The Conversation

Telethon Kids Institute

The Telethon Kids Institute is one of the largest, and most successful medical research institutes in Australia, comprising a dedicated and diverse team of more than 500 staff and students.

Established in 1990 by Founding Director Professor Fiona Stanley, the Institute was among the first to adopt a multidisciplinary approach to major health issues: clinical research, laboratory sciences and epidemiologists all under the one roof, to tackle complex diseases and issues in a number of ways.

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If youths with brain impairment had been identified and supported early, their entry into the justice system could have been avoided entirely. from shutterstock.com

Almost every young person in WA detention has a severe brain impairment

Hayley M Passmore, Telethon Kids Institute; Carol Bower, Telethon Kids Institute, and Raewyn Mutch, Telethon Kids Institute

New research assessing young people in WA detention found 89% were severely impaired in at least one area of brain function. One in three had fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD).
While death rates from heart and kidney disease have dropped among Indigenous people, death rates from cancer are on the rise. from shutterstock.com

To close the health gap, we need programs that work. Here are three of them

Neale Cohen, Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute; Jonathan Carapetis, Telethon Kids Institute, and Sue Kildea, The University of Queensland

Politicians make sweeping statements on how to close the gap. But here's advice from people working directly with Indigenous communities who have evidence for what actually works.
Impetigo happens when itching causes the skin to break and let in disease-causing bacteria. from shutterstock.com

Why simple school sores often lead to heart and kidney disease in Indigenous children

Jackson Thomas, University of Canberra; Erin Walker, University of Canberra; Gregory Peterson, University of Tasmania, and Nathan M D'Cunha, University of Canberra

While school sores – or impetigo – is a treatable condition, if left untreated it can lead to much more serious illness such as kidney and heart disease.
Many health professionals don’t know how to support transgender young people when they seek help. from www.shutterstock.com.au

Almost half of trans young people try to end their lives. How can we reduce this alarming statistic?

Penelope Strauss, Telethon Kids Institute; Angus Cook, University of Western Australia; Ashleigh Lin, Telethon Kids Institute, and Sam Winter, Curtin University

We all have a responsibility to improve the well-being of Australian young people, and the current rates of poor mental health in our trans young people aren't good enough.
Wes Mountain/The Conversation

Eight podcasts to get between your ears this year

Siobhan McHugh, University of Wollongong; Bronwyn Hinz, Victoria University; Dallas Rogers, University of Sydney; Dominic Kelly, La Trobe University; Euan Ritchie, Deakin University; Gail Alvares, Telethon Kids Institute; Richard Holden, UNSW, and Will J Grant, Australian National University

The Conversation asked eight authors from across its sections to tell us about their favourite podcasts – and why you should tune in.
Indigenous Australians in the Northern Territory are more than 100 times as likely to have rheumatic heart disease than their non-Indigenous counterparts. Screenshot/Take Heart - Strep: Group A Streptococcal Infection

Why are Aboriginal children still dying from rheumatic heart disease?

Jonathan Carapetis, Telethon Kids Institute

Rheumatic heart disease is responsible for the highest gap in life expectancy between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians; higher than diabetes or kidney failure.
Scoliosis is a sideways curve that can’t be fixed by simply sitting up straighter. nils gore/Flickr

Explainer: everything you need to know about scoliosis

Jenny Downs, Telethon Kids Institute and Helen Leonard, University of Western Australia

Scoliosis can affect children of all ages and can have particularly severe effects when it develops early or in association with another medical condition. If the condition progresses and becomes severe…

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