Tag: 2019

Health Economics September Round Table Wrap up

A health economics roundtable was held on September 11 to discuss what the major issues health economics and data analytics should be addressing in WA, how to promote and encourage an effective system-wide collaboration – including the better transfer of people and knowledge between sectors, and how can state and federal governments, along with other stakeholders, be involved in utilising digital technology, health economics and data analytics.

The roundtable was hosted by WAs leading health economists – Prof Suzanne Robinson and Prof Elizabeth Geelhoed – from our Western Australian Translation and Collaboration in Health Economics and was attended by some of Western Australia’s top health and medical people, along with university and industry representatives.

Across WA and nationally, there’s considerable need for health economics and data analytics expertise, both in government and industry. The roundtable was seeking comment on developing capability in uniting the toolkit of economics with the more nuanced picture which can be derived from large complex data. Western Australia is in a great position to do this; its long history of broad data linkage means there’s the potential to unpack what drives health expenditure and where there are opportunities for innovation and commercialisation of solutions. Currently, the pathways for bringing highly skilled individuals and commercially successful organisations into the area are limited, constraining capacity building in WA. The round table was also seeking comment on how to entice, and retain both organisations and specialists in health economics.

Health economics is a toolkit aimed to help answer WA’s health system challenges. It uses skills from medicine, statistics, economics, mathematics, psychology, public health, policy and ethics to give health professionals, managers, and policy makers the information they need. The combination of health economics and data analytics brings opportunities for industry partnerships between sectors in predictive analytics and real time data to drive sustainable health care. The combination of health economics and data analytics is an area of emerging strength in WA, but we are not yet in a position where we can realise the potential of the digital health revolution in health care, but the outlook is positive with the future capacity of the state.

If you’d like to find out more about Health Economics in Western Australia, visit WATCHE

September 12, 2019
New Medical Research Future Fund Investigator Grants Opportunity
The Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) Investigator Grants is a new opportunity to ensure the next generation of Australian researchers have the capacity to make and progress medical discoveries. The Investigator Grants also aim to promote opportunities for clinical researchers to work in partnership with professional colleagues and industry.

The objectives of the Grants is to support the research program of outstanding early- to mid-career clinical researchers which contribute to the following MRFF priority research areas:
1. Australian Brain Cancer Mission
2. Million Minds Mission
3. Genomics Health Futures Mission
4. Ageing, Aged Care and Dementia Mission
5. Indigenous Health Research Fund
6. Stem Cell Therapies Mission
7. Mission for Cardiovascular Health
8. Traumatic Brain Injury Mission
9. Preventative and Public Health Research
10. Primary Health Care Research
11. Global Health – Tacking Antimicrobial Resistance and Drug Resistant Tuberculosis
In line with the MRFF supporting and funding research translation, all applicants will need to also demonstrate how the grant will influence one or more of the following:
- Best practice clinical care
- Commercial health or medical research product / technology development
- Health policy
- Health system improvement
The Grant will consolidate salary and research support into a single grant scheme by offering a salary component (if required) and a Research Support Package (RSP).

To support its objective, this Grant opportunity will only support applicants at the Emerging Leadership (EL) category of the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Investigator Grant scheme. The EL Category is restricted to researchers who are less than, or equal to, 10 years post-PhD or equivalent and comprises two salary levels (EL1 and EL2) with corresponding RSPs.

Read more about this Grant Opportunity

Applications close 2pm (AWST), Wednesday 27 November, 2019.

Read the MRFF Investigator Grants Forecast Opportunity Guidelines
September 9, 2019
Patient power recognised in new health charter

The new Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights gives welcome recognition to the evolving place of the patient as partner in decisions about their care.

The My healthcare rights charter has been produced by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care and promotes an increased focus on person-centred care.

Read the full media statement

August 27, 2019

$21 million in funding for dementia research

WAHTN commends the Australian Government for setting aside an additional $21 million for dementia research. This is a significant area of research and the funds will help focus research on risk reduction, prevention and tracking of dementia – which is Australia’s second leading cause of death.

The need for investment in research to develop new treatments and to improve dementia care is evident. The $21 million is in addition to the $185 million Dementia, Ageing and Aged Care 10 year mission which is funded through the Australian Government’s Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF).

We congratulate the recipients of the 13 funded projects (listed below) who are all part of our Australian Health Research Alliance (AHRA) partner organisations.

Funded Projects from Round 5 – Dementia Risk Reduction and Prevention:

Chief Investigator	Project Title	Organisation
Assoc Prof Lisbeth Evered	The PROJECT Trial: PeRiOperaTive Enhancement of Cognitive Trajectory	University of Melbourne
Prof Kaarin Anstey	Translating the evidence on dementia risk reduction to generate assessments, advice and training for health professionals, policy makers, patients and public	University of New South Wales
Prof Andrew Pipingas	Mediterranean diet and exercise to reduce cognitive decline and dementia risks in independent living older Australians: the MedWalk randomised controlled trial	Swinburne University of Technology
Dr Ashleigh Smith	Living your best day – Optimising activity and diet compositions for dementia prevention	University of South Australia
Prof Sharon Naismith	REducing Sleep Apnoea for the PrEvention of Dementia (REShAPED): a multi-site feasibility RCT	University of Sydney
Prof Katherine Samaras	Preventing cognitive decline with metformin: a randomised controlled trial	The Garvan Institute of Medical Research
Dr Paul Gardiner	Taking a whole of day approach to optimising activity to prevent dementia in people with type 2 diabetes	The University of Queensland
Dr Yen Ying Lim	BetterBrains: Person-Centred, Multi-Domain, Primary Prevention Strategies to Delay Memory Decline	University of Melbourne
Dr Johnson George	Holistic Approach in Primary care for Preventing Memory Impairment aNd Dementia (HAPPI MIND)	Monash University
Assoc Prof Amy Brodtmann	Cardiovascular exercise to prevent cognitive decline in high risk patient populations: a post-ischaemic stroke exercise intervention study	University of Melbourne
Assoc Prof Edward Strivens	Reducing dementia risk in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities	James Cook University

