Events

One of the biggest issues facing New Zealand is the cost of climate change, and our poor preparedness as a society to foot the bill for climate-induced hazards on the coast such as sea level rise and increasing storm surges. Much of our infrastructure and many communities are located in coastal areas. We need creative thinking about how we respond to a changing climate, because who will pay when we are forced to go?

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Catherine Iorns collects predictions about the future of food in 2050. Perhaps the scariest are the 'business as usual' scenarios. The only certainty? Change.

The future of food is tied up with the future of water, soil, climate, waste, pollution, and population growth.  It is also dependent on human responses to threats and technological possibilities. As with the effects of climate change and other environmental degradation, there are many possible future scenarios.  Perhaps the scariest are from 'business as usual' scenarios, where the only certainty is change.


Catherine Iorns has collected predictions related to the future of food in 2050.  All involve change. This talk will summarise a range of them, not to say what the future will necessarily hold, but what has been predicted under some scenarios.

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Otago Museum, in collaboration with Orokonui Ecosanctuary, invites you to discover the story of Hinewai Nature Reserve on Banks Peninsula, and its transformation from farmland back into native forest that has created a haven for our treasured endemic species.

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Cawthron Institute, New Zealand’s largest independent science organisation, invites professionals from industry, government and iwi, with an interest in the possibilities of open ocean aquaculture, to join us for our inaugural Cawthron Open Oceans Symposium. www.openoceans.nz

Open ocean aquaculture is New Zealand’s newest and most challenging frontier. We’re lifting the lid on how to meet this challenge through state-of-the-art environmentally sustainable technologies and world class science.

New Zealand’s aquaculture industry is growing in response to globally increasing demand but is constrained by limited access to sheltered inshore farm space. The new frontier is open ocean aquaculture, where large tracts of consented space are available but farming is challenging in exposed and dynamic waters.

With technology opportunities progressing at pace, Cawthron’s Open Ocean Symposium is a unique opportunity to bring together industry and global research leaders to discuss New Zealand’s open ocean aquaculture potential. 

New engineering concepts and farming approaches are needed to maximise the sustainable production potential of the challenging open ocean environment and give industry confidence to invest. Cawthron Institute is leading the country in advancing open ocean aquaculture technology through the development of new tools and methods to cost-effectively farm shellfish and finfish.

During this Symposium you’ll hear about technological advancements from Cawthron scientists and global research leaders, as well as the social and economic impacts of open ocean aquaculture.

The symposium will include plenary presentations from keynote speakers, as well as break out sessions focusing on shellfish/seaweed and finfish. There will also be multiple networking opportunities.
Cawthron Institute, New Zealand’s largest independent science organisation, invites professionals from industry, government and iwi, with an interest in the possibilities of open ocean aquaculture, to join us for our inaugural Cawthron Open Oceans Symposium.
 
Open ocean aquaculture is New Zealand’s newest and most challenging frontier.

We’re lifting the lid on how to meet this challenge through state-of-the-art environmentally sustainable technologies and world class science.

More information.

Seminar presented by Dr Max Rashbrooke.

In New Zealand, and elsewhere, there is widespread dissatisfaction with how governments operate. Attempting to make governments work more like markets has failed to deliver promised change.

But deep democracy – which finds ways for citizens to come together, intelligently discuss issues, and directly shape policy – offers a way to create governments fit for the 21st century.
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Cawthron Institute, New Zealand’s largest independent science organisation, invites professionals from industry, government and iwi, with an interest in the possibilities of open ocean aquaculture, to join us for our inaugural Cawthron Open Oceans Symposium. www.openoceans.nz

Open ocean aquaculture is New Zealand’s newest and most challenging frontier. We’re lifting the lid on how to meet this challenge through state-of-the-art environmentally sustainable technologies and world class science.

New Zealand’s aquaculture industry is growing in response to globally increasing demand but is constrained by limited access to sheltered inshore farm space. The new frontier is open ocean aquaculture, where large tracts of consented space are available but farming is challenging in exposed and dynamic waters.

With technology opportunities progressing at pace, Cawthron’s Open Ocean Symposium is a unique opportunity to bring together industry and global research leaders to discuss New Zealand’s open ocean aquaculture potential. 

New engineering concepts and farming approaches are needed to maximise the sustainable production potential of the challenging open ocean environment and give industry confidence to invest. Cawthron Institute is leading the country in advancing open ocean aquaculture technology through the development of new tools and methods to cost-effectively farm shellfish and finfish.

