South Australia’s beating heart of health research shines for Gather Round
Each year, for one remarkable week, South Australia becomes the beating heart of the AFL and, this year, SAHMRI will be AFL Gather Round’s visible pulse.
Every evening from April 8 to 12, the iconic South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute on North Terrace, affectionately known as the “Cheesegrater”, will transform into an illuminated “beating heart”, glowing red and pulsing intermittently from 6pm to midnight.
A bold symbol of the institute’s prominence as the heart of health and medical research in the state, the display offers the public a visible connection to the research taking place inside SAHMRI to improve health for all.
As one of Australia’s most celebrated sporting festivals, Gather Round focuses attention on the performance of elite athletes, performance that’s underpinned by science.
This year, SAHMRI is adding its own unique offering to SA’s Festival of Footy by bringing together leaders from sport, research and the community to explore what elite sport can teach us about brain and heart health, performance and lifelong wellbeing.
The institute is hosting two Elite Sport Meets Elite Science luncheons, a VIP function on April 8 hosted by South Australian football legend, Graham Cornes OAM, and a community event on April 10 hosted by well-known Adelaide personality Rebecca Morse.
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Speakers at both luncheons will be presenting the latest research emerging from high-performance environments that’s changing approaches to cardiovascular health, brain health, injury prevention, recovery and more.
Speakers include:
- AFL chief medical officer Dr Michael Makdissi
- Adelaide Crows chief operating officer, Patrick Clifton and Port Adelaide Football Club general manager, Ben Rutten on player health and wellbeing
- Dr Ryan Quarrington and Dr Hugh McCloskey on concussion and brain health
- A/Prof Adrian Elliott on cardiovascular health
- Geelong Cats AFLW general manager Dr Dominique Condo on elite sport and nutrition
- Dr Rachel Reilly and A/Prof Kim Morey on the mental and physical impacts of racism in sport
Associate Professor Elliott is making connections between atrial fibrillation in endurance athletes, including elite footballers, and the one-in-three people over the age of 45 who also experience heart arrythmias.
Dr Quarrington and Dr McCloskey are tackling one of contact sport’s toughest questions: how much impact is too much? Presenting their research combining smart mouthguard technology with advanced brain imaging, they’ll highlight progress in concussion detection, prevention and player safety.
Dr Reilly and A/Prof Kim Morey will reveal new research on members of South Australian football and netball clubs that shows more than half of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders continue to experience racism.
Dr Condo will discuss the importance of optimising the performance, health and wellbeing of female athletes through tailoring player management to incorporate nutrition, body image, effects of menstrual cycles and physical training.
SAHMRI’s executive director, Professor Maria Makrides, says the institute’s priority is delivering life-changing innovations across diagnosis, prevention and treatment as soon as possible, and that impact extends to elite sport.
“Gather Round brings people from all walks of life together, and that sense of connection and belonging sits at the heart of SAHMRI’s work,” Prof Makrides said.
“This is fantastic opportunity to showcase how our research is supporting athletes of all ages and levels, while also contributing to building healthier, stronger communities beyond the sporting arena.”
Find out more and book tickets here.
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