Research Alliance partners

We acknowledge the traditional custodians of country throughout Australia, and recognise their continuing connections to land, waters and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend this respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today. 

 Dear members, colleagues, and supporters of the Centre,

First and foremost, this is National Volunteer Week.  We acknowledge and thank our Volunteers and Consumer Advisors for their time and dedication to our programs.  

WIth the lifting of COVID restrictions, the Centre's public engagement program is returning with multiple events now booked into the calendar and more events and webinars planned.  This year we are teaming up with Movember for the 2022 Men's Health Business Breakfast with guest speaker Dr Zac Seidler.  If you havent heard Zac speak about boys and men's mental health and wellbeing and suicide prevention, then you must. Early bird tickets are now available so please share the link across your networks.

We are pleased to welcome the inaugural FCMHW Early Career Research Fellow at Flinders University, Jasmine Petersen (banner image above).  We congratulate Jasmine, and also Holly Evans, Megan McIntosh and Shanice Mah on their recent PhD awards.  We used International Women's Day recently to showcase these and other outstanding researchers of the Centre. 

As we try to get a number of our clinical studies back on track with COVID restrictions lifting, we seek the support of Centre members, our collaborators and supporters in participating in, and promoting, current men's health surveys and studies.   

In closing, we would like to acknowledge and thank our generous donors and funding partners of the Centre. 

National Volunteer Week

We acknowledge the volunteers and consumer advisors who we are fortunate to have working across our various programs and sites.  Your expertise and contributions are invaluable to our Centre's success. THANK YOU Daina Shaw, Bill Shaw OAM, John Rand (pictured above), Terry Hall, Roger Perry, Dr Norman Thompson, Ray Nicholson, Dario Priori, and the men from the mensHealth Register.

Upcoming Public Events

Prostate Cancer: Information evening - Tues Jun 14

FCMHW and the South Australian Prostate Cancer Clinical Outcomes Collaborative are hosting a Men's Health Week information evening on taking control of your health after a diagnosis of prostate cancer. Please promote across your consumer networks.

The 2022 Men's Health Business Breakfast - Fri Oct 21

Dr Sexton AM and Professor Coventry (Directors-Industry Partnerships & Research Impact) invite you to the 2022 Men's Health Business Breakfast with inspirational  guest speaker Dr Zac Seidler, Director of Mental Health Training at Movember.  

Diary note:  Military Men's Health Forum - Fri Oct 21

FCMHW is partnering with Open Door, the Australian Men's Health Forum and Bolton Brothers to host a forum for service providers on Military Men's Health at the Adelaide Convention Centre on Oct 21 (10am-2pm).  Capacity limited to 70. 

Upcoming Scientific Exchange

Research Impact

The basics of optimising men's preconception health

Dr Nicole McPherson draws together the compelling evidence on men’s contribution to successful conception and the formation of a healthy child and presents a recommendations guide for optimising male preconception health. View abstract

The clinical utility of reactive oxygen species in semen

Review finds that despite a number of commercial tests being available to measure reactive oxygen species (ROS) in semen, there is no consensus on clinical utility of ROS as a diagnostic tool for male infertility, demanding further research. View abstract

Contribution to Healthy Male guide on androgen use

Androgen abuse is at least 50 times higher in men than women. Prof Wittert teamed up with other endocrinology experts to develop a Clinical summary guide on androgen use, misuse and abuse and management of its cessation.

Novel regulator of metabolism in prostate cancer

Clinical study by international collaboration uncovers a novel role for DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) in metabolism by regulating glycolysis in castration resistant prostate cancer confirming DNA-PK as an emerging therapeutic target. View abstract

Cholesterol levels influence prostate cancer growth

This investigation focuses on how prostate cancer cell proliferation is influenced by extracellular LDL-cholesterol availability and provides potential mechanisms linking hypercholesterolemia to more aggressive prostate cancer. View abstract

Towards metabolic prostate cancer-based therapy

The Lipids & Prostate Cancer International Program identifies ctDNA genotypes in men with advanced prostate cancer that are associated with a greater likelihood of benefit from metabolic therapy.  View abstract

Addressing long-term toxicity after PCa radiotheraphy

Meta-analysis of limited studies reporting  5+ year toxicity after intensity-modulated radiation therapy for prostate cancer shows high prevalence and identifies need for reporting standards to inform continuous improvements in care. View abstract 

