Professor Kim Cornish: Research for the real world
Professor Kim Cornish, a Developmental Cognitive Neuroscientist, is a pioneer with a purpose: bring discoveries to clinics and communities to make real impacts on people’s lives.
As the newest member of ARMI’s Leadership Advisory Board (ARMILAB), the appointment of Professor Cornish reflects the Board’s multidisciplinary approach to solving some of the biggest challenges in regenerative medicine.
“It’s vitally important that scientific discoveries are presented with a focus on their impact on communities and medical treatment.”
Head of the School of Psychological Sciences and Founding Director of The Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health at Monash University, Professor Cornish champions the need to connect research with real world applications. This ethos is evident in her work while she held the prestigious Canada Research Chair in developmental cognitive neuroscience at McGill University in Montreal, where she co-invented TALI™. The game-based, interactive cognitive training program helps young children with severe attention deficiencies and is now NDIS approved and used in clinics across Australia.
“It’s vitally important that scientific discoveries are presented with a focus on their impact on communities and medical treatment,” Professor Cornish reminds us. “Translating scientific research into practical programs and real world outcomes is a key focus in my new ARMILAB role.”
She is enthusiastic about the potential of ARMI projects to transform the field and application of regenerative medicine, saying, “I’m excited to see the impact of the many groundbreaking projects that will improve lives and capacity of millions of Australians, including ARMI’s innovative new partnership with the new Victorian Heart Hospital, MonashHeart. This is research at its best – saving lives in the community. We’re part of Australia’s first dedicated heart hospital that will bring world-leading cardiovascular care to Victorians.” This collaboration, which galvanises the clinical research arm in regenerative medicine, is hopefully the first of many.
In addition to this, for Professor Cornish, it’s important to make a difference for women in research. She noted there are still too few women in academic leadership roles, especially in the biomedical sciences. “I believe it will only change when women step up to the challenge of leadership and be that proud beacon of change for the next generation,” she commented. “Young women at the start of their career or mid-career need to see women in leadership making strong decisions, being respected by colleagues and driving innovation.”
“ARMILAB is cut from the same cloth – we need to stay agile, connect with the community and focus on how our discovery findings can change the world around us.”
She looks forward to bringing her significant research and academic leadership experience to the Board. “I have shown how a large academic discipline, Psychology, can be transformed into a contemporary Institute (The Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health) which can respond quickly to the complex mental health challenges that face our world today,” she said. “ARMILAB is cut from the same cloth – we need to stay agile, connect with the community and focus on how our discovery findings can change the world around us.”
To learn about the other members of ARMILAB, click here.
You can find Professor Kim Cornish on LinkedIn here.