Ita Buttrose Appointed Chair of CHeBA Advisory Committee

The UNSW Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA) has announced the appointment of Ita Buttrose AC OBE as the Chair of its Advisory Committee. This appointment marks a historic moment for CHeBA, reinforcing its mission to tackle Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, which have become a national health priority, given the demographic shift towards an ageing population.

CHeBA has emerged as a pre-eminent centre in brain ageing research, and Ita Buttrose's role as Chair will bolster the research efforts of the centre. Her experience and leadership are set to play a vital role in supporting CHeBA's Co-Directors and their research team.

Commenting on her new role, Buttrose expressed optimism about the substantial developments in neuroscience over the past decade, which have brought hope for the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's and other dementias. She will lead an impressive Advisory Committee, composed of individuals with a diverse spectrum of expertise, to further CHeBA's valuable work.

The Advisory Committee's members include Barbara Cail AO, Joseph D'Agostino, Professor Kimberlie Dean, John Gray, David Greatorex AO, Peter Joseph AM, Dr. Dagmar Schmidmaier AM, Professor Peter Schofield AO, and Anita Jacoby AM, representing various fields and sectors.

CHeBA's Co-Directors, Professors Brodaty and Sachdev emphasized the significance of Buttrose's support at a crucial time when advancing research into the ageing brain is fundamental to the future. Their work includes investigating strategies to understand cognitive decline, prevent its occurrence, and support individuals with dementia and their families, all with the aim of enhancing the quality of life for the elderly.

The strength of CHeBA lies in its multi-disciplinary approach, which encompasses epidemiology, clinical research, neuroimaging, genetics, genomics, proteomics, and other innovative techniques. Collaborative research efforts are also central to addressing the complex challenges associated with ageing-related brain diseases.

Ita Buttrose's appointment is a positive step towards achieving these goals and furthering CHeBA's mission in healthy brain ageing research.