Mathematical Modelling For Improved Planning Of Infectious Diseases Control Policy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,750,000.00
Summary
We will develop high-level technical capacity in mathematical modeling of infectious disease transmission and control in Australia, with a focus on research that informs health policy. The aim is to assist Australia to have efficient and effective control strategies and help to prepare us against the threat of emerging infections. Priority areas are vaccination programs, HIV-AIDS, emerging infections and bio-terrorism. Six talented young researchers will be trained by the lead applicant team. To ....We will develop high-level technical capacity in mathematical modeling of infectious disease transmission and control in Australia, with a focus on research that informs health policy. The aim is to assist Australia to have efficient and effective control strategies and help to prepare us against the threat of emerging infections. Priority areas are vaccination programs, HIV-AIDS, emerging infections and bio-terrorism. Six talented young researchers will be trained by the lead applicant team. Together, we will develop a prominent and experienced research team capable of sustaining international quality research into the future. Their work will meet immediate, existing policy needs at state, national and global levels. The program includes the establishment of a Network of Infectious Diseases Modellers of Australia (NIDMA) as a research resource of national expertise, peer support and a means of ongoing communication and collaboration in infectious diseases control. The critical mass of modeling expertise that we create will be sustainable long-term, and will expand to support research concerned with chronic and other non-infectious diseases after the lifetime of the grant.Read moreRead less
Methodology For Population Health Research: Training And Innovation In Longitudinal Studies
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,963,750.00
Summary
This proposal builds on the applicants' experience with existing cohort studies to identify, evaluate and address areas of methodological concern, particularly with longitudinal studies. The group's ability to develop robust longitudinal methods in relation to these concerns will have the potential for both increasing knowledge of the determinants of population health and increasing their ability to attract trainee biostatisticians, an identified area of need in the country as a whole. The grant ....This proposal builds on the applicants' experience with existing cohort studies to identify, evaluate and address areas of methodological concern, particularly with longitudinal studies. The group's ability to develop robust longitudinal methods in relation to these concerns will have the potential for both increasing knowledge of the determinants of population health and increasing their ability to attract trainee biostatisticians, an identified area of need in the country as a whole. The grant will help position Australia at the cutting edge of research skills and methodology involved with longitudinal studies. Longitudinal studies provide a powerful means of collecting information about the health of populations. This grant will use multi-disciplinary approaches to develop innovative methods for designing longitudinal studies, collecting and analysing data and communicating results to improve people's health.Read moreRead less
Improving Population Health By A Multidisciplinary, Multi-method Focus Kindey Disease Of The Young, The Old And Of Indigen
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,625,261.00
Summary
Drawing together a multidisciplinary team of experts in their field (epidemiology, biostatistics, health services research, health economics, clinical medicine, and qualitative research) this grant will develop 8-10 promising young population researchers by a targeted program of research and training. Using data from multiple well funded, large scale studies the team investigators will engage in two types of research; methods research and applied research. The methods research will include socio ....Drawing together a multidisciplinary team of experts in their field (epidemiology, biostatistics, health services research, health economics, clinical medicine, and qualitative research) this grant will develop 8-10 promising young population researchers by a targeted program of research and training. Using data from multiple well funded, large scale studies the team investigators will engage in two types of research; methods research and applied research. The methods research will include socioeconomic determinants of disease, systematic reviews of tests and interventions, community and patient preference elicitation, cost effectiveness modeling, and monitoring to support intervention decisions in population health. The applied research will include quantifying the effect of kidney disease on non-kidney outcomes, modeling the effect of better kidney care on population health, and preventing kidney disease in the young, old and in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Kidney disease has been chosen because it is the interest of many of the lead applicant team, because there are excellent existing population-based databases and because it is an example of chronic disease which has a much bigger impact than on just kidney-related health outcomes alone. The training program is structured and covers initial evaluation of the goals, skills and aspirations of the team investigators, development of personal training programs, modular coursework learning from units provided by the School of Public Health at the University of Sydney, mentoring, co-mentoring, rotational placement, skills and methods support, evaluation and limited direct research funding.Read moreRead less
Building Capacity For Physical Activity Research In Population Health
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,118,560.00
Summary
The program will focus on the 'diseases of inactivity' and will look at factors like obtaining accurate statistics on rates of inactivity and better statistics on which social groups are least active. It will look at: • the types of activity that are best for different people; • what the best types of exercise programs are; • the types of information campaigns that will be most effective; and • how community amenities and local environments might be used to help people to be active in ways that ....The program will focus on the 'diseases of inactivity' and will look at factors like obtaining accurate statistics on rates of inactivity and better statistics on which social groups are least active. It will look at: • the types of activity that are best for different people; • what the best types of exercise programs are; • the types of information campaigns that will be most effective; and • how community amenities and local environments might be used to help people to be active in ways that are more convenient and enjoyable.Read moreRead less
