The start of 2012 is marked by the establishment of the Charles Perkins Centre at the University of Sydney, with Professor Stephen J Simpson as Academic Director, to support research and education programs that will lead to real-world solutions for obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The centre is the result of a remarkable conversation where groups of diverse researchers and educators have come together to consider how they might combine forces and contribute real-world solutions to mitigate the growing impacts of these chronic diseases that are of increasing global concern.
The conversation was stimulated in part by the commitment of the University, with a A$95m grant from the Australian Government, to a A$395m infrastructure investment that will provide state-of-the-art education and research facilities that will serve the centre. The year 2011 was marked by some memorable milestones in support of this compelling vision. We broke ground on the new 45,000 square metre building that will become the hub for the academic program, which is now under construction in a strategic position next to the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and Centenary Institute. We celebrated the sale of Picasso’s portrait of Marie-Thérèse Walter at Christie’s auction house. The funds (A$20.3m) generated through the generous act of an anonymous donor will support chair appointments in disciplines supporting the academic program’s strategic goals.
A series of workshops including ‘The mind-body interface’, ‘E-health and social media’, and ‘Corporate social responsibility and obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease’ have brought focus to the conversation in high priority areas. More than 300 academics worked together during the genesis of our centre, led by Professor David Ian Cook with support from many, but especially from Professor Warwick Britton and Dr Mark Ainsworth. These researchers created the first draft strategic plan for what has become a truly Universitywide academic program – bringing together the excellence and breadth needed to realise an ambitious and timely vision.
This volume is the product of the passion and commitment of the contributing researchers to push forward the frontier of knowledge, and ensure the new knowledge impacts on the health and quality of life for individuals and our communities in the future.
Jill Trewhella
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) vi