Our recent Your Impact Research Celebration brought together the Fiona Wood Foundation’s extended community—patients, families, research and clinical teams, and generous donors and supporters—for an evening that celebrated the collective achievements made possible by your continued support.
The event featured updates on key research projects and impactful collaborations:
Dr. Lisa Martin shared insights from her research at Perth Children’s Hospital, which focuses on the psychological, physiological, and psychosocial impacts of burn injuries. This work will help us better understand the challenges faced by burn survivors and their families in mind and body.
Dr. Lucy Barrett presented her study, Childhood Health and Immunity Post-Burn (CHIP): Assessing the Immune Response to Vaccination Following a Burn Injury. Preliminary data comparing five participants from the burn and the control group suggested potential differences in immune responses, offering early insights into how burn injuries may affect immunity. This highlights the importance of continuing recruitment, with the study aiming to recruit 20 participants in each group to build on these findings and provide a more comprehensive understanding of the immune response post-burn.
Graeme, FWF’s Data Innovation Specialist, and Jana Dawson from CISCO highlighted our collaboration with CSIRO on the development of MICE (Medical Information Consent for Everyone) and eConsent. These innovations have transitioned WA hospitals from paper-based systems to online platforms and their vision for how AI can transform and the boundaries of remote healthcare delivery in the future.
The night also featured a moving story from Tim, who shared his personal journey of recovery after sustaining severe burns—38% full-thickness, full-circumference burns to his arms, legs, and hands—in a fire on his farm just before Christmas 2023. Tim and his wife Sally spoke about the challenges of burn recovery and the critical role community and support networks played in their healing.
Di presented the Foundation’s 2024 highlights, reflecting on the year’s achievements in advancing research, education, and care, and how the Foundation continues to deliver on its vision of scarless healing.
Thank you to everyone who attended and supported the event. For us, it is a very special evening and one we look forward to each year. While much of our focus remains on investing in our research and supporting our teams, we recognise the importance of celebrating our achievements. This event provides a meaningful opportunity to bring together our community of professional collaborators, dedicated staff, burns families, and charity sponsors, reflecting on the collective effort that drives our work forward.