Session Description: In a pioneering step to make chronic pain education a central focus of medical training in Australia, the University of Notre Dame Australia has secured a transformative $5 million philanthropic gift to establish the Churack Chair of Chronic Pain Education and Research.

This session will offer an inside look at the strategic, relational, and emotional elements behind securing the largest philanthropic gift in the university’s history.

Thanks to the Churack Family’s extraordinary generosity, Notre Dame becomes the first Australian university to integrate chronic pain education as a central part of its medical program, setting a new global precedent.

Chronic pain affects one in five Australians but has long been overlooked in medical curricula. The Churack Chair will address this gap by equipping our Fremantle-based medical students to treat vulnerable patients suffering from chronic pain. As the endowment grows, the Chair will expand its impact through nationwide initiatives, scholarships, and community outreach programs.

This session will explore how the visionary gift is transforming both education and healthcare practices in chronic pain management across Western Australia and beyond.