A world-class health researcher has relocated to Perth to transform how autism is researched and clinically supported, thanks to a $3.4 million Fellowship.
Professor Mirko Uljarević has been awarded the 2024-25 Future Health Research and Innovation Fund Distinguished Fellowship, which is jointly funded by the Stan Perron Charitable Foundation.
Professor Uljarević, who comes from Stanford University’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences in California, will be based at The Kids Research Institute Australia and The University of Western Australia.
He is a medically-trained researcher working at the intersection of clinical and big data science to improve outcomes for individuals with autism — a neurodevelopmental condition affecting three per cent of Australians.
Professor Uljarević will focus on transforming the clinical pathway for autistic children using big data to improve outcomes including building a computerised adaptive assessment tool using data from 3500 children to map each autistic child’s unique strengths and needs to match them with the most effective evidence-based clinical support.
“Despite considerable research efforts and substantial investment, the mechanisms underlying autism and predictors of support remained poorly understood,” Professor Uljarević said.
“As a result, clinicians lack critical information to guide their decision-making, leaving families to navigate a costly and emotionally taxing trial and-error process that may entrench lifelong disability.
“A paradigm shift is urgently overdue combining cutting-edge developmental science, community co-production, and human computer collaboration, to bring personalised supports to autism care.”
Professor Andrew Whitehouse, the Angela Wright Bennett Professor of Autism Research at The Kids and Professor of Autism Research at UWA, said Professor Uljarević’s appointment would bring unique access to large-scale datasets, expertise in clinical and big data science and a track record in the development of novel clinical assessments to WA.
“This bold research program will bring transformational change for WA, using a foundation of science to deliver a new approach that will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of clinical practice and quality of life for autistic children and their families,” Professor Whitehouse said.
Image above: The Kids Research Institute Australia Executive Director Professor Jonathan Carapetis, Professor Mirko Uljarević and Medical Research Minister Stephen Dawson.