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World-leading research study GenV reaches significant milestone at Western Health

7 December 2021 

News at a Glance: 

  • World-leading medical research study Generation Victoria (GenV) has reached a significant milestone at Joan Kirner Women’s & Children’s at Sunshine Hospital, with more than 4,000 local participants opting to take part in GenV since the project commenced at the hospital one year ago today. 
  • GenV is a sophisticated research project with a simple goal: a better approach to child and adult health and wellbeing in Victoria. It is led by the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI) and is partnering with birthing hospitals across the state.  
  • The first project of its kind in Australia, GenV will give Victoria’s research community access to a more complete picture of the health and wellbeing of a generation, providing the insight and information needed across some of the most complex problems faced by families.  

The Murdoch Children’s Research Institute’s (MCRI) world-leading medical research study GenV has reached a significant milestone at Joan Kirner Women’s & Children’s at Sunshine Hospital, with more than 4,000 local participants opting to take part in GenV since the project commenced at the hospital one year ago today. 

GenV is one of the world’s largest-ever birth and parent cohort studies. The opt-in project follows babies and their parents to help solve common child and adult health problems – mostly using data that is already routinely collected. Around 100 new jobs have been created in clinical settings across the state over the life of the GenV project. 

GenV is available at birthing hospitals across Victoria. Every family with a newborn baby is invited to join over a two-year period, no matter where they live or language they speak. 

GenV Senior Area Manager at Western Health, Simone Quinton, said it was wonderful to see so many local families with diverse social and cultural backgrounds having the opportunity to take part in GenV. 

GenV is available in every community across the state, including at hospitals in Melbourne’s west. By involving as many children and families as possible in this once-in-a-generation research project, GenV can help to solve health concerns like asthma, food allergies, obesity, and mental illness.  

“Our project aims to speed up finding answers to the major issues facing children and adults and provide the opportunity to better treat and prevent common and complex health problems,” she said.  

Associate Professor Joanne Said, Head of Maternal Fetal Medicine at Joan Kirner Women’s & Children’s at Sunshine Hospital, said that GenV provides amazing opportunities to collaborate to improve the health of mothers and their babies. 

“GenV is working very well on the ground, with the team working carefully to minimise any burden to clinical staff and patients. Overall, we are very pleased to be involved with GenV and look forward to continuing to work with the GenV team over the life of the project,” she said. 

Bradley Aulich, an analyst engineer and father of two from Diggers Rest, joined GenV with partner Madelaine and daughter Nora at Joan Kirner Women’s & Children’s at Sunshine Hospital earlier this year. 

“My partner and I signed up to GenV as we saw it as a great opportunity to help better health and wellbeing outcomes for Victoria’s future children and parents. 

“As parents, we want nothing but the best future for our new baby, so when GenV invited us to be a part of this great research initiative, we were grateful that we too could help create a better future for newborns and parents,” he said. 

Simone, a nurse and midwife of more than 30 years, said that partnering with local hospitals has been critical to the success of GenV. 

 “We couldn’t have involved so many families from Melbourne’s west in this world-leading research project without the support of the team at Western Health,” she said.  

GenV is led by the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, is supported by The Royal Children’s Hospital and University of Melbourne and is funded by the Paul Ramsay Foundation (PRF), the Victorian Government and the Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation 

Visit the GenV website for more information. 

 **Ends** 

Media Contact 

Bridie Byrne
MCRI communications specialist                                                                                
+61 457 365 848
bridie.byrne@mcri.edu.au 

About MCRI 

The Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI) is the largest child health research institute in Australia committed to making discoveries and developing treatments to improve child and adolescent health in Australia and around the world. MCRI pioneers new treatments, trials better vaccines and improves ways of diagnosing and helping sick babies, children and adolescents. MCRI is one of the only research institutes in Australia to offer genetic testing to find answers for families of children with previously undiagnosed conditions.  

GenV Team
Article by GenV Team