Perth Children’s Hospital anaesthetist Britta Regli-von Ungern-Sternberg recognised in PM’s science awards

A WA anaesthetist who pioneered life-changing research into finding ways to make surgery safer for children has been recognised in this year’s prestigious Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science. Perth Children’s Hospital consultant anaesthetist Britta Regli-von Ungern-Sternberg has won the Frank Fenner Prize for Life Scientist of the Year for her work to reduce risks linked to anaesthesia for children. Around one in seven children suffer breathing problems while anaesthetised during surgery in Australia each year — rising to one in three for infants and one in two for newborns. Complications which deprive a child’s body of oxygen can lead to brain damage. Professor Regli-von Ungern-Sternberg — who is also chair of paediatric anaesthesia at the University of WA — found ways to identify children at high risk of developing breathing problems before their operation. She also helped improve management of anaesthesia for children, including choosing the best method and airway device for each patient. Now incorporated into international guidelines, her work has changed how anaesthesia for children is performed around the world. “We have shown, for example, if you give a simple Ventolin asthma puffer to children to take before a tonsillectomy — a very common procedure — that reduces significantly the amount of severe complications children can get with breathing during or after the procedure,” she said. “If a child needs a vital operation, my aim is for this surgery to be as safe and comfortable for the child as possible.” Professor Regli-von Ungern-Sternberg discovered her interest in anaesthesia while working as a paramedic during high school and medical school in Germany. She came to Perth nearly 18 years ago with her husband, also a doctor, intending to stay for only one or two years. Finding out she was being recognised in the awards was a “humbling experience”, she said, while the $50,000 prize money would be ploughed back into her research. “I truly feel this prize is not just for me — I’m the captain of a team,” she said. “As anaesthetists, we never work alone, we work always in a big team in theatre. “It’s very special for WA because we tend to be less often recognised on the stage ... we are further away and not as visible.” She is the only WA scientist among the eight recipients of this year’s prizes, which acknowledge outstanding achievements in research, innovation and science teaching. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said this year’s winners showed the breadth and depth of Australia’s scientific talent. “Australia has world-class scientists, researchers and teachers,” he said. “This year’s winners show just how bright the future is for Australian science.” Other winners include astrophysics professor Matthew Bailes from Melbourne’s Swinburne University of Technology, cancer drug inventors Professor Andrew Wilks and Dr Chris Burns, RMIT University’s renewable energy professor Tianyi Ma and quantum computing innovator Dr Andrew Horsley. Next year’s awards will include a new category to highlight the scientific contributions of First Nations people.