Round up of 2019

Thank you for being part of the Twins Research Australia research community this year. 2019 has been a year of enormous success for us; nearly 2000 families and over 4000 individuals participated in our research studies in 2019; our biggest year yet!  All the while we have continued to support studies and run additional successful and popular workshops focussing on Twin Statistical Methodology and Analysis. 

A reminder to researchers to send through an update on any 2019 publications related to their TRA studies – and for those who received an email from us, please don’t forget to complete your annual report study survey.

Congratulations to Tessa Cutler

In October, we said farewell to Tessa Cutler.  A long-term employee of TRA, Tess worked for almost 10 years in a variety of roles and most recently as the Research and Study Coordinator. Many of you would have corresponded with Tess over the years and realised what a hard-working, dedicated employee she has been – streamlining and implementing many of TRA procedures and processes over that time. Tess is leaving to undertake a PhD in Aboriginal youth and mental health – a subject she is committed to making a difference in.  We wish her well in her future research endeavours.

Inaugural workshop advocates for multiple-birth families 

Over the last 3 years, the Priority Setting Partnership (PSP) brought together multiples, parents and carers of multiples, clinicians and researchers from around the world to identify the top 10 unanswered questions in health research for multiples. In October, the top 10 research priorities paper was released. 

Following the release of this paper, TRA recently hosted an inaugural workshop focusing on developing national priorities and next steps to improve health outcomes for multiple-birth babies and their families. Over 30 participants attended and affirmed their commitment to work together to elevate awareness and action in several high-priority areas. Learn more about who is involved and what their aims are here.

Prestigious award for twin research leader

Congratulations to TRA Director, Prof John Hopper, who has received one of La Trobe University's highest honours. In this video, he explains what has most inspired him in his career. "The most important thing about our research is: can it, does it, will it make a difference? Are we saving lives?" View here.

Recent twin research

• Caesarean twin births triples over last 30 years
• Don’t blame teachers: student results are (mostly) out of their hands
• Why do more women develop lupus than men?
• Heart and brain health are connected, but what influences both?
• Link to Member eNews and our Twins Stats Facebook group

Recent publications

A recent selection of publications from TRA and our collaborators are included below.

TRA paper explaining our recent work:

TRA has recently published an article which summarizes TRA’s recent achievements and future directions, including new methodologies addressing causation, linkage to health, economic and educational administrative datasets and to geospatial data to provide insight into health and disease. Twins Research Australia: A New Paradigm for Driving Twin Research – Twin Res Hum Genet. 

Journal articles:

• Research priorities for the future health of multiples and their families: The Global Twins and Multiples Priority Setting Partnership – Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology
• The Association between Socioeconomic Status and Psychological Distress: A Within and Between Twin Study – Twin Res Hum Genet. 
• A low-fat diet up-regulates expression of fatty acid taste receptor gene FFAR4 in fungiform papillae in humans: a co-twin randomised controlled trial – British Journal of Nutrition 
• The CODATwins Project: The Current Status and Recent Findings of COllaborative Project of Development of Anthropometrical Measures in Twins – Twin Res Hum Genet. 
• Parental Education and Genetics of BMI from Infancy to Old Age: A Pooled Analysis of 29 Twin Cohorts – Obesity
• Differential Influences of Genes and Environment Across the Distribution of Reading Ability – Behaviour Genetics
• Estimating Classroom-Level Influences on Literacy and Numeracy: A Twin Study – Journal of Education Psychology 

Christmas message and closure dates

We would like to extend our thanks to everyone for your support throughout the year. On behalf of all TRA staff, we wish you all a safe and happy festive season.   See you in 2020!

Please note the TRA office will be closed for the Christmas and New Year period from 25th December 2019 – 12th January 2020 (inclusive).