Change Makers – Next Gen Philanthropy

This year in line with World Alzheimer’s Day on 21 September and in partnership with KPMG Sydney, CHeBA launched Change Makers – Next Gen Philanthropy.

With a vision of empowering emerging leaders aged 18-40 to elevate philanthropic support of dementia research, the new initiative will promote the importance of modifiable lifestyle factors to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.

KPMG’s Eileen Hoggett said the initiative aligned with KPMG’s core values.

“As an organisation we are extremely proud of our people and the importance they place on social responsibility,” said Ms Hoggett. “I encourage our next generation leaders to get involved.”

We welcomed Ambassadors for the new initiative, PJ Lane, Edward Caser and Keri Kitay, who have all witnessed the devastating impact of Alzheimer’s disease.

PJ Lane, who gave up his burgeoning basketball career in the United States to return to Australia and help look after his father, entertainer Don Lane, says the next generation should already be thinking about their brain health in late life.

“By the time those currently aged 18-40 are in their 50s, 60s and 70s, it is expected that the number of people with dementia will have more than tripled,” said PJ.

PJ Lane, Ambassador Ruby Pradhan and Lily Calderbank, Change Makers founding philanthropists

Keri Kitay and Edward Caser, Ambassadors

“Change Makers will support research that will inevitably impact their own future.”

PJ Lane

Dr Richard Grellman AM said that given three in 10 Australians over 85 have dementia, there is a critical need for increased investment in research toward prevention of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.

“At the same time, the goal is to advance knowledge across all generations to maintain physical activity from a young age throughout life so as to reduce risk of dementia in late life,” said Dr Grellman.

“For that to occur, we need the next generation’s support of research and awareness raising.” Dr Grellman acknowledged the efforts of the initiative’s Ambassadors and congratulated the founding philanthropists, Ruby Pradhan and Lily Calderbank.

“Philanthropy isn’t just for people who have extraordinary wealth. Through regular giving I am proud to be part of something that improves the world in which we live,” said Ruby.

The Change Makers – Next Gen Philanthropy program provides the next generation of Australians with the opportunity to make an enormous difference, by combining monthly or three-monthly regular giving donations to amount to larger, more impactful research contributions. Change Makers will have access to tours in the CHeBA laboratory and educational workshops covering healthy brain ageing – geared specifically to 18-40 year olds. To become a Change Maker: https://alumni.unsw.edu.au/ giving/Med/Changemakers.

Since 2014, the Sachdev Foundation has supported CHeBA, providing significant funding for projects undertaken across multiple research groups, including identifying genetic factors linked to exceptional longevity, examining biomarkers of neurodegeneration in centenarians and near-centenarians with dementia, and identifying retinal biomarkers for dementia.

In 2021, the Sachdev Foundation generously donated $45,000 to fund nanotechnology research to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia, and a further $50,000 to fund critical research looking at blood biomarkers for dementia and mild cognitive impairment.

Nanomedicine uses revolutionary technology that deals with nanoscale materials that can interact directly with diseased or damaged cells. The research funded by the Sachdev Foundation exploits recent advances in nanotechnology, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and a new, emerging imaging technique - magnetic particle imaging (MPI) - to develop novel magnetic nanoparticles and adapt existing ones to act as contrast agents for the diagnosis of dementia.

The development of these agents will enable MRI, and in the future MPI, to assist with dementia diagnosis, bringing accurate diagnosis of disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia within the reach of all Australians. Thanks to the research funded by the Sachdev Foundation, these diagnostic techniques could potentially replace expensive positron emission tomography (PET) based investigations, making the diagnostic imaging process more readily available.

The Sachdev Foundation is also funding research into blood biomarkers, making it possible for researchers to tap into a wealth of information in blood which aims to distinguish profiles of normal ageing from disease trajectories, identify biochemical targets for lifestyle intervention and to identify potential causative or protective factors for disease onset.

