Research

From rotavirus discovery to development of the RV3-BB vaccine to prevent rotavirus disease in babies from birth

The discovery of rotavirus as the most common cause of acute dehydrating diarrhea at the Royal Children’s Hospital and University of Melbourne in 1973 provided hope for prevention of a major cause of death in young children worldwide. Building from this discovery, MCRI researchers have dedicated 5 decades to understanding the rotavirus and to the development and implementation of rotavirus vaccines.

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Behaviours of concern: An innovative wraparound approach

Children with developmental disabilities often present to hospital with behaviours of concern, creating complex challenges for emergency departments, inpatient units, and community teams. These behavioural crises can be distressing for patients, families and staff, and can strain hospital resources – yet they also offer powerful opportunities for system change.

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Adaptive platform trials for rare disease populations

BANDICOOT is an international adaptive platform trial (APT) designed to identify effective therapies that improve health outcomes for critically ill children receiving a haematopoetic stem cell transplant (HCT). Building
on extensive engagement with patients, their parents, and clinicians, we will launch 3 trial domains focused on exercise, nutritional supplementation, and the gut microbiome

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Maternal tuberculosis and impacts on child health

Around a half of women in tuberculosis-endemic countries are infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis and over 1.7 million females of reproductive age (15-45 years) fall ill with tuberculosis (TB) each year. Pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of TB disease which has major consequences for maternal health – TB is the major non-obstetric cause of maternal mortality globally – and for the health of their baby.

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Bringing innovation into everyday care: Insights from Victoria’s genomics journey

Genomics has moved rapidly from being purely a research tool to being part of routine care in many specialities and health services. Past Grand Round presenters have described how this has enhanced their service – how genomic care may improve patient outcomes, is cost-effective and can be delivered rapidly for acute cases.

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Taking a lifelong perspective on Cerebral Palsy: Challenges and opportunities

Emma Livingstone, CEO of UP – The Adult Cerebral Palsy Movement, will share insights from her lived experience and advocacy work on the evolving care and understanding of cerebral palsy (CP) across the lifespan. Her presentation will explore recent research advancements, the lifelong nature of CP, and the importance of addressing co-morbidities. She will also discuss how child practitioners can better equip children with CP for adulthood.

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An evidence-based system for early years interventions to reduce child health and developmental inequities: Insights from the interventional birth cohort study Born in Bradford’s Better Start (BiBBS)

There are real challenges in delivering equitable health care in a community, even when there is policy and service goodwill. This is an issue for health services around the world. For the past ten years BiBBS has been working alongside service partners and families to co-design, implement and evaluate multiple early years interventions that are delivered as a part of usual practice in disadvantaged inner-city areas in the UK.

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Co-designing interventions for high quality paediatric health care

Opportunities exist to leverage implementation science and quality improvement science to advance quality care. During this presentation we will compare and contrast implementation science and quality improvement science. We will explore how methods from both fields have been used to improve our understanding of discharge communication practices in emergency departments in Canada.

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Genomics for the non-genomic specialist: Bridging the gap between innovation and everyday practice

Genomic medicine is rapidly evolving, yet many clinicians outside of clinical genetics face challenges in integrating these advances into routine practice. In this Grand Round, Associate Professor Catherine Quinlan explores her journey mainstreaming genomics in paediatric nephrology, using real-world data from Australia and Ireland and its implementation at The Royal Children’s Hospital.

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