A message from The Prince Charles Hospital Foundation
The Prince Charles Hospital Foundation, through its community and fundraising initiative The Common Good, is dedicated to supporting life-changing research, providing specialised equipment, and enhancing patient care programs at both The Prince Charles Hospital – one of Australia’s leading cardiology hospitals – and Caboolture Hospital. The Foundation’s focus has always been on helping people live healthier, longer lives, and in 2025, it worked towards this mission by distributing $6.9 million in funding to remarkable research, exceptional equipment and compassionate care projects.
Of note, 22 grant projects were completed last year, and 43 new grants were awarded across The Prince Charles Hospital and Caboolture Hospital – including eight innovation grants, 12 new investigator grants, six PhD scholarships, three research fellowships, four QUT CBT seed grants, and six equipment grants.
Thanks to the Foundation’s remarkable supporters, it was also able to expand Child Life Therapy Services, giving more sick and injured children in southeast Queensland access to the program. In July of this year, two additional Child Life Therapists joined the team – a second at The Prince Charles Hospital (TPCH), and a first-ever for Caboolture Hospital. Chief Executive Officer of The Prince Charles Hospital Foundation, Steve Francia, said the appointments reflect the generosity of the Foundation’s remarkable corporate and community supporters.
“We were proud to fund the very first Child Life Therapist at The Prince Charles Hospital in 2022, and we’re equally proud to add another one at TPCH and also extend support of that role into Caboolture Hospital,” Mr Francia said.
“Together, these roles represent a $900,000 investment in Child Life Therapy alone – part of the Foundation’s broader commitment that is reshaping paediatric care for thousands of children and their families each year.”
In February 2025, the Foundation hosted its second annual Women in Science high tea event at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre. This event is a special celebration of remarkable women for the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, and the attendees heard from four inspiring women, supported by the Foundation, who spoke about their research journeys, contribution science, medicine and care and why they’re so passionate about making a difference for others.
The Foundation is proud to continue support for emerging researchers through New Investigators Grants, the first step in our researcher development pathway. This program, introduced in 2010, provides research training and project funding for new researchers to address important health care needs. A New Investigator project completed in 2025 by TPCH Physiotherapist Luke Churchill explored the use of a speaking valve during rehabilitation for patients requiring breathing support through a tube inserted into the neck. Contrary to longstanding concerns, the study found that patients maintained better lung function while exercising and preferred the device because it allowed them to speak and express their needs. These findings could help change clinical practice by enabling patients to keep their voice during much-needed physical rehabilitation, improving both recovery and quality of care.
In 2022, the Foundation supported an exciting research project from the Caboolture region, led by Adjunct Associate Professor Thuy Frakking, titled Application of machine learning to swallowing sounds to better detect aspiration in infants and children, and in 2025, a provisional Australian patent (AU2025902147) was granted. This patent recognises co-invention across Metro North Health and Griffith University and highlights the pioneering nature of this work.
“In less than five years, our collaborative team of clinicians and scientists across multiple health services and universities utilised advancements in modern machine learning techniques of ‘deep learning’ to develop world-first technology that automatically detect swallowing sounds and diagnose aspiration in preterm babies, infants, and children,” said Adjunct Associate Professor Thuy Frakking.
The Prince Charles Hospital Foundation was entrusted with the management and facilitation of the much-loved Charlie’s Angels volunteer program in 2013. From January 2025, volunteers expanded their support into the Kallangur Satellite Health Centre, extending the same warmth and care to those who visit the facility. In 2025, the team of Charlie’s Angels at The Prince Charles Hospital and Kallangur Satellite Hospital was 117-strong and contributed over 430 hours each week. The Foundation has also been proud to manage the volunteer program at Caboolture Hospital since July 2022. The team of volunteers at Caboolture Hospital in 2025 consisted of 59 amazing people who contributed about 200 hours each week.
People are at the heart of the Foundation, including these volunteers, as well as researchers and clinicians, patients and donors, Metro North and Foundation staff. These people, who are dedicated to making a difference for others and contributing to something bigger than themselves, are the reason so many remarkable impacts that help shape care were achieved in 2025 and every other year.
You can find out more by visiting thecommongood.org.au.