Social Media To Enhance Indigenous Tobacco Control
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$922,680.00
Summary
Smoking prevalence among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is more than twice as high as the overall Australian population, and smoking is the leading cause of mortality and morbidity of Indigenous Australians. Accelerating the decline in smoking prevalence is an urgent priority to Close The Gap in health outcomes. The aim of this project is to understand how social media can be harnessed to enhance the impact of proven tobacco control strategies among Indigenous Australians.
Using Genomics To Understand And Interrupt Transmission Of Sexually Transmitted Pathogens In Australia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$798,714.00
Summary
Prevention and control of STIs in the 21st century requires timely, effective and high-resolution investigations which may be provided by genomic technologies. Building on existing datasets and expertise, we will provide a blueprint for genomics-based tracking of bacterial STIs in Australia, including the translation of this information to effect novel targeted public health actions, including screening, monitoring for outbreaks, and focused interventions to enhance control.
Improving Global Tuberculosis Control With The AuTuMN Platform
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$655,059.00
Summary
Tuberculosis (TB) is the world’s leading infectious killer, with the failure of global control responsible for the vast majority of Australia’s cases. Using our robustly developed software platform, we have performed several country-level studies to predict the future burden of disease and compare the impact of alternative responses to controlling the epidemic. In this project, we will extend our platform to perform simulations at the global level and answer key questions in TB control.
Suicide Prevention In Schools: A Social Connectedness Approach
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$825,989.00
Summary
Suicide is the leading cause of death in Australians aged 15-24 years. This project will investigate the effectiveness of an intervention to promote help-seeking for suicidal behaviours in adolescence. Taking a whole school approach, peer leaders in 16 Australian high schools will receive training in the Sources of Strength program. The primary aim of the project is to determine whether peer leadership training and messaging improves help-seeking attitudes, intentions and behaviour for suicide.
Drugs On The Darknet: Assessing The Global Health Risks Of A Rapidly Expanding Market
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$399,692.00
Summary
Cryptomarkets facilitate the trade of illicit drugs in online environments using anonymising networks and virtual currencies. This project will identify and characterise the net health outcomes of drug cryptomarkets, using anonymous self-report data, archival monitoring and forensic profiling. Without this kind of research, health services and policy makers will be ill-equipped to respond effectively to the expansion of drug cryptomarkets.
Active Team – Examining An Online Social Networking Intervention To Increase Physical Activity In Controlled (RCT) And Ecological (ET) Settings
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$814,041.00
Summary
Lifestyle diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes, are key health problems facing Australia. Effective, low-cost, mass-reach physical activity interventions are urgently needed. This project uses online social networks to deliver an innovative physical activity intervention. This project will determine how effective the software is in changing people’s lifestyle over 12 months, and whether viral marketing techniques can be used to disseminate the program on a mass scale.
Neural Computations For Predictive Coding In Visual Cortex
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$479,832.00
Summary
The project aims to use the principle of "predictive coding" - a theory that promises to be a unified theory of the brain - to understand how the visual cortex makes predictions about future events, at cellular level. This basic knowledge will not only shed light on how the cerebral cortex functions at the cellular level, but may also clarify the neuronal basis of mental conditions such as schizophrenia and autism.
Our overall objective is to significantly improve the efficacy and efficiency of image-guided neurosurgery for brain tumours by including realistic computation of brain deformations, based on a biomechanical model, in a system to improve intra-operative visualisation, navigation and monitoring. The system will create an augmented reality visualisation of the intra-operative configuration of the patient’s brain merged with high resolution pre-operative imaging data.
Developing Evidence Based Strategies For Addressing Childhood Vaccination Rejection
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$743,927.00
Summary
Parental rejection of vaccines is a global concern that threatens to undermine disease control. A lack of evidence hampers the responses to this complex and persistent problem. We will interview parents who don’t vaccinate their children to learn what influences their decisions. We will then hold community juries and a public engagement process to refine strategies for responding to vaccination rejection that are acceptable to a well informed citizenry, practical and ethically justified.
Improving Patient Safety In Radiation Therapy With The Watchdog Real-time Treatment Delivery Verification System
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$593,742.00
Summary
Radiation therapy is a highly effective cancer treatment with extremely high doses delivered using very complex treatment machines. Unfortunately errors have occurred resulting in cases of patient death and mistreatment. We have developed a novel method to assess the treatment delivery in real-time to prevent errors. The method uses imaging devices that are already present on the treatment machine meaning that this method could have a major impact on patient safety in modern radiation therapy.