Author: Koshala Shanmugakumar

Are you an early-mid career researcher or practitioner? Do you want to see your research inform government and other agency decision making but not sure how to go about it?

You might be interested in registering for PHAIWA’s new free, fully online research translation course – Pathway to Policy.

The aim of the course is to provide researchers and practitioners with the skills to provide key messages and more detailed findings in outputs other than traditional methods such as reports and peer reviewed journal articles. This will involve completing five online courses, assessed by an online quiz.

Topics which will be covered include:

• Defining Key Messages
• The Importance of Language
• Getting your message out there – using Twitter as a form of research dissemination
• Getting your message out there – press releases, TV & radio
• Getting your message out there – blogging
• Introduction of key messages via a policy framework

This online course is Phase 1 of PHAIWA’s broader research translation project. Phase 2 will link selected participants with a policy maker relevant to their area of research.

While examples used in the course will focus on public health research and policy, the course will be relevant to anyone interested in learning how to add value to robust evidence so that it may be used in a variety of settings, policies and environments.

Please email phaiwa@curtin.edu.au if you would like to register.”

Flyer

WAHTN presents an opportunity to submit an expression of interest (EOI) for an Early Career Fellowship in Health Research Translation. Fellowships will be open to clinicians and to health service managers, health science researchers and health informatics personnel.

WAHTN is offering up to ten Early Career Fellowships to undertake projects in the prioritised areas, aligned to Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF), national and WAHTN priorities.

The intent of these Fellowships is to encourage and support researchers that are in the early stages of their research career. We encourage WA based emerging researchers who are within 10 years of your basic degree or within 5 yrs of a postgraduate research degree eg PhD, and employed at a WAHTN partner organisation, to apply for a WAHTN Early Career Fellowship. Consideration will be given for career breaks and/or career changes.

Funding can be sought for a part time to full time Fellowship costed up to $120,000 p.a. full time. Part time candidates must devote a minimum 0.5 FTE to achieving the outcomes of the Fellowship.

Please submit your completed WAHTN-2019-Early-Career-Research-Fellowship to the WAHTN (info@wahtn.org) by 5pm Friday 24 August 2018. The EOI character limits must be adhered to and late applications will not be accepted.

 

The Australian Government’s Medical Technology, Biotechnology, and Pharmaceutical (MTP) Industry Growth Centre – in collaboration with the Western Australian Government and The University of Western Australia (UWA), established the Western Australian Node (the WA Node) of MTPConnect in Perth recently, to support the state’s burgeoning life sciences sector.

The creation of a Western Australia life sciences precinct will bring together university researchers and industry partners to generate new business opportunities in medicine, health, agriculture and biodiversity.

Western Australia has an established background in health and medical research and this initiative will support the development of ground-breaking products and services to help improve the commercialisation of life sciences research.

The WA Government will commit $1.2million over four years and work with MTPConnect and UWA towards the acceleration of medical and biotechnologies through the creation of this life science precinct; establishing WA as a world leader in this area.

Please visit https://www.mtpconnect.org.au/ for more information.

The 2019 Spinnaker Grants aim to foster a culture of research where ECRs are encouraged and nurtured to excel. Capacity building and research collaborations as well as research translation underpin the ethos of Spinnaker.

For the first time, Consumer and Community Involvement will form part of the Spinnaker grant assessment.

You have the opportunity to meet with a consumer advocate to discuss consumer and community involvement opportunities for your research projects

Consumer and Community Health Research Network available to assist researchers with their application drop-in sessions

Booking essential!

Click here to book your 30 minute appointment

Drop in sessions at Fiona Stanley Hospital, Education Centre, Room 1.8

Dates:

Wednesday 27th June 11.30am – 4.30pm

or

Friday 6th July 9.00am – 1.00pm

For enquiries email:

ipir@telethonkids.org.au

For online resources go to:

www.involvingpeopleinresearch.org.au

Spinnaker Grant Conditions and EOI Form

Visit  website for more details including conditions, criteria and EOI form.

Expressions of Interest close Thursday 12 July COB.

 

 

• McGowan Government’s $1.5 million investment attracts world-class medical researchers
• Internationally recognised Premier’s Science Fellow and talented Premier’s Early to Mid-Career Fellow appointed
• Fellows will undertake phenomics research and data analysis to improve healthcare
• Fellows will attract research investment and create jobs in WA

Two key appointments were announced, Professor Elaine Holmes as the Premier’s Science Fellow and Dr Ruey Leng Loo as the Premier’s Early to Mid-Career Fellow.

