2026 Auric Innovation and Cabrini Foundation Grant Awardees

Through the philanthropic support of our donor community, Cabrini Research has been able to hold an internal grant round each year since 2015. These grants are 100% donor funded and have proven vital in enabling our researchers to progress their work closer to clinical adoption, expediting access to interventions of tangible benefit to patient outcomes and quality of life.

This year, seven grants were distributed across a range of projects, reflecting the diversity of research currently being pursued at Cabrini. Of these, Professor Anna Rosamilia (Obstetrics and Gynaecology) has been awarded the Auric Innovation Grant, made possible by Evan Johnstone together with his parents Lee and Brian Johnstone. Through this funding, Professor Rosamilia will aim to develop a First-in-Class RNA Therapy to Prevent Pelvic Floor Disorders after Obstetric Birth Injury. Doing so will empower breakthroughs for women experiencing pelvic floor disorders postpartum, bringing them hope, healing and improved quality of life when they need it most.

In addition to this, six Cabrini Foundation Grants have been awarded, one in cancer, one in cardiology and four in general research / quality improvement categories. These will allow:

• Dr Jasveena Kaur, Professor Gary Richardson, Dr Thierry Jardé, Dr Dilys Leung (Medical Oncology) to map breast cancer cell communications using assembloids, seeking to explain variation in treatment response and resistance, recurrence, and long-term disease progression;
• Dr Louise Segan (Cardiology) to investigate whether Pulsed field ablation is redefining patient selection in cases of cardiac atrial fibrillation, including older and medically complex patients;
• Dr SuJen Chua (Obstetrics) to evaluate whether SGLT2 inhibitors help lower the risk of preeclampsia and lead to better long-term heart and kidney health outcomes;
• Dr Isabella Centeleghe (Nursing) to conduct a study of sink contamination and risk in Australian Healthcare Facilities; ‍
• Dr Jiantao (Ada) Xie (Perioperative) to conduct a study to improve patient flow through the post-anaesthesia care unit, supporting clinical efficiency and the sustainability of high-volume surgical services; and‍
• Claire Deagan (Dietetics) evaluating the safety, cost, and waste implications of reusing packaged food in hospital food services;

Cabrini Foundation together with Cabrini Research would like to congratulate all awardees of this year’s internal grants round and looks forward to their future contributions in improving models of care in their respective fields.

Learn more about how you can support Research at Cabrini here

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Caption: Professor Anna Rosamilia will aim to target the underlying biological mechanisms of pelvic floor disorder tissue damage, representing a paradigmatic shift from reactive surgical management toward early preventative intervention through support from the Auric Innovation Grant.

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