TRA's livestream TwinsFest 2021 showcases our 40th year

What a wonderful way to end our 40th anniversary year! Over a thousand members and supporters joined in the celebrations of TRA’s first ever online livestream, TwinsFest Australia – whether by entering a photo competition, buying a raffle ticket, bidding in the silent auction, or by attending the one-of-a-kind event. We sincerely thank the MC, Ben Bishop, the entertainers, special guests, and businesses that generously donated their time, products and services for free. This enabled us to raise nearly $13,000 for multiple-birth family health research. Find the photo competition and other prize winners here.

A special message from Princess Mary of Denmark 

One of the highlights of TwinsFest 2021, was a heartfelt special message to members, researchers and supporters of Twins Research Australia for our 40th anniversary from our International Patron, HRH Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, herself a mother of twins. As HRH expressed: “There are many health and disease challenges ahead for the world, and I’m pleased to be able to support and encourage this unique area of medical research…. I thank each and every one of you for your incredible contribution - whether a twin or triplet, parent of twins or triplets, staff member, researcher or partner, past or present. And I’m very excited about working with you to achieve even more in the years ahead.” Don’t miss HRH’s full message – video here.  

Studies power ahead in 2021

Our members continue to amaze us! Despite the restrictions we all experienced, our members came out in force to support our research, with 4686 individual study participants and 2741 families across the year. Find other interesting facts about our research in the infographic above (e.g. which was our most popular study? Who participated the most (males or females) and what age were they?)  What an incredible contribution the multiple-birth community has made to health research through participation in our studies over the past 40 years - and continue to do so. Please note, the Mental Health Study and the Decision-making Study will recommence in 2022 – we’ll stay in touch. 

Are your twin and family members missing out on studies?

There are many twins and higher-order multiples on our database with whom we’ve lost contact. Could you help us to reconnect by encouraging them to update their email address with us? Then, they won’t miss out on invitations to exciting new studies coming up in 2022! Most of our adult studies require both twins to have valid email addresses to be invited. 

• Parents of multiples: Have your multiple children recently turned 18? Or did they turn 18 a while ago and are not receiving correspondence from us? Parents stop receiving study invitations on their twins’ behalf once they turn 18. So it is doubly important for these twins to update their contact details if they wish to continue to participate in studies.    
• Multiples: Does your twin or triplet(s) receive our correspondence? If not, it’s likely we don’t have a valid email for them. 

Please encourage your twin or family members to update their contact details here.

Best wishes for the holiday season

Like many workplaces around Australia, the TRA team hasn’t met in-person for some time. So we were very happy to gather for our Christmas get-together recently as shown in this image above. From all of us, we thank you for your ongoing support and wish you a very happy and healthy holiday season. We look forward to welcoming you back in 2022.

Please note, TRA will be closing for the Christmas/New Year holiday period, from 5.00pm Friday 17 December until Friday 14th January 2022. We will return on Monday 17 January 2022, and thank you for your patience while we respond to any queries.