In the last month, ADNeT Director Professor Chris Rowe, Deputy Director Professor Perminder Sachdev, and ADNeT Memory Clinics Lead, Professor Sharon Naismith were all recipients of awards in recognition of their contributions to research in their respective fields.

Professor Sachdev has been awarded the 2022 Ryman Prize by Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand, in recognition of research that has substantially enhanced the life of older people around the world. The Ryman Prize is the world’s richest prize of its type and was established to create the equivalent of a Nobel Prize for people working in the field of the health of older people.

Additionally, Prof Sachdev was named by The Australian’s Research magazine as the top Australian researcher in Neurology. You can read more about his impressive 35-year career in the field of brain ageing and dementia and on winning the prestigious Ryman Prize here.

Professor Sharon Naismith was awarded the International Neuropsychological Society (INS) Mid-Career Award, after being nominated by distinguished members of the INS community, who highlighted her contributions to the field of mental health, sleep, and modifying risk factors in cognitive decline/dementia.

Additionally, in November, Prof Naismith was awarded a $5million grant to explore the role of sleep disturbance in accelerating cognitive decline, which can lead to dementia.

Joining Prof Sachdev, ADNeT Director Prof Chris Rowe has also been named as a top researcher in The Australian’s Research magazine.

Recognised in the field of Gerontology & Geriatric Medicine for the third year in a row, Prof Rowe’s focus is PET brain imaging of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), for better understanding, earlier more accurate detection, and to speed development of effective treatments.

We congratulate all of them on their impressive and ongoing work and achievements.

You can read the full list of the top Australian researchers in Health and Medical Sciences here.