Through the enduring support of the Sachdev Foundation, CHeBA has been able to conduct significant research into diagnosis and treatment of agerelated brain diseases.

Founded in 2011 by Bob Mostyn, the Mostyn Family Foundation has been significant supporters of CHeBA since 2019, funding a pilot project on the role of the gut microbiome in ageing successfully and living to 100, research into the blood brain barrier and integrity in the ageing brain, and most recently into lipid profiling of vascular dementia.

This latest contribution from the Mostyn Family Foundation studies the association between dietary patterns, plasma lipid profiles and inflammatory potential in people with vascular dementia, to provide insights into the pathobiology of this disease.

CHeBA’s researchers compared lifestyle indicators such as smoking, alcohol drinking, physical activity, diet and plasma lipid profiles, among 150 participants aged between 68 and 106 years old.

Findings showed that vascular dementia participants tend to have higher lipid profiles, do less exercise, and engage less frequently in social interaction and educational or reading activity.

This research concluded that a higher empirical dietary inflammatory index was significantly associated with an increased risk of developing vascular dementia.

This important study funded by the Mostyn Family Foundation underscores the importance of a healthy lifestyle for the prevention of vascular dementia.

Melbourne-based donor, Francesca Wood, became a significant supporter of CHeBA’s research in 2021 following her Mother’s passing from vascular dementia.

Initially, Francesca’s generous support came as a personal donation, followed by matching gift support through her employer bp, and donations in lieu of flowers at her mother’s memorial service.

Her mother, Mrs Helen Reading, was diagnosed with dementia in 2017 and passed away during the COVID-19 restrictions in Melbourne, on 25 May 2020, causing significant angst for the family who were then unable to hold an appropriate memorial service until almost a year later.

“To endure the devastation of dementia in conjunction with a global pandemic that placed enormous restrictions on our visits to Mum before she passed was truly heartbreaking.”

Francesca, a successful Reward Manager with bp, became aware of the research being conducted at CHeBA while attending a Chief Executive Women’s Leadership program in 2019.

“It felt extremely fortunate timing to meet Heidi Douglass at the CEW course. Her passionate delivery of the research being undertaken at CHeBA resonated with me and stayed with me during Mum’s last year.”

Helen Reading and Francesca Wood

For Francesca, making a personal donation to CHeBA, arranging donations in lieu of flowers and her employer bp matching her donation through their charitable matchingfunds program, has felt rewarding and an appropriate tribute to her Mum.

Francesca continued her incredible support of CHeBA’s research by participating in the Blackmores Virtual Sydney Running Festival with her husband and two children, together raising an additional $3,238.

Francesca’s ongoing support will have a significant impact on research into vascular dementia at CHeBA.

Professor Roger Layton AM

Emeritus Professor Roger Layton AM, dedicated member of CHeBA’s Advisory Committee since 2012 and the father of modern marketing in our region, passed away on 5 June 2021, leaving behind a legacy that will live on in the hearts of his three daughters and those closest to him, and in the minds of future generations of marketing students.

Roger became an advocate for CHeBA and in 2016 made his first donation to The Dementia Momentum initiative of $25,000, in honour of wife Dr Merrilyn Layton who passed away from Alzheimer’s disease in 2012. This was the first of many donations he made including a final significant show of support in his Will.

Emeritus Professor Roger Layton AM

research, but it was his enthusiasm for thought-provoking discussion and investigation of ideas that may remain strongest for those that knew him.

Roger’s view was that CHeBA’s research was critical to improving future dementia care in Australia and reducing suffering in families like his own.

Roger was the first Professor of Marketing at UNSW, pioneering the first degrees in marketing and establishing the first School of Marketing and its highly successful PhD program. “Roger’s professional and personal experience and sage advice were invaluable to CHeBA and to me - his support for our Centre extremely generous. We miss him and extend our best wishes to his daughters.” Professor Henry Brodaty AO