Director's Report
OTARC Director’s report December 2023
A Heartfelt Thank You as We Bid Farewell to 2023.
As we approach the end of another remarkable year, I find myself reflecting on the incredible journey OTARC has travelled this year. As the director of the Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre, I am filled with gratitude and awe for what has been accomplished.
This year has been a testament to the collective efforts, and dedication of an ever-increasing community. We have welcomed 25 new staff since the beginning of the year, more than doubling our size in 12 months. In addition, we have expanded our network of community advisors. Our new Aut-visory committee has been established consisting of 10 dedicated Autistic people and carers partnering with us to direct our co-design and co-production strategy. In 2024, we will grow this network to include Community Research Partners who will work side-by-side with our researchers to ensure our work is relevant and impactful. We also added new lived experience members to our OTARC Advisory Committee who have provided strategic advice to me and other members of the OTARC leadership team.
In these last few months of the year, there has been a further consolidation of our research team with the arrival of two new OTARC Research Fellows – Dr Patrick Dwyer and Dr Daryll Archibald.
Both have relocated to OTARC from overseas with Patrick recently completing his PhD at University of California, Davis, and Daryll coming from the University of Dundee, Scotland. Patrick’s work aligns with our programs in sensory processing including adapting sensory environments and using sensory tools to enhance early identification. Daryll will pursue a program of research in autism stigma and workplace success and will also provide methodological support to all OTARC researchers.
Our academic team has been ‘out and about’ this year presenting at over 20 international and Australian conferences, demonstrating our latest findings across our four research programs. Several of our researchers have provided keynote presentations at conferences in Kazakstan, Israel and Spain. Our collective research was recognised 1,086 times across different media globally, which culminated in OTARC research seeing a 21% increase in peer-reviewed articles when compared to 2022 – particularly impressive given the amount of change in the OTARC team this year. This is a testament to the hard work, creativity, and passion of every team member.
As we bid farewell to 2023, I am feeling confident that we have laid the foundations for the bold ambitions we started the year with in our re-imagined OTARC. Despite our rapid growth, we have retained coherency. I especially welcome the enthusiasm and commitment to the OTARC vision of our newest OTARC team members and am humbled by the willingness of our Autistic and autism communities to work with us to improve our practices. May the holiday season bring joy, relaxation, and precious moments spent with loved ones. Take this time to recharge and return in the new year with renewed energy and enthusiasm. I am confident that 2024 holds even more exciting prospects for us, and I eagerly anticipate the continued growth and success we will achieve together.
Thank you for your unwavering commitment, generosity and continued support of OTARC. Wishing you a joyous holiday season and a prosperous New Year!
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Website: https://www.latrobe.edu.au/otarc