with patient, Cameron.

One of our beloved Therapy Dogs, Winnie, visits Newland Ward with her handler, Cathie.

A typical day in her life as a therapy dog includes cuddles, going for walks, and having a blast playing with patients.

Therapy Dogs like Winnie provide a joyful distraction from some of the challenges patients face while in hospital, lifting patients spirits and helping to reduce feelings of fear and distress.

Watch a day in the life of Winnie here

Sandra and Trixie with Mario Corena.

It’s thanks to the support of the Lauren Corena Fund and the Bridget McCartan Fund that we are able to enrich patient care at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital through the Delta Therapy Dog Program.

The Lauren Corena Fund was created by Mario Corena as a legacy for his daughter who spent much of her early adolescence in the Hospital’s Boylan Ward (now Mallee Ward) and Adolescent Ward.

The Bridget Claire McCartan Fund was created by Rebecca and Danny McCartan in memory of their daughter who was a passionate nurse at the Hospital.

When Harry contracted the flu in 2023, his family were not expecting to end up by his side at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital for months while he underwent intensive care for a life-threatening illness.

Harry’s mum, Meagan, explains, “Last year our family was rocked when our son Harry, at the age of 13, randomly contracted a very nasty Streptococcal Sepsis infection from what started as a simple flu.”

Within two days, Harry went from having the flu at home to being admitted to the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU).

Meagan says, “As parents, both his dad, Ben, and I were very distraught and not really sure what to do, but we knew we couldn’t leave his side.”

A recliner chair next to Harry’s bed brought the family a great deal of comfort during this time.

“In the first few very intense days in PICU, this humble chair was invaluable,” Meagan says.

“It provided somewhere for Ben, myself or other family members to sit by Harry’s side every minute of this journey. From there we could feed him ice chips, scratch his itches and ensure that, when he did occasionally open his eyes, he could see one of us with him.”

“The chair was our comfort, and most importantly it was our bed, allowing for a nap between doctor’s visits without having to leave the room or Harry. While it was only a chair, it helped us be there for Harry.”

Meagan, Harry and Ben with one of the new recliner chairs in PICU.

Meagan says, “Fast forward a couple of months, many ups and downs, lots of support from our family and friends and, most importantly, an incredible amount of courage, patience, resilience and hard work by Harry, we walked out of the hospital and made our way home.”

With Harry back home, the family decided to start a fundraiser to help purchase more of the recliner chairs they found so much comfort from, to support other families like theirs.

Meagan says, “When we return to the hospital for check-ups, I can’t help but think about the children in PICU and their families and consider what they are going through.”

“A simple chair might not directly help the child recover from their injury or find a magical cure for a rare disease they are fighting, but believe me when I say it will help. It will provide comfort when families need it most, and our families deserve this.”

Thanks to an amazing amount of support from the community, Meagan reached her goal, and we helped facilitate the purchase of new recliner chairs for PICU.

Learn more about the equipment and facilities we’ve funded for families

Thanks to our partnership with Cops for Kids, we’ve recently supported the expansion of the Women’s and Children’s Hospital’s sleep laboratory study service to allow for in-home sleep studies.

Funding was provided for two new sleep study devices, consumables and set-up costs. The Women’s and Children’s Hospital has the only public polysomnography (sleep study) service available to children in South Australia, and is in high demand, with often long waitlists.

Patients 12 years of age and above experiencing breathing problems during sleep can now undergo their sleep study from the comfort of their own home, reducing wait times and affecting change in their treatments more efficiently.

How it works

Dr John Wong is a respiratory and sleep consultant at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital.

He explains, “A home sleep study is a modified version of the hospital sleep study.”

“Families come to hospital with their child, get set up by one of our technicians and go home to have the study done.  The family come back the following day to return the equipment which allows the data to be downloaded and analyzed.”

“One of the main issues that we’ve had in our service is the waiting lists for in-hospital sleep studies. We have used this home-based sleep study as another avenue to relieve the pressure for in-hospital sleep studies.  Whilst it’s only at its infancy stage, it looks like we’re starting to get some really encouraging results.”

Through these encouraging results, the respiratory and sleep team are making a real difference in the day-to-day lives of teenagers.

Dr Wong says, “One of the common breathing conditions that we look for is obstructive sleep apnea. In addition to medical complications, we know that obstructive sleep apnea can affect daytime functioning and learning.  If we identify obstructive sleep apnea sooner, we can start treatment for it, that may help the teenagers to function better during the day.”

With the home sleep studies that have already been conducted, we are already seeing positive changes in management of patients due to how quickly we are able to get results.

Dr Wong says, “One patient had extremely abnormal breathing when he had his initial in-hospital study, probably one of the worst I’ve ever seen. He underwent treatment, and therapy for it.”