News media are highly influential in setting health agendas and shaping health policy. The program builds multidisciplinary research capacity between 3 universities, including participation by some of Australia’s leading health journalists, to examine the content and accuracy of news treatments of health issues, how key audiences understand and are influenced by news coverage, how journalists decide which issues to cover and how they approach this coverage. The program aims to improve media lite ....News media are highly influential in setting health agendas and shaping health policy. The program builds multidisciplinary research capacity between 3 universities, including participation by some of Australia’s leading health journalists, to examine the content and accuracy of news treatments of health issues, how key audiences understand and are influenced by news coverage, how journalists decide which issues to cover and how they approach this coverage. The program aims to improve media literacy and the potency of policy advocacy among health professionals and so improve the quality of health news reporting in Australia.Read moreRead less
Prevention And Management Of Mental Disorders In Older Australians
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,486,509.00
Summary
Dementia, mild cognitive impairment and depression are the major neuropsychiatric problems that Australia’s ageing population will face in the next 50 years. With the rapid advances in neuroscience, we need a cohort of young researchers who can translate this knowledge into better health outcomes for older Australians. The Brain and Ageing Program (B and AP) at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) has identified potential future leaders who will develop key research themes to improve the men ....Dementia, mild cognitive impairment and depression are the major neuropsychiatric problems that Australia’s ageing population will face in the next 50 years. With the rapid advances in neuroscience, we need a cohort of young researchers who can translate this knowledge into better health outcomes for older Australians. The Brain and Ageing Program (B and AP) at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) has identified potential future leaders who will develop key research themes to improve the mental health of older Australians. This grant will enable them to take on this challenge.Read moreRead less
Environmen And Population Health: Research Development From Local To Global
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,472,500.00
Summary
Professor McMichael's application for capacity building in environmental health will build expertise to address not just local environmental factors but those of a more global nature such as the effect of global warming on health. Professor McMichael is one of only two NHMRC Burnet Fellows (the other being Professor Peter Doherty). This prestigious award is made in recognition of the international reputation of Australian researchers who were at the time working overseas to be taken up on return ....Professor McMichael's application for capacity building in environmental health will build expertise to address not just local environmental factors but those of a more global nature such as the effect of global warming on health. Professor McMichael is one of only two NHMRC Burnet Fellows (the other being Professor Peter Doherty). This prestigious award is made in recognition of the international reputation of Australian researchers who were at the time working overseas to be taken up on return to Australia to undertake research. This grant will help position Australia in a newly emerging priority area of research, both nationally and internationally, by offering innovative and structured research skills mentoring for seven early career researchers within a well-funded cutting edge research environment. The group operates with established links to biomedical, clinical, social research and health policy researchers and health policy and clinical service delivery programs and will provide an emphasis on policy relevant research.Read moreRead less
Using Health Economics To Strengthen Ties Between Evidence, Policy And Practice In Chronic Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,925,648.00
Summary
There is a major shortage of researchers with health economics expertise in Australia. This grant will provide training and development for a team of health economists to research chronic diseases covering issues such as: What is the value for money from investment in different treatments? How do such diseases affect the economic circumstances of families? How do we ensure that strategies to address illness work in practice and can be sustained? How do these issues get put on the policy agenda?
OSPREY: Building Capacity For Research To Improve Health Services For Mothers, Babies
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,390,342.00
Summary
The OSPREY program will build human capacity, skills and methods to use linked health service data for research to inform improvements in health services for mothers, babies and children. It brings together experienced chief investigators from NSW and WA, and eminent national and international mentors. Through the program, nine team investigators will develop as independent researchers, substantially boosting Australia’s capacity for health services research focused on a “Healthy start to life”.
Not Just Scholars But Leaders: Learning Circles In Indigenous Health Research
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,500,000.00
Summary
This collaborative research proposal brings together an outstanding team of population health researchers with a team of highly talented Indigenous achievers, including two medical doctors, two researchers who have completed doctorates and seven with Masters degrees. The primary aim of this capacity building grant is to develop a critical mass of Indigenous researchers undertaking high quality research into population health research priorities determined by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ....This collaborative research proposal brings together an outstanding team of population health researchers with a team of highly talented Indigenous achievers, including two medical doctors, two researchers who have completed doctorates and seven with Masters degrees. The primary aim of this capacity building grant is to develop a critical mass of Indigenous researchers undertaking high quality research into population health research priorities determined by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and to link research findings into policy and practice. Over a period of five years, Indigenous researchers will be linked with centres of excellence in research elsewhere in Australia and internationally. The researchers will develop and enhance their skills in research around four major themes. The first aims to improve quality of relevant research, increase Indigenous people's participation in research and identify optimal ways of providing feedback of research findings. The second theme is around the provision and use of health services to develop a better understanding of the best and most cost-effective ways of providing preventive and acute care for Indigenous Australians. The third theme looks at lifestyle, behaviours and susceptibility to disease and the fourth theme at factors in people's lives that influence health in a positive way- pathways to resilience and wellbeing. At the end of the five year grant, the number of Indigenous people engaged in population health research will have increased substantially and some will be leading their own research teams. There will be a significant increase in population health research undertaken by Indigenous researchers on issues affecting the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. There will be improved mechanisms in place to ensure that evidence from research is used to inform policy decisions such as funding and appropriate interventions.Read moreRead less