An update on all things MIND

Recruitment

We are incredibly pleased to report that we have received over 1000 referrals and recruited almost 650 participants to the MiND Study, across general practices, memory clinics and medical specialist (neurology, geriatrics, psychiatry) services across Australia. This is an extremely positive response, particularly given the challenges that COVID-19 has presented.

The study team has begun using social media to maximise recruitment with tremendous success. Specifically, this involved a national Facebook advertisement as well as more traditional communication mediums, such as waiting room study posters and brochures in clinics right across the country. These efforts have led to significant insights into a cohort of people that would not have recruited otherwise, including people feeling anxious because of their family history and/or symptoms they have noticed and are worried about, as well as people who are in the community, and therefore, in primary care. Whilst more traditional forms of recruitment via primary care have been compromised due to the pandemic, the study team have been using Patron to identify potentially suitable participants and we encourage more practices to get more involved via our GP Pilot Study and/or more general participation, to help boost recruitment to this game-changing research.

New Community Pathology Labs

We are pleased to share that the MiND Study is growing, and we are now welcoming participants from New South Wales and the Northern Territory, as well as Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and Victoria. In exciting developments, we are close to finalising processes in Tasmania!

A big shout out to all our pathology centres right around the country. Their support has been instrumental in the successes we have achieved to date.​

The MiND Podcast​

The MiND Study's very own Chief Investigator, Dr Dhamidhu (Dhama) Eratne in Neuropsychiatry at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and Professor Malcolm Hopwood (Ramsey Health Care Professor of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne; based at Albert Road Clinic (ARC) in Melbourne, recently discussed the MiND Study in a Psych Matters (Royal and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists/RANZCP) podcast.

Listen here

A Big Thank you

We would like to extend our gratitude to every GP, clinician and health service who has referred patients to the study as well as to all the patients and families who have supported the study through their ongoing generosity, participation and heart-felt passion for the cause. This has been instrumental in getting us closer to clinical translational outcomes. For example: A routinely available point-of-care blood test in the real world. Think of it as a “CRP for the brain” that could indicate whether “something neurological is going on,” or maybe even one day as a “cholesterol for the brain,” to help with risk monitoring, early intervention, delay and even prevention of neurocognitive disorders.

Get in touch

As always, the study team are happy to hear from you. Please reach out to us at: contact@themindstudy.org

For more information and updates: https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/fsA4CVAGLrsxWzgzGuWavpv?domain=themindstudy.org

And please stay social with us via Twitter: https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/VQ-jCWLJMvF5MNDNJULy05J?domain=twitter.com