The Churack family

Turning personal experience into lasting impact

For Geoff and Moira Churack, philanthropy has always been about creating meaningful change for others.

Their historic support of The University of Notre Dame Australia began with a deeply personal experience. For many years, Geoff has lived with chronic neuropathic pain following serious injuries and unsuccessful back surgery.

Through his own journey, he gained firsthand insight into the profound and often misunderstood impact of chronic pain, not only on those who live with it, but also on the families, friends and loved ones who share that experience every day.

Determined to help improve outcomes for others, Geoff and Moira made a landmark gift of $1 million in 2013 to establish the Churack Chair of Chronic Pain Education and Research. Their vision was simple but powerful. They wanted to ensure future doctors developed a deeper understanding of chronic pain and were better equipped to care for the millions of Australians affected by it.

At the time, chronic pain education was not widely embedded within medical training. The Churacks recognised an opportunity to change that.

More than a decade later, their vision is having a lasting impact. Today, around 100 medical students graduate from The University of Notre Dame Australia Fremantle Medical School each year with comprehensive education in chronic pain medicine. These future doctors enter the healthcare workforce with the knowledge, skills and empathy needed to better support patients living with chronic pain and the families who care for them. The impact extends far beyond the classroom.

Over the course of their careers, these graduates will care for thousands of patients across Australia. Their understanding of chronic pain will influence diagnosis, treatment and patient care, helping to improve quality of life for people living with complex and often debilitating conditions.

Recognising the importance of this work and its potential to create generational change, the Churack family made a further transformational gift of $4 million in 2024. Combined with their original contribution, their total investment of $5 million represents the largest philanthropic gift in the University's history.

Their visionary support was recognised nationally when the gift was named a national finalist for the Fundraising Institute Australia’s Best Transformational Gift award, acknowledging its potential to create lasting change for people living with chronic pain and for future generations of healthcare professionals.

This extraordinary support secures the future of the Churack Chair at Notre Dame and ensures ongoing leadership in chronic pain education and research for generations to come.

In recognition of their outstanding contribution to healthcare, education and the community, Geoff and Moira Churack were awarded Honorary Doctor of Letters degrees by The University of Notre Dame Australia. Their legacy is measured not only by the generosity of their giving, but by the lives it will touch. Every future doctor educated through the program, every patient who receives more informed and compassionate care, and every family navigating the challenges of chronic pain will benefit from the vision and commitment of the Churack family.

What began as one family's experience has become a lasting legacy of hope, improving understanding, advancing care and creating a better future for those living with chronic pain.

The Churack family's generosity demonstrates the extraordinary difference philanthropy can make in the lives of others.

To learn more about supporting the Churack Chair of Chronic Pain Education and Research and helping create lasting change for people living with chronic pain, please contact the Advancement Office.

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