35 years of kids’ health research,
THE KIDS RESEARCH INSTITUTE AUSTRALIA
With
Professor Jonathan Carapetis AM,
Paediatrician & Executive Director
The Kids Research Institute Australia
RESEARCH IMPACT
Filmed in Perth, Western Australia | January 2026
The Kids Research Institute Australia is one of the largest and most successful medical research institutes in Australia. The Institute has created a blueprint that brings together community, researchers, practitioners, policy makers and funders, who share our vision to improve the health and wellbeing of children through excellence in research.
The Institute is headed by leading paediatrician and infectious diseases expert Professor Jonathan Carapetis, with Founding Director Professor Fiona Stanley now Patron.
The Kids is independent and not-for-profit. The majority of funding comes from our success in winning national and international competitive research grants. They also receive significant philanthropic support from corporate Australia and the community.
In November 2025, The Kids Research Institute Australia celebrated 35 years of bold ideas, groundbreaking research, and the people who find answers to the big questions about better health outcomes for children and families.
Since his appointment in 2012, Professor Carapetis has guided The Kids through a period of significant scientific achievement, organisational growth, and increased impact — all anchored to the Institute’s vision of ensuring happy, healthy kids.
During his tenure, Professor Carapetis oversaw major advancements in child health research, including discoveries that have influenced policy and practice, such as the recent adoption of RSV vaccinations.
He led the Institute through key milestones including the transition to new headquarters at Perth Children’s Hospital, the development of the Research Reimagined strategic plan, and the creation of a new, fresh brand.
Under Professor Carapetis’ leadership, The Kids strengthened its position as a national leader in child health research, building collaborations across Australia and internationally, supporting researchers and WA families through the COVID-19 pandemic, and driving a culture that has evolved traditional models of research, to accelerate and amplify impact, for children and their families.
Also announced in November 2025, was the news that Professor Carapetis will step down as Executive Director in July 2026, after 14 years of distinguished leadership.
Source: Adapted using The Kids Research Institute Australia news stories
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Paediatric haemorrhage and airway procedures
Dr Shane George is a paediatric critical care physician working in paediatric emergency medicine and paediatric intensive care at Gold Coast University Hospital. He is the clinical lead for children’s critical care research for Gold Coast Health, and is a Senior Lecturer at The University of Queensland and Griffith University.
Associate Professor George is also an active clinician researcher on topics that span both emergency medicine and PICU practice including safety in emergency intubation, sepsis, haemostatic resuscitation in children and respiratory support therapies.
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Muscle Cell Communication and Repair
Dr. William Roman is a Group Leader at the Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute (ARMI) at Monash University. He obtained his PhD from Paris Descartes University and Freie University of Berlin, focusing on nuclear positioning during skeletal muscle development. Dr. Roman’s research journey has taken him across the globe, including postdoctoral work in Barcelona, tissue engineering in Lisbon, and a brief stint at Stanford University.
At ARMI, Dr. Roman leads innovative research on intercellular communication within muscle organs. His work involves growing human muscles on chips to understand how skeletal muscle cells interact with neurons and tendons. This research aims to develop better models for studying muscle diseases, drug screening, and even applications in cellular agriculture and biorobotics.
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World-first clinical trial improves patient outcomes for kidney transplants (2023)
A world-first clinical trial conducted at the Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH) and at hospitals across Australia and New Zealand has identified the best fluid treatment to reduce the risk of patients requiring dialysis after a kidney transplant.
Around one in three people who receive a kidney transplant suffer delayed graft function, which means the transplant doesn’t work immediately and they require dialysis.
The lead-author of the study, was Royal Adelaide Hospital Nephrologist and University of Adelaide researcher, Dr Michael Collins.
