Scientific and Medical Advisory Committee appointed
19 August 2021
The Childhood Dementia Initiative selected its first Scientific and Medical Advisory Committee (SMAC) in August. This committee will help guide the strategy to urgently disrupt the impact of childhood dementia on children and families. The committee comprises eight highly respected leaders, researchers, academics and clinicians.
“This is a world first. A committee of this calibre has never before come together to focus on childhood dementia. It will be key to positively changing the landscape for childhood dementia in the lab and the clinic,” says Megan Donnell, CEO Childhood Dementia Initiative.
Dr Kris Elvidge PhD, Head of Research at Childhood Dementia Initiative, said it was a competitive selection process. “Our focus was on the formation of a Scientific and Medical Advisory Committee of the highest standard and with a diversity of knowledge and expertise.”
The SMAC members bring to Childhood Dementia Initiative extensive expertise across the research pipeline. This ranges from exploratory research to understand disease, to therapy development and clinical trials, right through to clinical implementation and health system policy.
The following accepted positions on the Initiative’s SMAC:
- Tiffany Boughtwood BSc MBA
- Professor John Christodoulou AM MB BS PhD FRACP FFSc(RCPA) FRCPA FHGSA FAHMS
- Professor Marcel Dinger PhD GAICD
- Associate Professor Michelle Farrar MBBS FRACP PhD
- Associate Professor Kim Hemsley PhD
- Associate Professor Leszek Lisowski PhD MBA
- Professor Peter R Schofield AO FAHMS PhD DSc
- Dr Nicholas J.C. Smith MBBS(Hon) DCH FRACP PhD(Cantab)
“This committee brings to bear collective expertise to challenge the appalling reality of childhood dementia faced by so many families,” says SMAC Chair Tiffany Boughtwood. “To disrupt the impact of childhood dementia, we need a disruptive approach, with innovative thinking by experts in the field.”
The initial focus of the SMAC will be the formation of a National Collaborative Research and Clinical Care Network. This network will break down the silos in childhood dementia research, bringing together experts from diverse areas to collaborate and accelerate the development of new therapies and improve clinical care.
