The Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research is a
medical research
Medical research (or biomedical research), also known as experimental medicine, encompasses a wide array of research, extending from "basic research" (also called ''bench science'' or ''bench research''), – involving fundamental scientif ...
centre based in
Perth
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...
, Western Australia. It has facilities at the
Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre
The Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre (QEIIMC), commonly known as just QEII, is a medical campus in Perth, Western Australia, situated in the suburb of Nedlands directly adjacent to Kings Park. It contains Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, the P ...
in
Nedlands and
Fiona Stanley Hospital
Fiona Stanley Hospital (FSH) is a state government hospital and teaching facility in Murdoch, Western Australia. Completed in December 2013, the hospital is the largest building project ever undertaken for the Government of Western Australia. ...
in
Murdoch
Murdoch ( , ) is an Irish/Scottish given name, as well as a surname. The name is derived from old Gaelic words ''mur'', meaning "sea" and ''murchadh'', meaning "sea warrior". The following is a list of notable people or entities with the name.
...
. The institute was established in 1998 as the Western Australian Institute for Medical Research (WAIMR), and was renamed in 2013 in honour of
Harry Perkins, its founding chairman.
History
The Western Australian Institute for Medical Research (WAIMR) was established in 1998 as a collaboration between the
University of Western Australia
The University of Western Australia (UWA) is a public research university in the Australian state of Western Australia. The university's main campus is in Perth, the state capital, with a secondary campus in Albany, Western Australia, Albany an ...
(UWA),
Royal Perth Hospital
Royal Perth Hospital (RPH) is a 450-bed adult and teaching hospital located on the northeastern edge of the central business district of Perth, Western Australia.
History
The hospital traces its history back to the first colonial hospital, whi ...
, and
Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital
Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital (SCGH) is a teaching hospital in Nedlands, Western Australia.
Opened in 1958 as the Perth Chest Hospital and later named in honour of Sir Charles Gairdner, governor of Western Australia from 1951 to 1963, it is pa ...
.
Fremantle Hospital
Fremantle Hospital is an Australian public hospital situated on South Terrace in central Fremantle, southwest of Perth, Western Australia.
It was formerly the major hospital in its region; however, with the opening of Fiona Stanley Hospi ...
became a partner in 2003. The institute was an initiative of two UWA professors,
Peter Klinken
Svend Peter Klinken (born 30 July 1953 in Singapore) is an Australian medical researcher and academic. He is currently the Chief Scientist of Western Australia.
He was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) in the June 2017 Queen ...
and Peter Leedman, with Klinken becoming its first director.
Harry Perkins, the chairman of
Wesfarmers
Wesfarmers Limited is an Australian conglomerate, headquartered in Perth, Western Australia. It has interests predominantly in Australia and New Zealand, operating in retail, chemical, fertiliser, industrial and safety products. With revenue o ...
, played a key role in its establishment and was appointed as the institute's first chairman, a position he held until his death in 2002. Wesfarmers provided an initial donation of $5 million, and has been the institute's major sponsor ever since. In October 2013, WAIMR changed its name to honour Perkins' legacy.
Facilities
The institute was originally housed in existing space at the
Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre
The Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre (QEIIMC), commonly known as just QEII, is a medical campus in Perth, Western Australia, situated in the suburb of Nedlands directly adjacent to Kings Park. It contains Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, the P ...
. In March 2014, the institute moved into a new purpose-built 10-storey building at on the same site, which cost $122 million and was funded by the state and federal governments and private-sector contributions. The new building (known as Perkins North) has a capacity of 750 researchers. In late 2014, a second facility (known as Perkins South) was opened at on the new
Fiona Stanley Hospital
Fiona Stanley Hospital (FSH) is a state government hospital and teaching facility in Murdoch, Western Australia. Completed in December 2013, the hospital is the largest building project ever undertaken for the Government of Western Australia. ...
site, a six-storey building costing $63.5 million. It will accommodate up to 400 researchers.
References
External links
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Medical research institutes in Western Australia
University of Western Australia
1998 establishments in Australia
Research institutes established in 1998