Funded Projects from Round 6 – Improving Dementia Data and Methods:

Chief Investigator	Project Title	Organisation
Prof Annette Dobson	Improving Australia’s Dementia Statistics	The University of Queensland
Prof Velandai Srikanth	Leveraging electronic medical records and routine administrative data towards a population approach for monitoring dementia frequency, risk factors and management	Monash University

July 29, 2019

2019 Fresh Science Nominations Now Open
Are you an Early Career Researcher (ECR) and want the world to know about your discoveries? What’s the story behind your research and how can you tell it in a compelling way? Fresh Science is a national competition designed to help you craft a compelling story to tell the community and media.

The program takes up-and-coming researchers with no media experience and helps you become a spokesperson for science. If selected you’ll take part in:
- a one day media and communication training course where you’ll meet and chat with journalists from TV, newspaper and radio, including doing some practice interviews
- a one day professional development program where you’ll met people from business and government; learn how to pitch and make a pitch; write a short profile and social media posts with the guidance of two professional science communicators
- attend an evening event at the local pub where you get to practice presenting your results in an understandable and fun way
As part of Fresh Science they will publish a short, media-ready profile on you and promote via social media channels. See previous stories

If you’re an ECR currently working in Australia why not apply now?

Nominations close 23:59 Wednesday 14 August 2019

Read more about the eligibility criteria
July 22, 2019
Summer Internship for Indigenous Peoples in Genomics (SING)
SING is a week long workshop and mentoring program which covers technical and laboratory skills in genomics as well as theory, ethical and social implications of genomic research the benefits and risks of genomics for Indigenous peoples. Open to all health professionals who are interested in learning about and discussing genomic research and its implications for Indigenous peoples.

The goals of SING Australia are:
- Equip Indigenous individuals and communities with technical and contextual knowledge about genomic research
- Build capacity for Indigenous students and researchers in genomics and related disciplines, including bioethics and science and technology studies (STS)
- Facilitate conversations on how Indigenous knowledge and culture can and should impact on genomic research
- Form a SING network and web interface to facilitate communication and support surrounding genomics issues
- Begin conversations about best practices for Indigenous genomics in Australia
The first SING Australia workshop details:

Date: Sunday 10 – Saturday 16 November 2019

Time: Full Days

Location: Waurn Ponds Campus, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia

Read more and apply now
July 22, 2019
Authorship Guide and the Management of Data and Information in Research Guide

The Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research, 2018 (2018 Code) is a document which articulates the broad principles and responsibilities which underpin the conduct of Australian research. The Authorship Guide and the Management of Data and Information in Research which accompany the 2018 Code are now available for download.

Developed jointly by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), the Australian Research Council (ARC), and Universities Australia, the 2018 Code and accompanying Guides have relevance across all research disciplines.

Adherence to the 2018 Code is a prerequisite to receive funding by the NHMRC.

Read more and download your copy now

NHMRC, ARC and Universities Australia are currently developing further guides to support the 2018 Code which are planned for release later in 2019.

July 22, 2019
Congenital Heart Disease Grant Opportunity
The Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) grant opportunity forms part of the Accelerated Research Initiative, funded through the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF).

The CHD grant opportunity supports research to provide new diagnoses and treatment options for those suffering from congenital heart disease.

For this grant opportunity $20 million is available over 5 years from 2019-2020 through to 2023-24.

Other points to note:
- There’s no minimum grant amount
- The maximum grant amount is $10 million
- The grant amount will be up for 100% of eligible project costs
- Project must be completed by 30 June 2024
The CHD grant application closing date is: 3pm, Thursday 12 September 2019

Read the key documents and apply here
July 22, 2019
WA BioCheers Networking event now open for registrations

AusBiotech presents the WA BioCheers networking event. Hosted by Griffith Hack it’s a night to share ideas and build relationships in Western Australia’s vibrant biotechnology community.

You’ll also have the chance to meet your Western Australia-based AusBiotech Committees.

Why not register now?

Event Details

Date: Thursday 8 August 2019

Time: 5pm registration, 5:30pm event start

Location: Flux Basement, 191 St Georges Terrace, Perth, WA

July 22, 2019
Using clinical health data for better healthcare free online course

The University of Sydney and NSW Health have partnered to deliver a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) to provide existing and future health workforce with insights into the use of healthcare data. This course is appropriate to all students undertaking health and medical degrees, as well as teaching staff who seek quality curriculum resources.

Using clinical health data for better healthcare addresses foundational capabilities for information seeking, knowledge creation and decision making, utilising health data contained within digital systems.

Led by Prof Tim Shaw, Faculty of Health Sciences and Digital Health Cooperative Research Centre, and Adj Prof Annette Solman, Health Education and Training Institute, the MOOC consists of over 30 videos and associated learning resources, delivered by subject matter experts from across health, education, government and industry.

The MOOC is freely available on the Coursera platform and while it does have a New South Wales focus it is relevant to any Australian health practitioner

July 4, 2019

Tag: 2019

Event Details