Driven by a passion for science and human health, this year’s Rhonda Ewart Honours Scholarship in Dementia Care recipient Nina Daniels hopes her research will one day help halt the progress of Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD).
The Bachelor of Biotechnology and Medical Research graduate, who is completing her Honours with the Wicking Dementia and Education Centre, said she was thrilled to have the support of the scholarship to concentrate fully on her research into what was often an insidious form of dementia.
“FTD is often associated with behavioural and language changes and is found in early onset dementia, meaning that it has a larger impact on society and people at a younger age than most other dementias,” Nina said.
“It is caused by the disruption of communication between the nerve cells in the brain, so I will be examining this and what the changes that occur to these cells physically look like.
“This will hopefully provide us with a better understanding of what the mechanisms of this disease might be and eventually assist with finding new therapeutic targets in order to slow the progression of this complex and debilitating disease.”
The scholarship was established in 2015 by long-time University employee Rhonda Ewart, to provide an honours scholarship in perpetuity to a student undertaking Honours in Dementia Care, with the Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre.
Nina said she was incredibly honoured to receive such a prestigious and generous scholarship.
“The scholarship will have a huge impact on allowing me to pursue my career and future and hopefully doing as much as I can in the field of dementia research. “
“I am incredibly grateful that I have been given the chance to contribute to research in dementia and hope to continue on with it after my honours year.”
Nina received her award alongside this year’s John Kable Memorial Scholarship Law Memorial Scholarship recipient Alec Garratt and Zoe Ewart Memorial Scholarship in Law recipient Jarin White.