During this Symposium you’ll hear about technological advancements from Cawthron scientists and global research leaders, as well as the social and economic impacts of open ocean aquaculture.

The symposium will include plenary presentations from keynote speakers, as well as break out sessions focusing on shellfish/seaweed and finfish. There will also be multiple networking opportunities.
Cawthron Institute, New Zealand’s largest independent science organisation, invites professionals from industry, government and iwi, with an interest in the possibilities of open ocean aquaculture, to join us for our inaugural Cawthron Open Oceans Symposium.
 
Open ocean aquaculture is New Zealand’s newest and most challenging frontier.

We’re lifting the lid on how to meet this challenge through state-of-the-art environmentally sustainable technologies and world class science.

More information.

Please join us in celebrating Professor Elizabeth Broadbent's achievement at her inaugural lecture.


How do people interact with healthcare robots in the lab, in the home, and in healthcare settings? Elizabeth’s research into social robotics examines people’s feelings of companionship with robots, the health benefits of robots, and what concerns need to be considered with the use of this technology.

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New Zealanders are in danger of creating “zombie” rivers, not because of nutrient overloading, but because we’re locking our waterways into position between stopbanks and impounding their headwaters.

Professor James Brasington, inaugural holder of the Waikato Regional Council Chair of River Science at the University of Waikato, says we risk the creation of zombie rivers because too often we prevent them from finding their own course and treat them as a means to simply to get excess water out to sea as fast as possible.

He’ll be talking about his research as part of the University of Waikato Hamilton Public Lecture Series, on Tuesday 6 August.

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Cawthron Institute, New Zealand’s largest independent science organisation, invites professionals from industry, government and iwi, with an interest in the possibilities of open ocean aquaculture, to join us for our inaugural Cawthron Open Oceans Symposium. www.openoceans.nz

Open ocean aquaculture is New Zealand’s newest and most challenging frontier. We’re lifting the lid on how to meet this challenge through state-of-the-art environmentally sustainable technologies and world class science.

New Zealand’s aquaculture industry is growing in response to globally increasing demand but is constrained by limited access to sheltered inshore farm space. The new frontier is open ocean aquaculture, where large tracts of consented space are available but farming is challenging in exposed and dynamic waters.

With technology opportunities progressing at pace, Cawthron’s Open Ocean Symposium is a unique opportunity to bring together industry and global research leaders to discuss New Zealand’s open ocean aquaculture potential. 

New engineering concepts and farming approaches are needed to maximise the sustainable production potential of the challenging open ocean environment and give industry confidence to invest. Cawthron Institute is leading the country in advancing open ocean aquaculture technology through the development of new tools and methods to cost-effectively farm shellfish and finfish.

During this Symposium you’ll hear about technological advancements from Cawthron scientists and global research leaders, as well as the social and economic impacts of open ocean aquaculture.

The symposium will include plenary presentations from keynote speakers, as well as break out sessions focusing on shellfish/seaweed and finfish. There will also be multiple networking opportunities.
Cawthron Institute, New Zealand’s largest independent science organisation, invites professionals from industry, government and iwi, with an interest in the possibilities of open ocean aquaculture, to join us for our inaugural Cawthron Open Oceans Symposium.
 
Open ocean aquaculture is New Zealand’s newest and most challenging frontier.

We’re lifting the lid on how to meet this challenge through state-of-the-art environmentally sustainable technologies and world class science.

More information.

Please join us for this Inaugural Professorial Lecture by Professor Alister Neill of the Department of Medicine, University of Otago, Wellington.

Alister’s research interests include obstructive sleep apnoea and its relationship to cardiovascular disease, sleep health disparity, new sleep health technologies, how diet can improve sleep and alertness, home non-invasive ventilation and pneumonia. 

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Better brains or life-long health – is there a trade-off for at-risk babies?

World-renowned researcher Distinguished Professor Jane Harding, Neonatologist Dr Chris McKinlay and PhD student Dr Luling Lin from the Liggins Institute will talk about the profound questions raised by the latest mother and baby research.

As death and major disability become less common for at-risk babies, the focus is shifting towards supporting them to thrive, but we might have to make trade-offs between their intellectual development and life-long health.

Join us at this special free Liggins Institute Public Lecture for a fascinating exploration into this new frontier of research.

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What did the mosque attacks do to New Zealanders’ trust in each other? Simon Chapple lays out the findings of a survey we ran in the aftermath of the shootings.

