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Applications are invited for the following Future Health Research and Innovation Fund programs:

Implementation Science Fellowships 2021
Implementation science seeks to understand the system-level facilitators and barriers to implementing evidence into practice and identify evidence-based approaches to promote translation.  The Implementation Science Fellowships program seeks to identify potential pathways and strategies, using implementation science, for the successful implementation of research findings into policy and practice.

Translation Fellowships 2021
The Translation Fellowships program seeks to support translational research to increase translational research expertise and capacity in WA and facilitate the translation of research findings into policy and/or practice.

These Fellowships will support high-quality fellows and research programs that address a contemporary challenge or need faced by the WA public health system, through collaboration and partnership with WA Health Service Providers, in the following two streams:

• Aboriginal health issues
• Country and regional WA health issues.

One Implementation Science Fellowship and one Translation Fellowship will be made available in each of the above streams. The value of each Fellowship is $200,000 per annum for three years, which may be used for salary and research costs. These programs are funded by the Future Health Research and Innovation (FHRI) Fund.

The application period for each program closes 1:00pm, Tuesday 31 August 2021.  

The Guidelines and Conditions and Application Form can be accessed from the FHRI Fund website:

• Implementation Science Fellowships
• Translation Fellowships

For further information please email the Research and Innovation Office via RIO.DOH@health.wa.gov.au

Information on other FHRI Fund programs can be accessed by subscribing to updates or checking the Current Opportunities page on the FHRI Fund website.

The Western Australian Health Translation Network has received a $50,000 establishment grant from the Australian Health Research Alliance (AHRA) for a collaborative to promote women researchers and women’s health research.

This initiative will build a sustainable network across a diverse group of women researchers with a focus on the key nine priority areas identified by the AHRA Women’s Health Research, Translation and Impact Network:

1. Preconception, pregnancy, postpartum and intrapartum health of women and babies
2. Mental health
3. Reproductive health
4. Chronic disease and preventative health including cancer and heart disease
5. Healthy lifestyle, nutrition, physical activity and the prevention of obesity
6. Violence and abuse
7. Indigenous health
8. Healthy ageing
9. Sexual health

The establishment of this WA network, to be led by Dr Jacqueline Frayne and A/Prof Jennifer Stone, will allow for identification of priority research areas that are important to the local WA community, development of collaborative research ideas, and organisation of networking and mentorship opportunities.

Over the course of the two-year grant, the network’s activities will include a mentorship program for early- to mid-career researchers and a women’s health research conference.

One of the first steps in this initiative will be to identify lead researchers in the fields of all nine priority areas within WA, who will be invited to form a research network.

Consumer representation will be sought through WAHTN’s Consumer and Community Involvement Program (CCIProgram).

Look out for updates on this exciting initiative via our website, newsletter and social media channels.

In related news, three Western Australian women have received Early and Mid-Career Researcher Awards from the WHRTN.

Congratulations to the three Western Australian recipients of Early and Mid-Career Awards from the new AHRA Women’s Health Research, Translation and Impact Network (WHRTN):

• Ms Kristie Harper (Occupational Therapist, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and Research Associate, Curtin University)
• Associate Professor Georgia Halkett (Curtin University)
• Dr Anne-Marie Eades (Senior Research Fellow, Curtin University)

They are among 36 award recipients nationwide announced today.

Ms Harper’s award will assist her to continue her work to improve the health outcomes of older women. The burden of frailty is greater in women yet remains preventable. This grant will support consumer engagement and explore the feasibility of a frailty intervention team (FIT) program for women.

“This generous funding supports career advancement through completion of foundational research and ongoing networking with Australian and international research mentors and is much appreciated,” she said.

A/Prof Halkett’s project will develop online communication skills training for radiation therapists nationally and pilot an intervention called RT-ePrepare with breast cancer patients in different locations. It is recommended that 83% of women diagnosed with breast cancer should receive radiotherapy. However, up to 50% of women experience anxiety and distress before treatment. Inadequate communication and information provision increase patient anxiety and may lead to people declining treatment.

Dr Eades’ research seeks to address some of the harms caused by the systematic removal of Aboriginal children from their mothers as part of the Stolen Generations policies, which continue to impact on Aboriginal families today. It will involve co-designing a larger research project to reduce the risk of infant removal for Aboriginal women with vulnerabilities during their first pregnancy, with the longer-term aim of identifying and implementing strategies that prevent infant removal and, where possible, support reunification.

