The Hospital Research Foundation Group (THRFG) is proud to award more than $252,000 to the Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Adelaide to progress seven life-changing projects for children and young people across South Australia.
The projects will improve outcomes for children living with cancer, intellectual disability, chronic pain, whooping cough, hearing loss and complex health needs.
One project will also help improve the safety of staff, patients and families during challenging or high-stress situations in hospital care settings.
“Our investment in the Women’s and Children’s Health Network allows us to back important research and care services that can genuinely make a difference to families in South Australia,” THRFG Chief Executive Professor Paul Flynn said.
“These projects have the potential to improve and save lives, and we’re proud to support the hard-working teams delivering better healthcare for our kids and young people with serious health conditions.”
Professor Helen Marshall AM, WCHN Clinical Research Director said:
“We are so grateful for THRFG’s generosity in providing support for projects that will improve health outcomes for women and children, both as patients of the WCH and in the community.
“These projects address challenging health needs for children and families and in doing so will improve health for all children.”
The seven projects include:
- Optimising a potential new type of immunotherapy for children with neuroblastoma (a childhood cancer)
- Investigating how adolescents carry whooping cough without symptoms
- Improving oral health care for children with severe intellectual disability
- Removing barriers to physiotherapy for young people with persistent pelvic pain
- Evaluating the impact Code Grey responses (behavioural or challenging situations) have on staff, patients and families
- Determining how best to review and support children at risk of hearing loss due to cytomegalovirus
- Co-designing a culturally-safe communication tool to support clinical conversations about female genital mutilation/cutting.
The successful recipients were announced at the Women’s and Children’s Health Network’s Research Week Symposium at Adelaide Oval on 27 February 2026.
