A message from the RBWH Foundation

‘There is no greater generosity than that which saves a life.’

As the charity supporting Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital (RBWH), Redcliffe Hospital, STARS – the Surgical, Treatment and Rehabilitation Service and prestigious medical research institutes, it is the RBWH Foundation’s pride and honour to connect those who wish to give with the most potent opportunities to make a difference, now and in the future.

Our connection with RBWH inspires us every day. With a global reputation for excellence and world-leading research discoveries, RBWH’s culture of research has positioned them as world leaders in innovation and improvements in patient care.

As the Foundation for RBWH, we work closely with clinicians and scientists to advance patient care and life-saving medical research. Our shared goal is to provide the very best patient outcomes, and to be at the forefront of better health care for everyone.

RBWH Foundation’s role continues to expand within the Herston Health Precinct (HHP), and we now partner with STARS – the Surgical, Treatment and Rehabilitation Service; as well as Redcliffe Hospital; assisting both to achieve their philanthropic goals.

Our Purpose

Saving lives through the extraordinary power of giving.

Our Mission

Together, we advance life-saving research and patient care.

Our Impact

We create opportunities to connect givers to great causes.

Through the extraordinary power of giving, and the passion and commitment of RBWH Foundation supporters, more than $4-million dollars was distributed across RBWH Research Groups and Departments in 2021 to advance patient care and life-saving research.

Research was our major focus and thanks to the generosity of our supporters, the RBWH Foundation was able to invest more than $3-million into life-changing research.

These funds have helped launch research careers, enabled experienced researchers to add to their growing body of knowledge around disease and illness, and provided Fellowships across many areas of RBWH.

We thank our valued supporters for entrusting us to distribute funding where it is most needed.

$3,211,248

Total Donor Research Investment

Herston Infectious Diseases Institute
First Peoples Health and Research Alliance
11 COVID-19 projects
30 clinician-led projects
Two meningococcal projects
Six fellowships
Four external grants
Three research collaborations

The key projects launched in 2021, included:

Research Fellowships and innovative research at the Herston Biofabrication Institute and Queensland Skin Culture Centre;
Major potential life-saving research in trauma and critical care, neonatology, cancer including prostate, head and neck cancer, skull base cancer and melanoma, motor neurone disease; epilepsy, stroke, Parkinson’s, and youth mental health;
Trials of various therapies to reduce mortality or the need for mechanical ventilation in hospitalised but not yet critically ill COVID-19 patients;
A new family support program, WeCU, which will focus on providing care and support to families with loved ones in the RBWH Intensive Care Unit.

The RBWH Foundation acknowledges medical research with international impact cannot occur in isolation. It often requires decades of commitment and perseverance, and flourishes in collaboration with like-minded scientists.

COVID-19 research

Again in 2021, COVID-19 continued to impact lives. The RBWH Foundation remains indebted to donors who supported the Coronavirus Action Fund, enabling significant inroads to be achieved in COVID-19 treatments.

Our support of the Australasian COVID-19 Trial (ASCOT) has allowed RBWH Infectious Disease specialists and clinician researchers to help ease the burden the virus places on individuals, communities, and healthcare systems across the world.

Once patient targets are reached, it is expected that ASCOT reporting will make a substantial contribution to existing global knowledge and datasets.

With over 1,500 participants randomised to different levels of blood thinning (anticoagulation), ASCOT will be a large contributor to global meta-analysis; and
With nearly 140 participants randomised to the antiviral domain with nafamostat being tested, this will be the largest Australian trial of nafamostat.

The Coronavirus Action Fund also helped fund a new Herston Infectious Diseases Institute and a large number of clinician-led COVID-19 research projects.

Herston Infectious Diseases Institute (HeIDI)

The Herston Infectious Diseases Institute was launched early-2021 and is expected to play a national and international role in Infectious Disease control and treatment. Impact already includes:

Three part-time inaugural Drake Infectious Diseases Clinical Medical Research Fellows and a Pharmacy Research Fellow.
Early Career Researcher Enabling Grants.
Establishment of key themes in Vascular Access and Device Related Infections.

First Peoples Health and Research Alliance

RBWH Foundation is helping ‘Close the Gap’ in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health equality and life expectancy through research support for an Australian first, the First Peoples Health and Research Alliance.

The Alliance will lead world class research, evaluation and knowledge translation pursuits, alongside a focus on building research capabilities and capacity within the health care system.

Funding from the RBWH Foundation has contributed towards the employment of experienced health researchers focusing on knowledge translation.

Herston Biofabrication Institute (HBI)

At the forefront of cutting-edge medical technology is biofabrication – the 3D printing, scanning and modelling of medical devices, bone, cartilage and tissue. The RBWH Foundation has played a significant role in this health revolution with an historical $5-million contribution to the Herston Biofabrication Institute (HBI).

The state-of-the-art facility is the only one of its kind in Australia, with a focus on key areas including orthopaedics, burns and skin, vascular, urology, cancer care, craniofacial, and anaesthesia and intensive care.

The contribution is the largest in the RBWH Foundation’s history and was made possible only by the incredible and ongoing generosity of private individuals, corporations and the public, through campaigns such as the annual RBWH Giving Day.

It is our strong relationship with RBWH and leading research institutes which creates opportunities for RBWH Foundation donors to channel their passion, commitment and legacy into what matters most to them.

From showing support to RBWH health workers, or Team Royal as we affectionately call them, to entrusting donations that give brilliant young minds their start in research, the RBWH Foundation exists to work closely with individuals, families and organisations to connect with causes that truly make a difference.

Those who support RBWH Foundation do so with the assurance that donations are directed to the purpose for which they were intended: to advance patient care and save lives through the extraordinary power of giving.

The RBWH Foundation annual donor impact report bears witness to world-class achievements and inspiring stories of human tenacity and triumph. To learn more, visit the website.