“If he were to wait for another in-hospital sleep study to check his progress, he could be waiting one to two years. Instead, we were able to get him in for a home sleep study, and the results were fantastic. We were able to reduce treatment for him. If we hadn’t had a home sleep study, he may be still on intensive treatment for a year or two.”

Affecting change

15-year-old Boohra Singh (pictured above with his mum, Raminder) was one of the first patients to undergo one of these home sleep studies.

Raminder explains that her son began experiencing breathing problems after contracting COVID, made more severe due to his lowered immunity because of his Crohn’s disease.

She says, “He started snoring at night. I felt like he was not breathing properly, he was having very long pauses. I was very worried, I couldn’t sleep.”

“I got a referral from my GP to see a sleep specialist. Dr Wong first did an in-hospital sleep study, and the results were bad. The doctor called us immediately, and we went to emergency. They started CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure – a common treatment for obstructive sleep apnea) as soon as possible.”

“After the CPAP, his result was very good. He started to sleep well. We then we got a nasal operation, and he got a little bit better.”

Boohra Singh then needed another sleep study, and was a perfect candidate for the new in-home approach.

Raminder says, “Dr Wong called us again and discussed if a home sleep study would be okay. I was very scared for my son, but after surgery and everything, I felt a little bit okay, and Dr, John Wong is a great doctor. He said to me that everything will be fine if we try to do a home sleep study.”

“When we went there, the nurses attended very well to Boohra. They explained every single thing that I had doubts about. They gave me all the answers, with examples and everything. They even said I can call in the middle of the night if I’m not sure what to do.”

Raminder and Boohra Singh were so pleased with the experience, and have already noticed significant improvements in his health.

Raminder says, “I think the home sleep study is very good. It’s very easy and we don’t need to spend the whole night in hospital.”

“It’s been very helpful. He’s not using a CPAP machine now. He’s not pausing his breath at night. And now he’s healthy. He can do whatever he wants. He can run, no problem. He’s good in class too, and not sleepy now in the morning.”

Dr Wong says, “We are so appreciative of the WCH Foundation for all their support, because it’s not just a reduction to our waiting list, but it does affect change for the patients that we’ve seen so far.”

“The hope is that this will be a sustainable option for children and teenagers who would otherwise have to wait for an inpatient service.”

Learn more about accessing this service

Multivitamin supplement use before and during pregnancy is not unusual, with most Australian women taking a multivitamin supplement at some stage during pregnancy.

Folic acid supplementation before pregnancy and during the first trimester is widely accepted as the easiest and most important thing mothers can do to benefit the health of their baby, as it reduces the chances of having a baby with a neural tube defect, such as spina bifida. Folic acid is therefore included in most prenatal and pregnancy supplements. Women typically continue to take these supplements throughout the remainder of their pregnancy, yet it is not known whether it is beneficial to continue folic acid supplementation beyond the first trimester.

Professor Tim Green of the Folic Acid in Gestation (FIG) Study, supported by the Women’s & Children’s Hospital Foundation (WCH Foundation) through its Bloom Research Program, said:

“We know that folic acid is a game-changer in those early stages of pregnancy … we want to understand how, or if, it can help further into pregnancy.”

The FIG Study, led by Professor Tim Green and Associate Professor Luke Grzeskowiak of Flinders University, in partnership with the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI), will explore the impact of folic acid supplementation during the later stages of pregnancy and the early months of a baby’s life.

Associate Professor Luke Grzeskowiak said, “For most women, we don’t know whether it is good or bad to continue folic acid supplements after the neural tube has closed at the end of the first trimester. We need robust evidence to ensure we’re providing the best and safest advice to expectant mothers about supplement use.”

The FIG study will recruit nearly 3,000 mothers from across Australia to be involved in a randomised controlled trial. Study coordinator Brooke Spencer says that the study is looking for women less than 16 weeks pregnant to participate. Pregnancy supplements will be provided throughout the second and third trimester, and for three months after delivery, at no cost to participants. The study will also involve dietary surveys to assess folic acid consumed in food.

Brooke said, “Those interested in taking part can visit our website for more information, or contact us by emailing FIGStudy@sahmri.com.”

The FIG study will help future families and their doctors make informed decisions about folic acid supplementation during later pregnancy and lactation, while the study has the potential to change current Australian and global guidelines around folic acid supplementation.

Through our Bloom Research Program, we support large-scale research projects into women’s and children’s health, led by South Australian researchers and institutions. We are proud to be supporting this rigorous trial, which we hope will add to the evidence base regarding how best to promote healthy foetal development during pregnancy.

Learn more about our medical research funding