Brain Health in the Tropics

    The Cairns Institute has been a partner with the Creating Futures initiative since 2012. Creating Futures (CF) has evolved from a conference to a movement that seeks to harness experience, expertise, innovation and goodwill to build the capacities necessary to improve the mental health status of disadvantaged populations in Australasia and the Western Pacific. It exists as an independent, task-focused collaboration of individuals and institutions built on a foundation of relationships of trust across time, terrain, sectors and special interests.

    Working with partners in the Pacific, CF aims to support on ground health professionals and community members with skills development, information, training, leadership courses and networking opportunities. In July 2022, CF delivered a series of four free lunch time sessions on Brain Health. The sessions was presented by Professor Zoltan Sarnyai, Head of the Laboratory of Psychiatric Neuroscience at JCU.

    Topics included
    • Covid-19 and the brain
    • The impact of infectious diseases on brain health
    • Stress, trauma and brain health – a lifetime perspective
    • Global warming and brain health

    The online sessions were attended by people in Fiji, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Cook Islands, Micronesia, Marshall Islands, USA, and Australia. The main supporting partners for the series included Fiji National University (FNU), Tropical Brain and Mind Foundation, St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne, The Pacific Community (SPC) Asia Australia Mental Health, JCU and The Cairns Institute.

    Feedback from the session was overwhelmingly positive. Many attendees felt that they gained a lot of knowledge and understanding and were able to discuss the implications of COVID and other infectious diseases on the Pacific.
    “Brain health underpins a great deal of our individual and community well-being,” Creating Futures co-ordinator Professor Ernest Hunter said. “Good brain health is key to helping individuals and communities overcome disadvantage and prosper.”
    All the session recordings and more information is available through the CF website https://creatingfutures.org.au/

    Back to List


    More News


    Industry Expert Series

    Industry Expert Series

    The Tropical North Queensland Drought Resilience and Innovation Hub (TNQDRIH) has engaged with two leading industry experts Professor Roger Stone and Bob Shepherd to build a series of v...

    Read More

    Waiting with no time to wait

    Waiting with no time to wait

    Young people are frequently relegated to a state of waiting; expected to passively absorb and learn an adult culture that actively damages the earth. Governments persist in relying on h...

    Read More

    Western Capes Futures Symposium

    Western Capes Futures Symposium

    The TNQ Drought Hub, Sustainable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Enterprise (SATSIE) program are pleased to partner with the Western Cape Chamber of Commerce, Aurukun Shire Counci...

    Read More

    Falling From The Sky

    Falling From The Sky

    James Cook University Associate Professor and The Cairns Institute Fellow Robyn Glade-Wright is passionate about climate change and seeks to communicate with the greater public about en...

    Read More

    Our islands: protection and conservation

    Our islands: protection and conservation

    The Oceania region has an incredible array of ecosystems and biocultural diversity along with many threats to those. Safeguarding and effectively managing such ecosystems and the liveli...

    Read More

    Tyá Dynevor joins CoTS

    Tyá Dynevor joins CoTS

    Tyá Dynevor is a proud Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander mixed-race woman; born on Dharawal Country, Campbelltown, Greater Western Sydney but had grown up between Darwin, Larrakia&nb...

    Read More

    Ellie embarks on a PhD

    Ellie embarks on a PhD

    Ellie Bock has been awarded a Masters degree after completing her Master of Philosophy (Society and Culture). Ellie’s primary advisor was Professor Allan Dale and her secondary advisor...

    Read More

    SATSIE 2022 Highlights

    SATSIE 2022 Highlights

    Allan Dale heads the TNQ Drought Hub team that sits within The Cairns Institute and delivers the Sustainable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Enterprise (SATSIE) program. The SATSIE&nbs...

    Read More

    Top

    © 2023 The Cairns Institute | Site Map | Site by OracleStudio | Design by LeoSchoepflin