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WELCOME FROM THE DIRECTOR

It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research. Your appointment with us is important to our future and what we hope to achieve as one of Australia’s foremost medical research institutes. We hope that your experience will be rewarding and enjoyable.

At the Perkins, our mission statement is simple – to promote, develop and conduct excellent medical research that benefits the community. We have four core values that we demonstrate in the Institute; Respect, Passion, Innovation and Collaboration. It is a commitment the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research has had enormous success in meeting.

A leader in research into the genetic causes of adult diseases including cancer and diabetes, the Perkins (formerly the West Australian Institute for Medical Research, or “WAIMR”) was established in March 1998. Our founding partners were The University of Western Australia (UWA), Royal Perth Hospital and Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital. In July 2003, Fremantle Hospital also became a partner. We have been strongly supported by Wesfarmers, WAIMR’s founding sponsor, who injected $5 million dollars into the Institute’s ground-breaking research activities. Bankwest, UWA, the State Government, and private donations from business professionals across the State have also contributed considerably to our ongoing success.

Since our inception, we have made a number of internationally-significant research discoveries. Our team has helped pinpoint genes linked to breast, prostate, pancreatic, head and neck cancer and leukaemia, as well as those contributing to a number of nerve and muscle disorders. Our challenge is to build on this excellent work and continue to make significant advances in our research.

These are incredibly exciting times for the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research. We are on the cusp of becoming a major international force in medical research. Everyone associated with the Perkins deeply appreciates the support and endorsement we have received. Importantly, we understand the shared responsibility to improve the health and wellbeing of the community.

The new Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research building helps to combine the talent, technology and facilities available for medical research in Western Australia and will enable greater collaboration between many of the State’s major research groups. Significantly, this will ensure far better use of precious, and limited, research resources.

While more information can be obtained from the Perkins’ intranet, we urge you to bring up any questions or concerns with your Group Leader, Manager or our Human Resources Department.

Congratulations on making the decision to join the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research.

On behalf of all the team at Perkins welcome aboard!

Prof Peter Leedman AO
Director
Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research