Schofield leaves Garvan to join Prince of Wales

Neuroscience and mental illness specialist Prof Peter Schofield has been appointed executive director and CEO of the Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute, and plans to move his 15-strong research team from the Garvan Institute to yet-to-be-built labs in Sydney’s Randwick.

Previously director of the neurobiology research program at the Garvan Institute, Schofield’s research interests centre on identifying the genetic underpinnings of bipolar disorder and Alzheimer’s disease.

“It’s the third largest institute in the state, it is focused on neuroscience,” Prof Schofield said of his new home. “[The Prince of Wales] decided the institute needed to grown in the genetic areas of neuroscience to complement what they already did.”

He explained that the Prince of Wales’ strengths in neurological disorders, spinal injury, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinsons would extended by his team’s interest in neurodegenerative disorders.

“There’s a clear fit, and I already collaborate with these people. We’re next door to the Black Dog Institute and I’ve been working with them on mood disorders such as biopolar genetics and schizophrenia genetics,” said Schofield.

“I hope I can use my own research interests as a bridgehead to see the institute grow in those areas and attract additional people.”

Schofield believes the looming burden of disease as the population ages needs to be attacked by firstly building up a detailed knowledge base. “There are some compelling arguments that are presented that even if we apply everything we know, we can’t fix half the burden of disease, because we don’t know how to design a treatment.”

“I hope we make a disproportionate contribution [to the problem].”

Schofield was co-author of the report “Brain and Mind Disorders: Impact of the Neurosciences” which was presented to the prime minister’s science council last year. Health minister Tony Abbott recently confirmed that the government has responded by establishing a neuroscience consultative task force, which will address funding for research.