Our Scientific and Medical Advisory Committee

Our Scientific and Medical Advisory Committee comprises some of Australia’s best and brightest leaders, researchers, academics and clinicians. Their role is to help guide the strategy to urgently disrupt the impact of childhood dementia on children and families. 

Members bring to Childhood Dementia Initiative extensive expertise across the research pipeline. This ranges from exploratory research to understand disease, to therapy development and clinical trials, right through to clinical implementation and health system policy. Read more below about the remarkable experts on this committee who are dedicated to accelerating solutions for children with dementia. 




Tiffany Boughtwood BSc MBA

Managing Director of Australian Genomics, an Australian Government initiative supporting genomic research and its translation into clinical practice.

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John Christodoulou AM MB BS PhD FRACP FFSc(RCPA) FRCPA FHGSA FAHMS

Professor and Chair of Genomic Medicine at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute and the University of Melbourne.

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Marcel Dinger PhD GAICD

Professor and Head of School for Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences at the University of NSW, Sydney. 

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Michelle Farrar MBBS FRACP PhD

Professor in Paediatric Neurology, Sydney Children's Hospital and the University of NSW, Sydney.

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Kim Hemsley PhD

Professor at Flinders University and head of the Childhood Dementia Research Group at Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute.

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Leszek Lisowski PhD MBA

Associate Professor and Head of the Translational Vectorology Unit at Children’s Medical Research Institute (CMRI) and the University of Sydney.

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Peter R Schofield AO FAHMS PhD DSc

Professor of Medicine at the University of NSW, Sydney, and CEO of Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA).

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Nicholas J.C. Smith MBBS(Hon) DCH FRACP PhD(Cantab)

Consultant Neurologist and the Department Head, Neurology and Clinical Neurophysiology, at the Women’s and Children’s Health Network, South Australia.

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