Media enquiries

Lucy Westerman has now commenced her role of Executive Officer of the Australian Chronic Disease Prevention Alliance. She will be working with our team to identify key opportunities to influence government health policy and develop joint recommendations to reduce the burden of chronic disease in Australia.

ACDPA comprises Cancer Council Australia, Heart Foundation, Diabetes Australia, Stroke Foundation, Kidney Health Australia, and Lung Foundation Australia.

Congratulations to Prof Carol Pollock, Chair of Kidney Health Australia, on being awarded the Alfred Newton Richards Award by the International Society of Nephrology. This award recognises outstanding basic research in kidney-related fields and will be formally recognized at the ISN World Congress of Nephrology 2023, from March 30 – April 2, 2023, in Bangkok, Thailand. Professor Pollock has over 440 publications published in basic research and clinical medicine and over 29,000 citations.

"I would like to acknowledge the research grant awarded by Kidney Health Australia which has provided critical support to our research in kidney diseases. Our project funded by Kidney Health Australia research grant (KHA2021XMC) aimed to define the role of stem cell produced exosomes in mitigating or preventing the progression of chronic kidney disease in mouse models. A part of the results raised from this project has significantly contributed to a great successful NHMRC Investigator Grant led by Professor Carol Pollock who is my supervisor. This successful NHMRC grant ($2m) has secured our research in CKD for next 5 years through supporting both staff employment and supplies of consumables. So, this Kidney Health Australia research grant has been very important to our future research in CKD, many thanks!" - Xin-Ming, Sydney Medical School

Kidney decline can happen quickly. Like many Australians, Lesley didn't experience a slow deterioration into kidney failure.

She instead lost about 90 per cent of her kidney function before anyone — including her doctors — knew anything was wrong.

Because the body compensates for that loss of function, it's common for people to experience very few or no symptoms at all until they have permanent damage.

We warmly welcome the announcement about the listing of oral therapy dapagliflozin on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) in Australia from 1 September 2022 to reduce the risk of progressive decline in kidney function in adults with proteinuric chronic kidney disease who meet the specific criteria of the PBS listing. This is the first new treatment added to the PBS in more than 20 years for Australians living with proteinuric chronic kidney disease, and will impact so many Australians and members of our kidney family.

This medicine has previously been used to manage type 2 diabetes and heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, and it is pleasing to see that it will now be available as an accessible option supporting the treatment of patients diagnosed with proteinuric chronic kidney disease.