A chain of events started 15 years ago by the Rotary Club of Downtown Auckland (RCDA) in NZ has led to the commencement of a search for a Research Chair in Child and Adolescent Mental Health.
 |
| Rod and Patricia Duke, Cure Kids CEO Vicki Lee and University of Auckland Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences Dean John Fraser celebrate the establishment of the Cure Kids Duke Family Chair in Child and Adolescent Mental Health. |
In 1999, Downtown Auckland Rotarian Dr Bill Daniels was concerned at the lack of specialist help for children and young people with mental illnesses. He floated the idea of establishing this research position and initiated discussions with Sir Peter Gluckman, the then Dean of Auckland Medical School. Sir Peter asked for RCDA’s help in financing such an appointment.
Over the next five years, the RCDA fundraised $140,000, which was inadequate to fund a permanent Chair, so it was therefore invested. By 2009, the fund had grown to $170,000 and the RCDA and the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences of the University of Auckland agreed to apply the funds to three initiatives over four years including:
Firstly a half-time Rotary research fellow focused on child and adolescent mental health, Dr Karolina Stasiak, who coordinated a number of important projects including: several technological innovations for use by adolescent patients; a computer-based game known as SPARX to treat depression; MEMO, a mobile phone programme to prevent depression; the evaluation of an Australian product called BRAVE to treat anxiety; and improving the delivery of mental health care through several other initiatives. SPARX was officially launched by Prime Minister John Key on April 28 and is available free online. It has been licensed by Uniservices for use in several overseas countries. SPARX has been found to be very effective in randomised trials and has received international recognition, winning the 2013 World Summit Award in the category of e-health and environment. It has also been covered in the British Medical Journal.
Secondly it funded annual visiting scholars Prof Cheryl McNeil from West Virginia University in 2011, Prof Stephen Scott from the Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College London in 2013, and Prof John Weisz of Harvard University Medical School in 2014. Thirdly it has also funded an annual research forum.
This RCDA funding is due to run out at the end of 2014.
Meanwhile, in 2012, another Downtown Auckland Rotarian Peter Crellin attended a District 9920 Rotary Foundation dinner and started a conversation about the initiatives with Cure Kids Board Chair Roy Austin, a Remuera Rotarian.
Established by Rotary in NZ in 1971 as the Child Health Research Foundation, Cure Kids has to date raised $36 million for research into child health. Roy told Peter the organization had never targeted mental health and it was high time it did.
Cure Kids then commenced discussions with some of its established donors and received a particularly positive response from Rod Duke, Managing Director of the Briscoes chain of stores, and his wife Patricia. Following a private multi-million dollar donation by the Duke family, Cure Kids will establish a dedicated senior researcher - known as a Chair - attached to the University of Auckland. It will be called the Cure Kids Duke Family Chair in Child and Adolescent Mental Health.
This long-awaited appointment is supported by the valuable developments stemming from RCDA’s initial fundraising and dedication of resources.
Cure Kids CEO Vicki Lee, a Waiheke Rotarian, emphasises it is estimated that at least one in four Kiwi children and adolescents will experience a significant mental health issue impacting on their day to day life and that of their family. Conditions affecting children may include ADHD, anxiety, depression, autism, eating disorders.
