Every gift, regardless of its size, is capable of creating an immediate difference in the lives of students and the outcomes of research at UQ.
A ‘transformational’ new gift to UQ’s Queensland Brain Institute (QBI) will support a new clinical interface at the facility, providing the Brisbane community with access to some of the world’s top neurological disease researchers.
The gift from The Brazil Family Foundation has been split between two areas, with $1 million put towards Motor Neurone Disease (MND) research, and $4 million funding stroke research.
QBI Director Professor Pankaj Sah said the gift would support the Institute’s move towards a clinical interface, increasing exposure between researchers and the patients they work so hard to help.
“The Brazil family are incredibly generous and they are passionate about understanding, managing and preventing neurological disease,” Sah said.
“Coming into the role with a background in medicine, it was my vision as Director to add a clinical arm to the Institute, allowing us to engage more heavily with the people burdened by neurological diseases and disorders.
“Having researchers and clinicians work side-by-side absolutely accelerates research, which is why The Brazil Family Foundation gift will be so transformative to stroke and MND research at QBI.”
The gift will support the work of QBI scientists such as Dr Lavinia Codd, a stroke survivor turned researcher and advocate, whose research is looking at ways to improve recovery.
“This gift means everything to me,” Codd said.
“As a stroke survivor and a stroke researcher, I am humbled and inspired by The Brazil Family Foundation’s gift to QBI.
“I feel the Brazils have truly chosen the right area to fund; their gift will be game changing, and will have an immense impact on the outcomes of stroke survivors.”
UQ’s research strengths lie in healthy development and ageing, feeding the world, resilient environments, technology for tomorrow, and transforming societies. Philanthropic funding drives research in these areas by offering brilliant students and researchers the means to discover new solutions to both existing and emerging world issues.
For more information about the Queensland Brain Institute, visit qbi.uq.edu.au.
Transforming the learning environment
UQ’s mission is not just to attract the world’s best teachers and researchers, but to cultivate and retain future generations of thought leaders by providing them with opportunities to advance their careers.
The Osiecki Travel Scholarship for Classics Research is an example of how donors have supported this mission at UQ, by helping students utilise overseas educational opportunities to develop a global perspective that provides them with cutting-edge skills.
As UQ is the only Queensland university to offer courses across all areas of the history, archaeology, culture, language and literature of Ancient Greece and Rome, scholarships such as the Osiecki Travel Scholarship for Classics Research ensure Australia can continue to produce leading scholars in these areas.
This scholarship has offered students like Dustin McKenzie (Master of Philosophy, Ancient History and Classics), first-hand access to the artefacts, texts and locations they are studying.
“I’ve been lucky enough to have the opportunity to go on three different overseas programs with UQ and each of them have been funded by scholarships,” McKenzie (pictured) said.
“I could not have had these educational travel opportunities without the support of a travel scholarship.
“This is what I want to do with my life, and the opportunity to visit these sites and see the landscapes and materials first-hand has really helped me to carry on and succeed.”
McKenzie’s current research, which focuses on the landscapes of Sicily, immensely benefited from his ability to travel to the Mediterranean where he could access both the physical landscapes and original texts of authors he is examining.
Continuing to cultivate students like McKenzie and attract, train and retain experts across various fields is a priority for UQ, one that is only made possible through donor support.