The new Fellows will turbocharge our State’s existing strengths through world-leading human phenomics research using metabolite profiling and data analytics with clinical applications.

Phenomics is the study of the interaction of genes and environmental influences. While our genes set the stage for human health and disease, what is actually happening in our bodies right now is a result of the dynamic interactions between our genes and environmental factors including lifestyle, diet, drug treatment and our gut microbes.

Profiling of metabolites in our bodies, which provides a snapshot of our current internal status, will help improve and tailor disease prevention, detection and treatment.

Professor Holmes, currently at Imperial College London, will conduct research on WA-focused areas such as maternal and infant health, liver and gastrointestinal diseases, metabolic diseases such as diabetes, and dementia.

Dr Loo, currently based at the Medway School of Pharmacy, near London, will support Professor Holmes’ research and undertake complementary research in personalised nutrition and health.

WAHTN was instrumental in bringing the Fellows to WA. The Fellows will make our State a leading centre in this cutting-edge area of medical science and attract research investment and interest from domestic and international students, creating jobs in WA.

Comments attributed to Premier Mark McGowan:

“The State Government is making an investment of $1 million over four years to support Professor Holmes and $500,000 to support Dr Loo, to deliver significant returns and opportunities to WA.

“This support will contribute to this Government’s commitment to make our State a medical research and health innovation powerhouse, and add to the benefits that will be generated by the Future Health Research and Innovation Fund.”

Comments attributed to Science Minister Dave Kelly:

“I am delighted that Murdoch University and Edith Cowan University are collaborating as the host organisations for these Fellows, and that they have matched the State Government’s funding.

“These Fellows will also develop significant international collaborations, including through the Australian National Phenome Centre’s membership of the International Phenome Centre Network.”

Comments attributed to Health Minister Roger Cook:

“I am excited that we have been able to attract researchers of this calibre to advance the important and growing medical research area of human phenomics, which was ‘kick-started’ in WA by the Department of Health.

“The new Fellows will tap into and build on the strong existing collaborations on phenomics research and infrastructure within the WA-based Australian National Phenome Centre, which is a core enabling platform of the WA Health Translation Network.”

ANPC includes all the Universities, Research Institutes and health Centres of WA, already linked together through the WAHTN.

WAHTN seeks to enable the translation of health and medical research in WA into better patient care, informed health care policy, practice and commercialisation opportunities, and hence job creation in WA. It is linked through the Australian Health Research Alliance (AHRA) to the six other Advanced Health Research Translation Centres in Australia, and will be the national centre for application of metabolomics to data analysis in clinical trials and new therapeutics in the country.

Comments attributed to Chief Scientist Peter Klinken:

“The State has clearly defined strengths in many areas of science and we can build on these comparative advantages by recruiting highly skilled people to WA.

“The Premier’s Science Fellowship Program is absolutely essential for recruiting some of the world’s most talented scientists to WA.”

Premier’s office – 6552 5000

Science Minister’s office – 6552 6100

Health Minister’s office – 6552 6500

 

You’re invited to attend the WA BioInnovation Showcase and Networking Event 2018

Dates : Thursday 6 and Friday 7 September 2018

Venue : Ernst & Young Building, 11 Mounts Bay Rd, Perth

• Hear about the latest WA biotech and healthcare investment and partnering opportunities
• Learn about WA’s R&D and research translation capabilities
• Find out what pharma and medtech companies are looking for
• Discuss and develop collaborations with WA researchers
• Celebrate the Federal funding of the WAHTN
• Network with pharma and medtech companies and investors

 

More information and opportunity for registration to follow.

 

The Annual Scientific Meeting of the Australasian Epidemiological Association (AEA)

Call for Abstract Submission and Half Day Workshops.

Please see the attached flyer

AEA Call for abstracts and Workshops

Attached is a summary from the Association of Australia Medical Research Institutes (AAMRI) of the 2018-19 Federal Budget.

