DOCUMENT

ANNUAL IMPACT REPORT 2022 OUR IMPACTON NEUROLOGICAL RESEARCH by Dr Sarah Schonberger, Neurological Foundation’s Head of Research Please note, all figures used in this document are unaudited at the time of print. An audited version of the Annual Impact Report 2021/22 will be made available on the Neurological Foundation website in October 2022 This means they can continue projects disrupted by a pandemic, keep up with the increasing costs of research, and continue to work on new knowledge, treatments, and therapies for neurological conditions. INVESTMENT IN NEUROLOGICAL RESEARCH Despite the uncertainties of the last 12months, we have increased research expenditure by more than $3.7m this year. A significant portion of this was a five-year commitment to the Neurological Foundation Chair of Clinical Neurology (NFCCN), a position held by Professor Alan Barber since 2008. Professor Alan Barber is a world-renowned stroke expert, who has developed several ground-breaking stroke treatments and techniques in New Zealand, saving many lives. Our NFCCN is one of two major cornerstones of brain research in New Zealand that we fund. The other is the Neurological Foundation Human Brain Bank hosted at the University of Auckland’s Centre for Brain Research. LIFELINE DURING A PANDEMIC The disruptions caused by COVID-19 continue to threaten the sustainability of research projects not only in neuroscience but across all disciplines. When the pandemic hit, the Foundation put immediatemeasures in place to ensure the people and projects we had committed to fund could continue. GRANT ALLOCATION The money you donate is allocated to neurological research via two annual grant rounds. Applications are scored and ranked through an objective selection process involving local and international experts. We receive more applications than we can fund, and grants are only awarded to the highest-ranked applications. Your support means we have been able to invest an incredible $8m to support neurological researchers, clinicians, and scientists this year – including nearly $5m in grants, a $2.5m commitment to extend the Chair of Clinical Neurology position, and more than $500k in COVID-19 relief funding. SAVING LIVES Since he was appointed Neurological Foundation Chair of Clinical Neurology in 2008, Professor Alan Barber has been instrumental in vastly improving the management and care of stroke patients in New Zealand. He has developed two life-saving stroke treatments with his colleagues and established New Zealand’s first dedicated stroke and rehabilitation unit at Auckland Hospital, Taiao Ora. Professor Barber and his team helped to develop a life-saving thrombectomy clot retrieval procedure. At least 1200 patients have received the procedure in New Zealand, however that figure climbs almost every day as the treatment has become routine in stroke wards. For every three people who receive the clot retrieval treatment, one is saved from a severe disability or death. “New Zealand is well advanced in providing stroke treatment and rehabilitation, and a huge reason for that is the support we have received from the Neurological Foundation,” says Professor Barber. 7