The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research

Latest News 10/2010

$100K to research diseases causing childhood death

 

A $100,000 PhD scholarship to support research into diseases that affect children will be announced in Tasmania today by the director of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute.

Institute director Professor Doug Hilton will announce the $100,000 Cyril and Paddy Pearl Scholarship when he visits Saint Canice Lifestyle Village in Sandy Bay.

The scholarship has been named after Mrs Paddy Pearl and her late husband Mr Cyril Pearl. Mrs Pearl last year sold her home, Campania House, generously donating some of the proceeds of the $1.54 million sale to the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute.

Professor Hilton will be visiting Mrs Pearl tomorrow at Saint Canice, where she has lived since the sale of Campania House. He will be accompanied by the institute’s general manager Ms Maureen O’Keefe, breast cancer researcher Dr Samantha Oakes, and community relations manager Ms Deb Cutts.

Following a presentation by Professor Hilton, Dr Oakes will update the Saint Canice residents and invited guests on the latest discoveries in breast cancer research being made at the institute.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in Australia, with more than 13,600 new cases expected this year. About 2800 Australian women will die from breast cancer in 2010.

Professor Hilton said the Cyril and Paddy Pearl Scholarship had been established to acknowledge Mrs Pearl’s support of research that aims to improve the health of children.

“Our scientists are working to find causes, methods of prevention and treatments for several diseases that have a huge impact on children, including leukaemia, rheumatic fever, malaria and type 1 diabetes,” Professor Hilton said. “Each year malaria kills more than one million children worldwide and rheumatic fever, although having disappeared from most developed countries, is still rife in remote areas of northern and central Australia where it causes lifelong health problems for indigenous Australians.”

“The Cyril and Paddy Pearl Scholarship will support for three years a PhD student who is studying one of these childhood diseases.

“Paddy Pearl’s philanthropy and belief in what we are trying to achieve as an institute has given our researchers tremendous encouragement. “Her personal commitment to improving the quality of life and health outcomes for her fellow Australians and people around the world is an inspiration.”

For further information
Penny Fannin
Strategic Communications Manager
Ph: +61 3 9345 2345
Mob: 0417 125 700
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

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