Meta-analysis finds depression & LUTS link in men

A metaanlaysis of studies involving 163,000+ men confirms a strong bi-directional association between lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and depression in men, implying shared risk factors and offering an important clinical cue. View abstract

Biobank data confirms low testosterone-dementia link

International consortium examined data from the UK Biobank prospective cohort study involving 159,411 men to confirm that low serum testosterone concentrations are associated with a higher incidence of dementia in men.  View Abstract

Sleep microarchitecture and cognitive function in men

This study examined cross-sectional associations between sleep microarchitecture and cognitive dysfunction in community-dwelling men through the Florey Adelaide Male Ageing Study. View abstract

Barriers to prevention for anxiety/depression in CVD

Study in people being treated for cardiovascular disease in tertiary care, and who have anxiety/depression, highlights service and practitioner barriers to secondary management of comorbid mental health challenges.  View abstract

Quality of web-based mental well-being interventions 

Review finds that Australian web-based free programs for depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, and well-being are of overall good quality but should be carefully selected by clinicians and consumer based on established acceptability. View abstract

Adapting sun protection to meet Farmers' needs

Study reports on Farmers' perceived impracticality of sun protection measures and calls for more  sun-protective clothing and sunscreen that is suitable for wearing when working on farms.  View abstract

An objective EEG-based marker of poor sleep quality

Study identifies a brain-based marker of sleep quality – referred to as the odds ratio product- that may be useful objective measure of treatment response in people with insomnia. View abstract

Centre News

Dr Sean Martin - Project Lead for Ten to Men Study

Congratulations to Dr Sean Martin on his appointment as Project Lead for the Commonwealth funded Ten to Men longitidinal study, based at the Australian Institute of Family Studies in Victoria. Read more

Inaugural Flinders ECR Fellow: Jasmine Peterson

We welcome Jasmine Petersen to the Centre as the inaugural FCMHW Post-doctoral Early Career Research Fellow at Flinders University.  Jasmine's Fellowship will focus on the "Young Males, Sport and Mental Health" program. Read more

The women of FCMHW - International Women's Day

To celebrate International Women's Day, FCMHW profiled some of our young, emerging leaders and recently completed PhD students who have made major contributions to important programs of the Centre. Read more

FCMHW Honours scholarship recipients

We welcome five new Honours students to the Centre An Dieu Trang, Rosannah Byrt, Bethany Kimber, Brooke Norris and Faduma Abdikadir and congratulate them on their Honours Scholarship awards.  Read more

LiFE Award to ifarmwell wellbeing platform

Congratulations Dr Kate Gunn and her team on their Suicide Prevention Australia Living is For Everyone Award (LiFE) recognising ifarmwell as an initiative preventing or respond to suicidal behaviours in groups disproportionately affected. ifarmwell

Major grants to develop lipid therapy for prostate Ca

Congratulations to Dr Zeyad Nassar and Dr Shanice Mah on their major lipids and prostate cancer research funding from the US Department of Defense and the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia. Read more

New PhD Scholarship open: Paternal inheritance 

A PhD with full scholarship opportunity has opened for a health sciences student for a project investigating how microRNAs delivered by sperm influence early fertilisation and embryonic events to program offspring health.  Email: Dr Nicole McPherson

Studies Recruiting 

Please assist with recruitment to these studies by considering participating yourself, where applicable, and forwarding on to your networks

The Freemasons Centre for Male Health &Wellbeing (FCMHW) is an alliance of organisations across South Australia and the Northern Territory that collaborate and jointly invest in multidisciplinary research, the outcomes of which informs policy and practice to advance the health and wellbeing of males, and therefore families and communities. The FCMHW is an initiative of Masonic Charities, the philanthropic arm of the Freemasons of South Australia and the Northern Territory. FCMHW Ltd is the charitable entity supporting the FCMHW research alliance. Donations for research are tax deductible. ACN 640 797 057 

FCMHW is a member of: The Global Action for Men's Health and The Australian Men's Health Forum
Research Alliance Partners: Masonic Charities, South Australian Health & Medical Research Institute, The University of Adelaide, Flinders University & the Flinders Foundation