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HDA holds 'Connecting with children in need' event

• On 15 May 2012, HDA held its second Thematic Evening for the year on 'Connecting with children in need' to an audience of 120 people. The event was chaired by Professor Claire Roberts, NHMRC Senior Research Fellow within the Robinson Institute, University of Adelaide.

  The presenters and their topics included Janine Phillips (Centre for Health Promotion, Women's & Children's Health Network) on Headroom: building positive mental health in children and young people; Danielle Whitaker (Little Heroes Foundation) on ChildFamilyCare - an initiative to support life after diagnosis; Kate Strohm (Siblings Australia) on Siblings: a lifelong relationship; and Susan Clark (Guide Dogs SA.NT) on Canine intervention for children with autism.

HDA holds 'Social media for kids' event

• On 27 March 2012, HDA held its first Thematic Evening for the year on 'Social media for kids: to tweet or not to tweet?' to an audience of 100 people. The event was chaired by Professor Claire Roberts, NHMRC Senior Research Fellow within the Robinson Institute, University of Adelaide.

  The presenters and their topics included Dr Barbara Spears (School of Education, University of South Australia) on What goes online, stays online: cybersafety issues for schools and parents; Dr Amy Slater (School of Psychology, Flinders University) on NetGirls: internet use and body image in adolescent girls; Dr Carol Maher (School of Health Sciences, University of South Australia) on Sedentary behaviour in children and adolescents - can it be harnessed for good?; and Dr Pammi Raghavendra (Disability and Community Inclusion, Flinders University) on I even use Facebook in the taxi: strategies to support internet use to facilitate the social participation of young people with disabilities.
  

HDA co-hosts Developmental Overnutrition seminar

• On 24 January 2012, HDA along with the School of Population Health and Clinical Practice (University of Adelaide), and the Robinson Institute (University of Adelaide) co-hosted a seminar on Developmental Overnutrition: an old hypothesis with new relevance? to an audience of ~100 people. The seminar was presented by visiting UK epidemiologist, Professor Debbie Lawlor who provided current evidence into the complexities of the underlying mechanisms associated between pregnancy diabetes and having a heavier and fatter baby. The talk can be found here.

HDA holds 'Brain, Behaviour and Development' event

• On 20 October 2011, HDA hosted it’s fourth Thematic Evening for the year on 'Brain, Behaviour and Development: the future looks bright!' to an audience of 250 people. The event was sponsored by The Robinson Institute situated within the University of Adelaide. The event was chaired by Professor Claire Roberts, Senior Research Fellow within the Robinson Institute.

  Speakers included Professor Jozef Gecz (SA Pathology) on Genetic causes of epilepsy in children: latest developments and future research; Dr Debbie James on Let's talk about children's communication, speech and language needs; Dr Manya Angley (UniSA) on Autism research: progress and future directions; and Ms Donna Nitschke (DECS) on Building the best brains: child brain development and action in schools.

HDA co-hosts Eating for Two: Nutrition in Pregnancy community forum

• On 27 September 2011, HDA along with the Foodplus Research Centre (University of Adelaide), Robinson Institute (University of Adelaide), and Women’s & Children’s Health Research Institute co-hosted the Eating for Two: Nutrition in Pregnancy community forum at Elder Hall to an audience of ~300 people. The forum provided a unique opportunity to hear from some of Australia’s finest practitioners and researchers with the latest evidence in pregnancy nutrition questions answered during a panel discussion with the audience. The event MC was Amanda Blair from 5AA radio, with welcome and closing remarks by Prof Bob Gibson (Director, Foodplus Research Centre) and Prof Rob Norman (Director, Robinson Institute). Speakers included Dr Rosemary Stanton OAM on dietary guidelines and recommendation in pregnancy; Prof Maria Makrides (WCHRI) on use or abuse of supplements in pregnancy; Prof Jodie Dodd (Robinson Institute) on impact of obesity on pregnancy; with additional panellists Prof Claire Roberts and Ms Philippa Middleton (Robinson Institute).

pic l to r: 1. Prof Dodd, Prof Makrides, Ms Middleton, Prof Roberts & Rosemary Stanton. 2. Prof Norman, Amanda Blair & Prof Gibson. 3-4. Audience & Panel.

The podcast to the forum can be found at the Foodplus Research Centre website.

 

HDA co-hosts Food Industry Forum for Nutrition Research

• On 29-30 August 2011, the Nutritional Physiology Research Centre at UniSA and HDA co-hosted the 2nd annual Food Industry Forum for Nutrition Research: Sustainable Nutrition - Sustainable Lifestyles at The Sebel Playford, Adelaide. The forum was officially opened by the Hon. John Hill, Minister for Health followed by Prof Tony McMichael presenting the Paul Nestel lecture. Major sponsors of the forum were the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) and Nestle. Supporting sponsors of the forum were Go Grains Health & Nutriton, Heart Foundation, Unilever, Nutrition Society of Australia (SA branch), Mars Australia, Dairy Health & Nutrition Consortium, Meat and Livestock Australia, Sanitarium, and Simplot Australia.

pictured l to r: 1. Dr Basil Hetzel AC with Prof Tony McMichael AO who presented the Paul Nestel Lecture. 2. The AFGC Dinner. 3. The Food Forum. 4. The speakers (not all present).

Speakers inlcuded:

Prof Tony McMichael sustainable nutrition - sustainable paths, and challenges, for the food industry	Dr Lisa Wood cool nutrients - counteracting inflammation	Prof Peter Clifton saturated fat - how low do we need to go?	Prof Peter Howe omega-3 requirements - length matters!
Dr Karen Campbell nutritional programming - setting sustainable patterns	Dr Nathan O'Callaghan dining out with your DNA? tailoring nutrition to fit your genes	Prof Nick Costa red meat - hard to beat?	Dr Peter Nichols long-chain omega-3 sources in a resources constrained world
Dr Alison Hill eating for everyday active lives	Prof Andrew Scholey foods for moods and minds	Prof Jonathan Hodgson legumes - good for the pulse?	Prof Robert Scragg sustainable nutrition - do supplements do it better?
A/Prof Vicki Flood seeing is believing - the case for carotenoids	Dr Rosemary Stanton sustainable foods and good nutrition - a new union	A/Prof Jon Buckley fast food - dairy shows the whey?	Prof Tony Worsley consumers and food - sustainable what?

 

HDA holds 7th annual Oration

• On 25 August 2011, HDA held our 7th annual Oration presented by Professor John Lynch, Discipline of Public Health, University of Adelaide on Why are economists interested in early childhood health and development? to a large audience of ~200 people. Professor Michael Sawyer, HDA Co-Convenor chaired the event and presented Professor Lynch with the Healthy Development Adelaide Award for 2011. Professor Lynch's presentation brought together research themes from several disciplines that have been foundational in focussing attention on the importance of supporting early childhood development for individuals, communities and societies. These include the fetal origins hypothesis, lifecourse epidemiology, early life nutrition, evidence from pre-and post natal, early childhood and pre-school intervention trials, cognitive neuroscience, personality psychology, and the econometrics of investing in early childhood programs. Australia and in particular South Australia has robust policy frameworks, innovative programs and world class research capacity to make important contributions to advancing the science and practice of early childhood health and development.

To download, click on slides (6 MB) or video (458 MB).

pictured l to r: 1. Prof Robert Norman (HDA Co-Convenor), Prof John Lynch with his award, Prof Michael Sawyer (HDA Co-Convenor). 2. Attendees; Dr John Pockett, Anne Bosio, Dr Basil Hetzel AC, and Prof Peter Howe. 3. Attendees.

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