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THE HUMAN BRAIN PROJECT
Professor Peter Silburn AM inspired the Human Brain Project through his deep brain stimulation clinical research into Parkinson’s Disease. The Project, commencing in 2010, was a joint initiative of the Rotary Clubs of Maclean, Yamba and Iluka-Woombah led by Al Weston. Their fundraising efforts supported the first Rotary Human Brain PhD scholar Andrea Giorno from Italy. He completed his doctoral degree at the Queensland Brain Institute[QBI] (University of Queensland) in 2017.
The Project was subsequently taken over by the District and was reconstituted as a Rotary Australia Benevolent Society (RABS) project under the RAWCS banner. It has supported two further PhD Rotary Scholars at QBI: Samra Naz from Pakistan and Chiemeka Chinaka from Nigeria. Two Rotary Foundation Global Grants, involving matching funds from the District, have enabled these PhD scholarships to be funded with Queensland University.
The RABS project has been managed by Doug Lipp and Lawrance Murray through the Rotary Club of Surfers Sunrise while the Global Grants have been developed and coordinated by PDG Graham Jones, PDG Sandra Doumany and Doug Lipp. Sandra Doumany’s black-tie dinners organised through the Rotary Club of Hope Island have been critical in raising funds to furnish the District’s part of the Global Grant.
In total, the support for the three recipients totalled approximately AUD 300,000 from it's inception but will, regrettably, come to an end in June 2025. However, its contribution to medical research in Parkinson’s Disease will have ongoing significance through the research and work of the scholarship recipients.