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Book launch:
HIV survivors in Sydney: Memories of the epidemic
Cheryl Ware

This book excavates the intimate lives and memories of HIV-positive gay men in Sydney, focusing on the critical years between 1982 and 1996, when HIV went from being a terrifying unidentified disease to a chronic condition that could be managed with antiretroviral medication.

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Public lecture presented by Professor Karen Witten

How can we create public spaces in our cities that welcome children’s presence and nurture their wellbeing? A place to start is to recognise children as experts in their own lives and engage them in co-designing public spaces that meet their needs and aspirations.

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In his lecture Professor Anthony Bailey will talk about how these factors and emerging evidence has led to a need for change in our perspective of ASD. Rather belatedly, we have realised that individuals with ASD have rates of comorbid psychiatric disorders that are similar to those seen in individuals with intellectual disability, and which are a frequent cause of impairment. Increasingly more able individuals are being diagnosed in adult life, often after presenting with a comorbid disorder, which has drawn attention to an often poor adult outcome, particularly with respect to employment.

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Join Associate Professor Konrad Richter and a panel of local experts in an open and honest public discussion about Cervical Cancer and the HPV vaccine. This lecture is free and open to the public.

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Can we pick Aotearoa’s next billion-dollar food and fibre industries? How can scientists help land-owners diversify farming systems to better suit their land? How do we harness the power of collaboration to build trust and make better decisions? These are just some of the significant issues that will be up for discussion at the symposium, being held at Te Papa, Wellington on 12 and 13 August 2019. Head along to rub shoulders with, and be inspired by, researchers, regional council members, Māori land owners, food producers, farm consultants and representatives from industry, agribusiness, NGOs and government. An impressive line-up of keynotes will be supported by dynamic panel discussions and quick-fire updates on the science and research being done by Our Land and Water’s partner organisations. Early Bird tickets are just $119 for two days and are on sale until 21 July – get yours today. For latest updates, follow us on Facebook, sign up to their newsletter or check the website. #OLW2019 When: Monday 12 and Tuesday 13 August 2019

In this public lecture, Robert H. Wade, professor of global political economy at LSE, will argue that the Trump presidency is a symptom of an emerging global syndrome of popular support for ‘strongman’ rule, fractured economic globalisation and a gridlock in global governance. Or in the spirit of The Economist: we are living in an anti-liberal revolution.

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Can we pick Aotearoa’s next billion-dollar food and fibre industries? How can scientists help land-owners diversify farming systems to better suit their land? How do we harness the power of collaboration to build trust and make better decisions? These are just some of the significant issues that will be up for discussion at the symposium, being held at Te Papa, Wellington on 12 and 13 August 2019. Head along to rub shoulders with, and be inspired by, researchers, regional council members, Māori land owners, food producers, farm consultants and representatives from industry, agribusiness, NGOs and government. An impressive line-up of keynotes will be supported by dynamic panel discussions and quick-fire updates on the science and research being done by Our Land and Water’s partner organisations. Early Bird tickets are just $119 for two days and are on sale until 21 July – get yours today. For latest updates, follow us on Facebook, sign up to their newsletter or check the website. #OLW2019 When: Monday 12 and Tuesday 13 August 2019

Come and hear ex-Dunedinite and University of Otago alumna, Professor Helen Heslop's free public lecture titled 'Engineering immune cells to fight cancer and viruses." Professor Heslop will talk about the ground breaking clinical trials she has conducted over her career as a world leader in using cell therapy to treat cancer and infectious diseases.

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Managing New Zealand’s landscapes into the future will be even more challenging given adverse biodiversity trends, the billion trees initiative, tourism pressures, climate change and big policy-driven land use changes in prospect. We need new approaches and tools. 

Through New Eyes will critically assess the existing framework for land and seascape protection. We will delve deeply into new thinking. We will draw on local exemplars and fresh international models. We will explore a ‘third way’ – a new, innovative approach to better protect highly valued, private land. And we’ll assess the future of our conservation estate.

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Where is hope found, when the possibility of a human future is believed to be foreclosed?

Dr. Susan Wardell presents a case study of the negotiation of moral life in the Anthropocene, based on preliminary findings from participant-observation in several online support groups related to the Near-Term Human Extinction (NTHE) movement, and a discourse analysis of the word ‘hopium’. Emerging results include struggles over truth, data, and predictions of the future, and paradoxes of human agency and blame.