The highlights are as follows:

A total of $275.4M will be invested over the forward estimates including:

o Mental health – $125M over 10 years from 2017-18 for a Million Minds  Mental Health Research Mission to support priorities under the fifth Mental  Health and Suicide Prevention Plan

o AHRTCs – $75M over 4 years from 2017-18 to extend the Rapid Applied  Research Translation program that supports Advanced Health Research  Translation Centres and Centres for Innovation in Regional Health

o Preventative health – $18.1M over four years from 2017-18 for a Keeping  Australians Out of Hospital program to support preventive health, behavioural  economics and reduce avoidable presentations to hospital

o Health systems research – $39.8M over four years from 2017-18 for a  Targeted Health System and Community Organisation Research program  with a focus on comparative effectiveness studies and consumer-driven  research

o Women’s Health – $17.5M over four years from 2017-18 for research into  Women’s Health and research into Maternal Health and First 2,000 Days to  address the underlying social determinants of health that impact on a child’s  early days in life.

AAMRI-summary-of-the-2018-19-Federal-Budget

Applications for the Premier’s Science Awards and nominations for the WA Science Hall of Fame close at 10.00am (AWST) on Monday 21 May 2018.

The Premier’s Science Awards recognise and celebrate the research and engagement achievements of the Western Australian science community, across all fields of science, including natural, medical, applied and technological science, engineering and mathematics. The four award categories are:

• Scientist of the Year ($50,000 prize)
• Woodside Early Career Scientist of the Year ($10,000 prize)
• ExxonMobil Student Scientist of the Year ($10,000 prize)
• Chevron Science Engagement Initiative of the Year ($10,000 prize).

Members of the community are also invited to nominate Western Australians who are pre-eminent in their field to be considered for induction into the WA Science Hall of Fame. The WA Science Hall of Fame was established in 2007 to recognise exceptional lifelong contributions from Western Australians to science, technology, engineering or mathematics. I invite you to take a look at our inductees to date, to see whether you think anyone is missing that you might wish to nominate.

Further information can be found in the attached flyer and on the Premier’s Science Awards and WA Science Hall of Fame webpages. We also encourage you to track and promote the Awards on Twitter using the #WASciAwards hashtag.

Applications close at 10.00am on Monday 21 May 2018.

The Premier’s Science Awards are proudly sponsored by Chevron, ExxonMobil and Woodside.

The Premier’s Science Awards are proudly supported by Curtin University, Edith Cowan University, Murdoch University, The University of Notre Dame, and The University of Western Australia.

PSA2018-Flyer

The Minister for Aged Care and Indigenous Health, Senator Ken Wyatt today announced $6.1 million in funding over three years from the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) to support the West Australian Health Translation Network (WAHTN) to improve healthcare for West Australians through innovation, education and training.

“The WA Health Translation Network will work with health professionals, including frontline doctors and nurses, to identify areas of need and collaborate with expert researchers to find solutions tailored to patients.” said Minister Wyatt.

The announcement came at the fourth annual Science on the Swan conference, an early initiative of the WAHTN. “This welcome funding will allow for meaningful and hopefully long standing initiatives that will benefit all West Australians,” said Professor Gary Geelhoed, the WAHTN Executive Director.

The funding is part of the Commonwealth Government’s investment to support Advanced Health Research and Translation Centres (AHRTC) and Centres for Innovation and Regional Health (CIRH) to conduct rapid transformation research that delivers real solutions to health service challenges.

The MRFF Medical Research and Innovation Strategies and Priorities emphasises the need for collaborative, practical solutions to challenges in health system services and systems, data and infrastructure and clinical trials and commercialisation among others.

Working within this broader approach the WAHTN, as with all members of the Australian Health Research Alliance (AHRA), have priorities to improve clinical pathways, to address variation in clinical care using data linkage and improving health outcomes in vulnerable groups including those with chronic conditions, those towards the end of life and Indigenous groups.

The funding is in keeping with the recent WA Health Department’s Sustainable Health Review Direction number 9: Harness and support health and medical research, collaboration and innovation.

In June 2017, the WAHTN was recognised as an ARHTC by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). The WAHTN brings together Western Australia’s major hospitals, private health care, medical research institutes and five universities to capitalise on recent investment in new facilities for health research, patient care and population well-being.

Since its inception WAHTN has created platforms that benefit the partners including a Clinical Trials and Data Centre (CTDC), the Research Education and Training Program (RETP), Consumer and Community Health Research Network (CCHRN) and the Australian National Phenome Centre (ANPC).

“This funding will accelerate WAHTN promoting collaboration in WA among its many partners to undertake original research as well as to accelerate the application of new treatments.” said Professor Geelhoed.