Wesley Medical Research A-T Clinic

Wesley Medical Research Chair, Mr Charlie Sartain, and members of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, Mr Andrew Barron; Professor David Coman; President of BrAshA-T, Mr Mike Clahsen, clinicians; staff; ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls.

I begin by acknowledging the original custodians of the lands around Brisbane, the Turrbal and Jagera people, and pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging, and to any First Nations people here today.

As Patron-in-Chief of Wesley Medical Research, I thank you for inviting me along to today’s clinic to learn more about the A-T clinical trial you are conducting alongside the Queensland Children’s Hospital.

First and foremost, I would like to recognise the late Dr Kate Sinclair, a renowned and respected paediatric neurologist whom many of you were fortunate enough to know personally, and whose profound legacy as the founder of this national translational A-T clinic fills this room.  

Kate’s dedication and significant contributions to A-T research form a large part of why we are here today.

A true leading light in rare disease research in Australia, I understand that Kate, through the clinic, worked with BrAshA-T, an organisation that aims to raise money for crucial A-T research.

Together, they were working towards finding a cure and building a support network for families dealing with A-T.

With Professor David Coman at the reigns for the national A-T treatment trial and a team of dedicated specialists at his side, Kate’s work has not, and will not, be forgotten; and I look forward to shortly hearing from Professor Coman about this important work.

But before we do that, I have one very special presentation to make.

I am pleased to announce that in memory of Kate and her extraordinary contribution, the BrAshA-T have undertaken to name an annually funded fellowship in her honour, with the creation of the ‘Dr Kate Sinclair BrAshA-T Research Fellowship’.

I’m certain Kate would be most approving of this ongoing bursary, especially as it is aimed at supporting clinician researchers in the field of rare disease, and particularly in A-T.

I would now like to invite President of BrAshA-T, Mr Mike Clahsen, forward to help me present this honour, which I understand has been a well-kept secret from the honouree. 

It now gives me great pleasure to announce the very first recipient of the ‘Dr Kate Sinclair BrAshA-T Research Fellowship’ to a clinician who, like Kate, is trained in paediatric neurology and who is undertaking his Research Fellowship here at Wesley Medical Research as part of your A-T clinical trial, Dr Matthew Lynch.

Congratulations Dr Lynch and thank you.