Michelle Farrar is a mid-career researcher, Child Neurologist at Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network (SCHN), Professor at UNSW, Sydney and Senior Principal Research Scientist (Conjoint) at Neurosciences Research Australia. Her focus is on translating research into improved care for children with rare neurological diseases and their families. This includes the co-design of models of care that are evidence and strengths based and person-centered. Prof Farrar is a member of the Childhood Dementia Initiative Scientific and Medical Advisory Committee and a working group member for the International Consortium for Health outcomes measurement in SMA. She is Chief Investigator on a range of national and international rare disease programs, spanning biomarker discovery, clinical trials and outcomes, newborn screening, lived experiences, stakeholder education and health system readiness for advanced neurotherapeutics. Prof Farrar has authored over 180 peer-reviewed journal articles (>10,000 citations), including the NHMRC endorsed guidelines for spinal muscular atrophy newborn screening (co-chair) and the national recommendations for rare disease care. Farrar has received a number of prestigious awards, including the 2017 Australia and New Zealand Association of Neurologists Leonard Cox Award for research achievements in Neuroscience and in 2019 the silver medal Michelle Beets Memorial Award, NSW Health and Humpty Dumpty Foundation, for improving health outcomes for children in NSW beyond expected. Passionate about equitable global health care, CI Farrar is a member of the WHO regional taskforce supporting the implementation of the WHO Resolution on Rare Diseases.

Society Memberships & Professional Activities:

• Member of the Australian and New Zealand Association of Neurologists
• Member of the Australia and New Zealand Child Neurology Society
• Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians
• Treat NMD Neuromuscular Network
• Australian and New Zealand Association of Neurologists Educational and Training EEG and Clinical Neurophysiology Committee member
• International Rare Diseases Research Consortium (IRDiRC) Member of the Therapies Scientific Committee 
• Sydney Children’s Hospital Scientific Advisory Committee member for the Human Research Ethics Committee
• Member of the Scientific and Medical Advisory Committee, Childhood Dementia Initiative