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Dr David Newcombe, PhD, BA (Hons), BA
Social and Community Health, School of Population Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Auckland

Dr Andy Towers, PhD, MA, BA (Hons)
School of Health Sciences, Massey University

Most New Zealanders drink alcohol, but research indicates that many drink above what are considered to be 'safe limits'. Drinking above these limits can have a serious impact on long-term health, and is implicated in events such as injuries and road traffic accidents. Traditionally, there has been a focus on younger people drinking, but more recently drinking in older age has come under the spotlight. As we age, we are more likely to suffer from chronic health conditions which can be worsened by drinking alcohol, and to be taking medicines which interact badly with alcohol. In addition, our body's ability to 'process' alcohol is reduced, and this can result in higher blood alcohol levels for the same amount of alcohol consumed. All of this means that drinking in older age can be much more hazardous than drinking when we were younger.

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Join psychologist Dr Marilyn Willis, paediatrician Dr Pam Jackson, Autism advocate Tanea Paterson, and Psychiatric nurse and educator Matthew Peppercorn for an open and thought-provoking discussion about Autism.

Hear first-hand from knowledgeable local advocates and professionals, and lend your voice to the conversation.

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Glen Willoughby and Tom Soderstrom from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory will deliver this public lecture alongside Space Base and the New Zealand Space Agency.

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is exploring space for the betterment of humanity on Earth. In this public lecture Glen Willoughby and Tom Soderstrom (NASA JPL) will discuss the organisation’s history, its early links with New Zealand and some of the major milestones over the past eight years of space exploration.

Case studies will include Mars exploration, Europa (Jupiter’s ice moon) and the Mars programme; and how the development of technology enables ‘ever increasing leaps’ in the exploration of space.

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Managing New Zealand’s landscapes into the future will be even more challenging given adverse biodiversity trends, the billion trees initiative, tourism pressures, climate change and big policy-driven land use changes in prospect. We need new approaches and tools. 

Through New Eyes will critically assess the existing framework for land and seascape protection. We will delve deeply into new thinking. We will draw on local exemplars and fresh international models. We will explore a ‘third way’ – a new, innovative approach to better protect highly valued, private land. And we’ll assess the future of our conservation estate.

More information. 

Hidden all around us are complex microbial communities in which myriad of bacterial species must compete with their foes and communicate with their brethren in order to survive. Interactions in these communities are mediated by secondary metabolites, a collection of small molecules whose structures and biological activities are vastly diverse. Beyond their natural roles, microbial secondary metabolites have been incredibly valuable as a source of antibiotics, anticancer agents, immunosuppressants, and many other compounds used in both medicine and basic research.

Dr Jeremy Owen’s research group uses DNA sequencing and data mining approaches to discover the genetic cassettes that direct secondary metabolite production. Dr Owen and colleagues then express these in a laboratory friendly hosts in order to unlock access to the compounds they encode.


In this seminar, Dr Owen will discuss recent efforts to discover new biologically active secondary metabolites via sequencing the genomes of both cultivated and uncultivated microbes from a variety of New Zealand environments, including soils, lichens and marine sponges.

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The annual Dan and Gwen Taylor Lecture for 2019, titled 'On the Idea of Social Licence', will be presented by Professor Tim Dare (Auckland).


It has become increasingly common to refer to ‘social licence’; roughly, to the idea that the legitimacy of some activity – mining, oil exploration, the use of advanced analytics by Government agencies – depends upon its ongoing approval or acceptance by affected communities.

On the face of it, social licence sounds like something we should care about, and justifications that appeal to social licence have a superficial plausibility. However, there are reasons to be wary of the idea. There is no consensus about exactly what social licence is, or how we are to determine whether an activity has it. There appears to have been social licence for deeply problematic practices – medical paternalism for instance. And it is surely no accident that the term ‘licence’ evokes familiar and formal approval processes which are in fact absent from social licence.

I will argue that social licence illegitimately helps itself to the moral and political weight of more formal approval processes. It is an idea we should abandon, or at least treat with great suspicion.

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It is 30 years since the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child was signed, setting out the civil, political, economic, social, health and cultural rights of the child.

The panel of four international experts on children’s rights will share their reflections on the potential of the international children’s rights framework, followed by remarks from New Zealand’s Children’s Commissioner.