Additionally, WAHTN has received a grant of $50,000 from the WHRTN to establish a Western Australian women’s health research collaborative.

The WAHTN warmly congratulates the members of WA’s health and medical research community who have been recognised in the Queen’s Birthday 2021 Honours list.

We are delighted to see nine Western Australians associated with our partner organisations receiving honours for their dedication and outstanding contributions.

Officer (AO) in the General Division of the Order of Australia

• Emeritus Professor Colin Binns (for distinguished service to medical research, to tertiary education, to public health policy and human nutrition)
• Professor Susan Fletcher (for distinguished service to medical research, to neurological science, and to the treatment and support of those with Muscular Dystrophy)
• Professor Stephen Wilton (for distinguished service to medical research, to neurological science, and to the treatment of Muscular Dystrophy)

Member (AM) in the General Division of the Order of Australia

• Professor Frank Mastaglia (for significant service to neuromuscular disease, and to professional associations)
• Dr Albert Tan (for significant service to tertiary dental education, and to periodontics)

Medal (OAM) in the General Division of the Order of Australia

• Associate Professor Ramesh Balasubramaniam (for service to dentistry)
• Dr Geoffrey Byrne (for service to paediatric endocrinology)
• Mrs Oriel Green (for service to the Indigenous community of Western Australia)
• Dr John van Bockxmeer (for service to medicine, and to the community)

The Department of Health is calling for tender submissions to conduct an evaluation into the impact of the ‘No Jab No Play’ laws in WA. Under these laws, children whose immunisation status is not up-to-date are not permitted to enrol in child care or pre-compulsory schooling, with few exceptions.

The evaluation must cover the impact of these laws on families, early education providers and immunisation providers. Results of the evaluation will help to inform a review of the laws in 2022.

For further information, please visit TendersWA and search for request no. DoH20216858.

Applications close Friday 14 May 2021.

The Western Australian Future Health Research & Innovation Fund is seeking nominations from people who are interested in being a reviewer in application review processes in the future. Further information and the EoI registration page can be found here

State Government has awarded almost $6 million to local researchers and innovators to tackle health and wellbeing challenges related to the COVID-19 emergency. Please click here to read the full article.

View the FHRI Focus Grants: COVID-19 Recipients page for the full list of recipients.

Information on other FHRI Fund programs administered by the Research and Innovation Office can be accessed by checking the Current Opportunities page on the FHRI Fund website.

Congratulations to Professor Peter Leedman who has been awarded Officer of the Order of Australia (in the General division) at the recently announced Australia Day 2021 Honours list. Peter has been recognised for distinguished service to medicine, health and medical research as a physician-scientist, to professional societies, and to tertiary education.

Professor Leedman has actively supported WAHTN in various roles over the years and is currently serving as a WAHTN Executive Board Member.

To be recognised in the prestigious Honours list is testament to Peter’s remarkable work with health and medical research.

Congratulations to Professor Steve Webb on his nomination for The Australian Newspaper 2021 Australian of the Year Award for his leadership of the Randomised, Embedded, Multi-factorial, Adaptive Platform for Community-Acquired Pneumonia (REMAP-CAP).

Steve has coordinated efforts from around the world to uncover some of the best intensive care treatments for COVID-19, potentially saving hundreds of thousands of lives. Steve was actively involved in the WAHTN COVID-19 Research Collaboration sharing his knowledge from the clinical trials perspective.

Steve Webb is currently serving on the WAHTN Management Committee representing St John of God Healthcare where he specialises in designing and conducting clinical trials that generate evidence to improve patient care. In addition, Steve is the founding Director of the Australian Clinical Trials Alliance and currently ACTA Board Deputy Chair.

To mark the 20th anniversary of the Guidelines for Ethical Research in Australian Indigenous Studies (GERAIS), the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) undertook a review of the Guidelines, led by the AIATSIS Research Ethics Committee, Research Advisory Committee and Council. In 2019 AIATSIS released the revised guidelines for public consultation. The consultation draft included reframing the guidelines into a ‘Code of Ethics’ or ‘Code of Ethical and Responsible Conduct’, and providing an accompanying Guide to Applying the Code.

The University of Western Australia are pleased to advise that the revised guidelines are now available – AIATSIS Code of Ethics for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Research (AIATSIS Code of Ethics) in conjunction with A guide to applying the AIATSIS Code of Ethics for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Research. These documents will supersede and replace the Guidelines for Ethical Research in Australian Indigenous Studies 2012 (GERAIS).