It was so lovely to be invited to the Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI) Preterm Research Connection to participate on the parent panel. The researchers in attendance all have a strong commitment to embedding the Lived Experience into their work.
It was fascinating to hear about the differences observed in adults who were born preterm and also hugely reassuring to hear of the similarities to their term born peers. The preterm born adults who shared their personal insights were remarkable and left many audience members with goosebumps.
Some researchers presented on the gaps within the system that continue to persist and highlighted why continued research and innovation is so important. We've been collaborating on several projects including the Guideline for Growth, Health and Development Follow-up for Children Born Very Preterm, which has now been published and endorsed by National Health and Medical Research Council and another relating to a Model of Care for follow-up. These pieces of work are great places to start, but they are not end points and require expansion, implementation, consideration of health equity across the Nation and more.
We look forward to continuing our relationship and working to solve some of these pressing issues.