Chair:

    Associate Professor Nessa Lynch, Faculty of Law, Victoria University of Wellington

Panel:

    Justice Vui Clarence Nelson, United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, Justice of the Supreme Court of Samoa
    Professor Ursula Kilkelly, University College Cork, Ireland
    Professor Laura Lundy, Queen’s University Belfast, Northern Ireland
    Bruce Adamson, Children and Young People’s Commissioner, Scotland

    Judge Andrew Becroft, Children’s Commissioner

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Associate Professor Christine Kenney


How resilient are our communities as we face an increasing number of natural hazards resulting from climate change? Psychosocial, environmental and economic impacts of events such as the Kaikoura quakes, the Edgecumbe flood and the drought-induced Nelson/Tasman bush fire have had catastrophic consequences. This talk draws on global and local examples to showcase how Indigenous approaches to disaster management underpinned by cultural values are effective in addressing communities’ immediate and longer-term needs.

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The Vice-Chancellor of Victoria University of Wellington, Professor Grant Guilford, invites you to a public lecture by Professor of Biology, Kevin Burns.

Oceanic islands are storehouses for unique creatures. Zoologists have long been fascinated by island animals because they break all the rules. Speedy, nervous, little birds repeatedly evolve to become plump, tame, and flightless on islands. Equally strange and wonderful plants have evolved on islands, although their evolution is poorly understood, relative to animals.


Professor Kevin Burns from the School of Biological Sciences will discuss ‘the island syndrome’ in plants, summarising two decades of research at Victoria University of Wellington looking at whether plants repeatedly evolve similar patterns in dispersal ability, size, and defence on islands.

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In an investigation of strategies for enhancing carbon sequestration in wetlands, we have shown that a variety of novel approaches hold potential as modifiers of global carbon sequestration capacity. Peat-accumulating wetlands (peatlands), have higher C-storage densities per unit ecosystem area than either the oceans or dry terrestrial systems. Peatlands cover just 2-3% of the Earth’s landmass and yet store 455Pg of C, or almost 1/3 of world soil carbon. The remarkable preservation of ancient organic archaeological artefacts, such as bog bodies, further attest to their exceptional preservative properties. Past studies demonstrate that peatlands sequester carbon due to the inhibitory effects of phenolic compounds which create an ‘enzymic latch’ on decomposition. Here we show the potential for harnessing that mechanism in a series of peatland-engineering strategies in which molecular, biogeochemical, agronomical and afforestation approaches, increase carbon capture and long-term sequestration in peat-forming wetland ecosystems. Our studies consider the significance of the sequestration-enhancement approach in both natural and restored ecosystems, and in the prevention of destabilisation of ancient carbon stores following human impacts.


Come along and listen to Professor Chris Freeman, Professor of Peatland Biogeochemistry at Bangor University.

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Following the horrific terrorist attacks on the Christchurch mosques earlier this year, a group of governments and online service providers signed the Christchurch Call to Action at a summit initiated by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. The document outlines voluntary commitments to address violent extremist content online.

Following the horrific terrorist attacks on the Christchurch mosques earlier this year, a group of governments and online service providers signed the Christchurch Call to Action at a summit initiated by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. The document outlines voluntary commitments to address violent extremist content online.

Although few would dispute the need to curb online extremism, the Christchurch Call raises many other questions concerning the governance of social media. What should we demand from digital intermediaries, internet service providers, and governments to ensure online media serve the wider interests of the public? Is the Christchurch Call agreement sufficient? What other interventions might be needed, and who can be trusted with regulatory powers over the media?

Join Victoria University of Wellington’s Peter Thompson and Marcin Betkier as they discuss the background of the Christchurch Call and challenges that decision-makers face to address the problems that digital technologies pose to media, society, and regulatory regimes.

Peter Thompson is a senior lecturer in Media Studies and chair of the Better Public Media Trust.


Marcin Betkier is a lecturer at the School of Law and the author of recently published book Effective Privacy Management for Internet Services.

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We all hear about 'super-bugs' all the time, but what does that really mean, and how will it affect us? New trends show an old sexually transmitted infection, gonorrhea has become a super-bug. Come here UoW expert scientist Joanna Hicks discuss her work studying antibiotic-resistant gonorrhea, and other interesting scientific takes on sexual health and risk


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You are warmly invited to Massey University’s Centre for Public Health Research public lecture presented by Professor Bill Glass who is considered the godfather of occupational health in New Zealand.

In January 1958, age 26, Bill Glass signed on as ship’s doctor for the Port Hobart, a cargo vessel with 12 passengers bound for London.

He was inexperienced, had no job to go to, nowhere to stay. Why was he going? Where would it lead? He knew he had to get away from New Zealand to visit the “old world” – the world his father referred to as “home”.

In reflecting on these 60 years, Bill will refer to the influences, the individuals, the ideas and the attitudes that helped to mould him into an occupational physician.


