Traumatic Brain Injury Mission Expert Working Group

Role

The Traumatic Brain Injury Mission EWG was appointed in December 2019 to provide the Minister for Health with advice on the strategic priorities for research investment through this mission. Its role was to define evidence and knowledge gaps that should be addressed through mission research funding to assist in transforming health care and health outcomes for individuals and communities. This role included the definition of key research questions that, if answered, will deliver meaningful change to patients through the translation of research.

EWG members consulted and engaged with other researchers, industry and consumer/patient groups and participated in media and public activities to build awareness of and facilitate interaction with the mission and with other MRFF-funded research.

Further information on the roles and responsibilities of MRFF Expert Advisory Panels can be found in the MRFF Mission Governance resource.

Members

The EWG was independently chaired with 2 co-deputy chairs and included members appointed for their expertise in research, clinical, commercial or community aspects of traumatic brain injury medicine. It ceased in August 2021. The following information, including declarations of interest, was current until the EWG ceased.

Member	Background and experience	Declarations of interest
Professor Melinda Fitzgerald (Chair)	Professor Fitzgerald is a Professor of Neurotrauma at Curtin University and the Perron Institute.	Chief Executive Officer of Connectivity Traumatic Brain Injury Australia, a not-for-profit organisation. NHMRC and MRFF grant funding recipient.
Associate Professor Dinesh Varma (Co-Deputy Chair)	Associate Professor Varma is the Deputy Director of Radiology and Head of Emergency & Trauma Radiology at The Alfred Health and Honorary Researcher at National Trauma Research Institute, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.	Consultant for research funding applications. MRFF grant funding recipient.
Emeritus Professor Robert Vink AM (Co-Deputy Chair)	Retired Emeritus Professor and former Pro Vice Chancellor (Health Sciences) at the University of South Australia.	Member of the Board, Connectivity Traumatic Brain Injury Australia. Consultant for research funding applications. Shareholder in an Australian neuro pharmaceutical company.
Associate Professor Jennifer Cullen	Associate Professor Cullen is the Chief Executive Officer of Synapse – Australia’s Brain Injury Organisation.	Department of Social Services and MRFF grant funding recipient.
Professor Mark Fitzgerald	Professor Fitzgerald is the Director of Trauma Services at The Alfred Health and Director of the National Trauma Research Institute at Monash University.	Co-Chair of Australian Government funded Australian New Zealand Trauma Registry. Shareholder in the Intellectual Property from related software development. NHMRC and MRFF grant funding recipient.
Professor Belinda Gabbe	Professor Gabbe is the Head of the Prehospital, Emergency and Trauma Research Unit at Monash University.	Lead of state and national Australian clinical registries including trauma, burns and transport related injuries. NHMRC and MRFF grant funding recipient.
Ms Kate King	Ms King is a Clinical Nurse Consultant at the John Hunter Trauma Service and Hunter New England Health.	Nil.
Professor Skye McDonald	Professor McDonald is a professor of Psychology at UNSW Sydney.	ARC, NHMRC and MRFF grant funding recipient.
Associate Professor Cliff Pollard AM	Associate Professor Pollard is a former research ambassador at the Jamieson Trauma Institute and a former Director of Trauma Services at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital.	Philanthropic and research organisation grant funding recipient.
Associate Professor Adam Scheinberg	Associate Professor Scheinberg is the Statewide Medical Director for the Victorian Paediatric Rehabilitation Service and Head of rehabilitation at the Royal Children’s Hospital.	MRFF, state government and philanthropic grant funding recipient.
Professor James Vickers	Professor Vickers is Director of the Wicking Dementia Centre at the University of Tasmania.	Member of the Board for an aged and community care provider. Member of the Board – Dementia Australia Research Foundation. Philanthropic, NHMRC and MRFF grant funding recipient.
Ms Janet Wagland	Ms Wagland is the General Manager, Community at the Brightwater Care Group Ltd.	Provides consulting advice to a research team.
Dr Jodie-Kate Williams	Dr Williams is a general surgeon and the Director of Trauma at the National Critical Care and Trauma Response Centre at the Royal Darwin Hospital.	MRFF grant funding recipient.
Members declarations were accurate at the time of the group cessation. No conflicts of interest required action beyond ‘register’ as defined in the MRFF Declaration of Interest Policy Statement.

Related committees and groups

The Traumatic Brain Injury Mission EWG reported to the Minister for Health.

The Health and Medical Research Office provided secretariat support to the EWG.