National Centre of Excellence in Intellectual Disability Health

Meet the team behind our work.

This week in our Meet the Team series we’re introducing Simon Cotterell.

We asked Simon a few questions about his role and what's one thing he would change in health care.

Get to know Simon below.

What can we achieve in the next 100 days to improve services for people with intellectual disability?

That was the focus of last week's Queensland Roundtable on Intellectual Disability Health (hosted by the Queenslanders with Disability Network (QDN), co-hosted by The Centre and Queensland Centre of Excellence in Intellectual Disability and Autism Health (QCEIDAH) which brought together people with lived experience, advocates and experts to discuss the changes needed across the health and disability systems.

We know what works. We know what's needed.

People with intellectual disability deserve to be seen, heard and counted. Now it's time for decision-makers to turn commitment into action.

New report released!

How much funding is going into intellectual disability health research in Australia, and where is it being invested?

An Audit of Intellectual Disability Health Research Funding in Australia published by the National Centre of Excellence in Intellectual Disability Health maps funding between 2019 and 2024, identifies key gaps, and calls for more strategic, equitable and inclusive investment to improve health outcomes for people with intellectual disability.

Check out the report, written by Andrea Kargodorian, Rebecca Christidis, Jenny Downs, MaryAnn O’Donovan, Preeyaporn Srasuebkul, Helen Leonard, and Julian Trollor now.https://nceidh.org.au/sites/default/files/2026-05/MT0434_NCEIDH004_FUNDING%20AUDIT%20REPORT_0.pdf

Meet the team behind our work.

This week in our Meet the Team series we’re introducing Laura Naing.

We asked Laura a few questions about her role and what's one thing she would change in health care.

Get to know Laura above.

Want to talk about how changes to the NDIS could affect health care and other supports for people with intellectual disability?

Registrations for the 2026 VALID Advocacy in Action Conference are open!

This action-focused conference brings together people with disability, supporters and advocates to talk about important issues, including:
• Current and planned changes to the NDIS
• Access to quality health care
• Rights, safeguarding and advocacy

Find out more and register here: https://events.humanitix.com/advocacy-in-action-conference-2026

How can we build a better future for people with intellectual disability living with dementia?

Last week at the International Dementia Conference 2026, the Centre joined researchers, advocates and practitioners to explore the latest evidence on ageing and dementia for people with intellectual disability.

The session highlighted the importance of supporting people with intellectual disability to make decisions about their health care, ageing and end-of-life planning, alongside new research into dementia and people with Down syndrome, healthy ageing, and emerging evidence on dementia prevalence.

As the population of people with intellectual disability grows older, this research will play a critical role in shaping more inclusive services, supports and health care into the future.

Meet the team behind our work.

This week in our Meet the Team series we’re introducing Mikey Sarif.

Mikey is a Lived Experience Inclusion Advisor at The Centre.

We asked Mikey a few questions about his role and what's one thing he'd change in health care.

Get to know Mikey above.

People with intellectual disability deserve the same chance at good health and quality healthcare as everyone else.

Yet research shows they experience more than twice the rate of avoidable deaths compared with the rest of the Australian population.

That's why improving healthcare for people with intellectual disability is so important.

This ABC story features people with lived experience and expert insights from Centre Director Professor Julian Trollor AM FAHMS, Darryl S., from Centre Consortium Member Down Syndrome Australia, and Jim Simpson from consortium organisation Council for Intellectual Disability, looking at what needs to be done to improve healthcare for people with intellectual disability.

Watch the ABC's 7.30 tonight for more on this critical issue.

Sam went to the ED needing treatment. His parents were asked about his quality of life Sam Stubbs’s parents were asked about his quality of life while treating him for a lung infection. They realised it was because he was born with Down syndrome.

New research release!

As we mark National Reconciliation Week, we’re sharing new research exploring how research with First Nations people with intellectual disability can be conducted in ways that are culturally safe, respectful and community-informed.

First Nations people with intellectual disability continue to experience significant structural disadvantage, yet research at the intersection of First Nations health and intellectual disability remains limited.

This new Centre research project, led by Wayne Wright, Erin Whittle, Bronwyn Gwyther and Mary- Ann O'Donovan, highlights key lessons for conducting inclusive research grounded in trust, relationships and self-determination.

Read the report here:
https://nceidh.org.au/sites/default/files/2026-05/MT0436_NCEIDH006_FIRST%20NATIONS%20DISABILITY%20REPORT_0.pdf