A career with its high and lows but at its conclusion saw him named as Senior New Zealander of the Year for 2019 and one of the 150 Otago University Alumni Heroes – 150 for the 150 years since the founding of Otago University.

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Promotion to professor at the University of Auckland is a mark of distinction, recognising professional and academic eminence at an international level.

Please join us in celebrating Professor Douglas' achievement at his inaugural lecture.

Abstract:
Chronic rhinosinusitis is very common, however the pathogenesis of this condition remains largely unknown. Our research, using molecular techniques, explores the relationship between the micro-organisms in the sinuses and the inflammatory response that they induce. As antibiotics are commonly prescribed for CRS, determining the role of bacteria in this condition is a key step in guiding appropriate antibiotic usage. However, the microbial complexity of the sinonasal mucosa is enormous, and our attempts to influence the flora of the nose with antibiotics may have unexpected consequences.

Biography:

Professor Richard Douglas is an ORL surgeon with a particular interest in endoscopic sinus and medial skull base surgery. He is Professor of Surgery at the University of Auckland and Consultant Surgeon at Auckland City Hospital.


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Place as person, landscape as identity.
Ancestral connection and modern legislation

The School of Environment's Cumberland lecture by Kennedy Warne

In 1972, in a landmark essay, US legal scholar Christopher Stone asked, “Should trees have standing?” What would it mean, he asked, to conceive of the natural world from a nonhuman perspective? Could we imagine a world in which trees—and rivers, mountains, glaciers, and more—possessed innate existence rights enshrined in law?

Almost 50 years later, New Zealand has led the world in granting legal personhood to a river, Whanganui, a former national park, Te Urewera, and soon a mountain, Taranaki. At the heart of these legislative decisions is not just the issue of rights for nature, but a recognition of longstanding connectivity between land and indigenous people and of a worldview that espouses unity and reciprocity between the human and nonhuman realms.

Writer, editor and broadcaster Kennedy Warne discusses the geographical implications of the Whanganui River and Te Urewera decisions and reflects on his own evolving conversation with landscape. The talk will include a response from Daniel Hikuroa, a senior lecturer in Māori studies at the University of Auckland.

Registrations are essential as seats are limited.
About Kennedy Warne

Kennedy Warne co-founded New Zealand Geographic in 1988 and served as the magazine’s editor for 15 years. He continues to write for the magazine, as well as for National Geographic, to which he has contributed for the past 20 years. He writes mostly on history, geography and the natural world, but increasingly addresses contemporary issues such as climate change, environmental ethics and indigenous worldviews.


For the past 10 years he has provided an outdoors and environmental perspective to Radio New Zealand’s weekday morning programme, Nine to Noon, with a segment entitled “Off the Beaten Track.” He has written books on the global loss of mangrove forests, a 20-year retrospective of his work for New Zealand Geographic, a profile of the Tūhoe iwi and two children’s stories.


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Through the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI) researchers can access a wider range of health and social data than ever before. This opens new opportunities in public health research, and also challenges. This seminar will discuss the use of integrated data for health and social research and provide examples of how it is being used for projects in the Department of Public Health.

Sheree Gibb is an expert in the Integrated Data Infrastructure and its use for health and social research. Andrea is a Senior Research Fellow and leads IDI research in the Healthier Lives National Science Challenge. Maddie uses the IDI to evaluate housing-related interventions on health and social outcomes.

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Professor Lynette Sadleir

Epilepsy is the most common serious neurological illness of children and young people. It is a group of disorders with varying outcomes organised into syndromes defined by age of onset, type of seizures, EEG features and comorbidities.

The developmental and epileptic encephalopathies (DEE) are the most devastating childhood epilepsy syndromes in which seizures and interictal electrographic epileptic activity contribute to severe cognitive and behavioural deterioration beyond what is expected for the underlying pathology alone. Mortality in these children is 25% by 20 years of age and those who survive have significant lifelong disabilities.

Although individual epileptic encephalopathy syndromes may be rare, as a group the epileptic encephalopathies are not uncommon (1 in 2000 births) and account for a significant proportion of health resource allocation.

The discovery of de novo mutations in SCN1A in 80% of children with a specific type of DEE was paradigm shifting in our understanding of the aetiology of the epileptic encephalopathies which, prior to 2001, were thought to be acquired.

We are now able to make a clinical genetic diagnosis in ~40% of individuals with these catastrophic disorders. Ongoing research using sophisticated phenotyping and novel molecular genetic strategies are also progressing the goal of precision medicine for these children.

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