Reminiscing on 40 years of RPH Research Foundation with former Board Chair

Emeritus Professor Lawrie Beilin AO is a distinguished researcher who has dedicated his career to advancing healthcare in the field of hypertension, with a particular focus on stroke and heart attack prevention.

Professor Beilin’s work has had a lasting impact on cardiovascular disease prevention and has been recognised nationally and internationally. Lawrie recently received the Peter Sleight Excellence Award in Hypertension Clinical Research from the World Hypertension League, in recognition of his significant contribution to hypertension research and treatment. He has also served as President of the International Society for Hypertension and the Australian Council for High Blood Pressure Research.

His association with Royal Perth Hospital (RPH) began in 1977 when he arrived from Oxford University to take on the University of Western Australia’s newly established RPH Professor of Medicine. As a passionate advocate for research, teaching and patient care, Professor Beilin has been heavily involved with the RPH Research Foundation since its inception.

Together with the late Professor Rob Vandongen, Professor Beilin advocated for a dedicated research space at the hospital, which led to the establishment of the RPH Research Foundation’s research facility. He recalls the buzz of distinguished researchers working on different projects across a range of medical disciplines with a singular aim – to improve people’s health and prevent disease. 

In 2001, Professor Beilin took on the role of Chair of the Board.  During his tenure, he continued to refine the direction of the Foundation’s research agenda. Which included establishing Postdoctoral Fellowships, bio-statistical support for the RPH campus, and the invaluable Practitioner Fellowships that were awarded to clinical researchers such as Professor Fiona Wood AM, whose research on spray-on skin went on to help the burn victims of the 2002 Bali Bombings.

Seeding grants are deeply important to Lawrie as they give researchers the opportunity to launch projects which may be a steppingstone to other funding. He knows first-hand how essential seed funding from the Foundation can be, having received his own seed funding grants in the 1980s for projects like “Effects of Dietary Fats and Fatty Acids on Vascular Reactivity”.

Professor Beilin has always recognised the importance of a strong link between medical research foundation's and the hospital.

“Medical research is driven by what happens to patients. That’s the underlying motive for doing any medical research - you want to improve people’s health and prevent disease,” shares Professor Beilin.

Image: The RPH Research Foundation building being built

Image: 2010/11 Annual Investigators Day  

“If you have medical research integrated into day-to-day activity at a hospital, it always improves patient care.”

Research helps attract and retain top talent to the hospital and ensures WA patients receive the best care. “The reputation of researchers in partnership with the RPH Research Foundation continues to be a magnet for excellent people to come to the hospital”, Professor Beilin says. Throughout his time at RPH, there was always enormous support for research. “Patient care, teaching, and research are the essential pillars of a teaching hospital and RPH is one of the finest hospitals in which I have worked.”

There have been many notable moments for the Foundation over the past four decades. Ray Dobney, a former patient of Royal Perth Hospital, remains one of the biggest influences on the RPH Research Foundation. Mr Dobney donated an incredible $5 million to establish a tissue culture laboratory at Royal Perth Hospital the Ray and Bill Dobney Cell and Tissue Therapies Western Australia (CTTWA), which has been a major asset for the hospital.

“CTTWA is doing highly innovative research which is recognised across the country and provides certain types of human stem cell and related tissue culture for treating otherwise untreatable diseases,” shares Professor Beilin.

Later, Ray Dobney also left a substantial Gift in his Will to the Royal Perth Hospital Research Foundation, the research that has been made possible with his gift has gone on to help hundreds of WA patients every year.

“Ray’s bequest made an enormous difference and enabled us to go on and establish the Dobney Chair in Clinical Research,” Professor Beilin reflects. In 2014, the Chair was awarded to Professor Markus Schlaich to lead research into hypertension, which continues to be the biggest killer globally and makes ongoing research in this field essential for improved health outcomes.  

As Lawrie talks about some of the most notable research it’s clear it spans a broad remit from HIV AIDS, heart disease, snake venom and healthy ageing. Over the years, the Foundation’s research funding has reflected many of the different challenges of healthcare and enhanced patient care.

Image: Dr Catherine Bondonno (left) with Emeritus Professor Lawrie Beilin (right)

Now, in semi-retirement, Lawrie continues to pursue his passion for medical research and remains involved with the Foundation as a strategic advisor to the Board.

Looking to the future, Professor Beilin talks about the importance of emerging leaders in research. The ones that will continue to lead the charge for the vital research that happens within and alongside the hospital to improve patient care.

It is fitting then, that in recognition of his extraordinary contribution to medical research in WA, the highest-ranked Career Advancement Fellowship was named in his honour and awarded to Dr Catherine Bondonno.

Emeritus Professor Lawrie Beilin AO's dedication to medical research and patient care has left a lasting impact on the Royal Perth Hospital Research Foundation and the broader healthcare community. As Professor Beilin reflects on the Foundation’s achievements and future, it is clear that his passion for research and commitment to supporting emerging talent will continue to shape the future of healthcare for years to come.