Young people, preventive health discourses and self care. Preventive health approaches aim to enhance health through enabling individuals to engage in health care practices. Health has become a key aspect in how people contruct their identities. Whilist young people are a key target for preventive health messages, little is known about the impact of these messages on their sense of self. This project will analyse how young people internalise preventive health messages. This ethnographic resear ....Young people, preventive health discourses and self care. Preventive health approaches aim to enhance health through enabling individuals to engage in health care practices. Health has become a key aspect in how people contruct their identities. Whilist young people are a key target for preventive health messages, little is known about the impact of these messages on their sense of self. This project will analyse how young people internalise preventive health messages. This ethnographic research examines how health messages about drug use, motherhood and physical activity shape young people and their bodies. It compares the consequences accross three arenas, of engaging successfully and unsuccessfully with self care practices.Read moreRead less
Cultural biographies, medical knowledges: A sociological study. Cultural biographies, medical knowledges: A sociological study. This project aims to push the cancer care sector toward person-centred care rather than simply ‘accommodating cultural diversity’. Cancer is much more than just the leading burden of disease in Australia; it is a social and cultural entity, experienced in hugely varied ways within and across communities, subtly reflecting individual histories and cultural biographies. T ....Cultural biographies, medical knowledges: A sociological study. Cultural biographies, medical knowledges: A sociological study. This project aims to push the cancer care sector toward person-centred care rather than simply ‘accommodating cultural diversity’. Cancer is much more than just the leading burden of disease in Australia; it is a social and cultural entity, experienced in hugely varied ways within and across communities, subtly reflecting individual histories and cultural biographies. This project will use oral life history and visual methods to understand the interplay of migrants' cultural biographies, their experiences of cancer, and the care they receive. Anticipated outcomes are improved care for migrants living with cancer, person-centred care, and inclusive policy strategies and guides for practice.Read moreRead less
Navigating an uncertain antimicrobial future: a sociological study. This project aims to develop a unique understanding of what governs antibiotic use in the health sector and how it can be governed more effectively. The project will critically assess the implementation of governance, and how regulatory and legislative environments may resonate or contrast with the demands of practice. This will support the development of strategies to improve antibiotic use and reduce resistance.
Networks in Flux: Examining how sector relationships adapt to rapid change. This study aims to investigate why, when and how inter-organisational networks adapt or remain resistant to change. Responding to complex social problems and technological change requires inter-organisational networks to be adaptable. Through a combination of longitudinal network analysis, survey research and qualitative interviews, this project plans to study the Victorian HIV and hepatitis C sector as it responds to ma ....Networks in Flux: Examining how sector relationships adapt to rapid change. This study aims to investigate why, when and how inter-organisational networks adapt or remain resistant to change. Responding to complex social problems and technological change requires inter-organisational networks to be adaptable. Through a combination of longitudinal network analysis, survey research and qualitative interviews, this project plans to study the Victorian HIV and hepatitis C sector as it responds to major advances in prevention and treatment, requiring community, health, policy and research organisations to adapt their roles and relationships. This timely and novel study aims to improve our knowledge of how to enable inter-organisational networks to adapt and improve organisational responsiveness to complex issues.Read moreRead less
Precision and the person: a sociological study of innovation in cancer care. This project aims to investigate the social implications of the turn toward ‘precision’ medicine as articulated in cancer care where it has its strongest foothold. The project intends to examine the evolving social impacts of ‘precision’ across the life course for cancer patients, their carers and health professionals drawing on social and political theory. Expected outcomes include a unique evidence-base that will info ....Precision and the person: a sociological study of innovation in cancer care. This project aims to investigate the social implications of the turn toward ‘precision’ medicine as articulated in cancer care where it has its strongest foothold. The project intends to examine the evolving social impacts of ‘precision’ across the life course for cancer patients, their carers and health professionals drawing on social and political theory. Expected outcomes include a unique evidence-base that will inform practice and policy frameworks, and offer an urgently needed community perspective on the evolution and value of precision in medicine. This project will generate a range of social, economic and health policy benefits and impacts.Read moreRead less
Determining the individual, community and societal impacts of compensable injury in Australia. This project will enhance our understanding of the individual, community and societal impacts of workplace and transport injury in Australia. The project will develop new impact measurement tools for application in workers' compensation and motor accident compensation schemes.
Effective communication and improved patient safety: Addressing the complexities of managing high risk medications in metropolitan and regional hospitals. Current costs of hospital-related incidents are around AU$2 billion per year, and the most common cause of these incidents is ineffective communication. Medication incidents relating to use of high risk medications are particularly critical because of the increased severity of patient outcomes. High risk medications are administered in busy en ....Effective communication and improved patient safety: Addressing the complexities of managing high risk medications in metropolitan and regional hospitals. Current costs of hospital-related incidents are around AU$2 billion per year, and the most common cause of these incidents is ineffective communication. Medication incidents relating to use of high risk medications are particularly critical because of the increased severity of patient outcomes. High risk medications are administered in busy environments, and involve patients who are cared for by many different health professionals in technologically complex settings. These factors increase the likelihood of more medication incidents. The unique knowledge obtained will inform policies and identify strategies for better communication. Health professionals and patients can adopt these strategies to improve medication safety.Read moreRead less
The implications of welfare reform for single parent families in their transition to paid work. The study will clarify the policy and practice implications of welfare reform by focussing on its implementation and impacts. These findings will: provide single parents with insight into the experience of returning to work; enable social welfare agencies to design programs and services to meet the changing needs of single parents; provide data for welfare policy review and development; and contribute ....The implications of welfare reform for single parent families in their transition to paid work. The study will clarify the policy and practice implications of welfare reform by focussing on its implementation and impacts. These findings will: provide single parents with insight into the experience of returning to work; enable social welfare agencies to design programs and services to meet the changing needs of single parents; provide data for welfare policy review and development; and contribute to the theory and evidence base for ongoing debates such as the effect of combining multiple roles (for example work and parenting) on single parents and the implications of voluntary versus mandatory welfare to work programs.Read moreRead less
Understanding and addressing racism in Australia. Despite the well recognised need to understand and address racism, it remains a globally significant issue. Encompassing a range of internationally novel research, this project aims to enhance conceptual understandings of racism and anti-racism and investigate empirical data on the health and social effects of racism. It will design, implement, evaluate and analyse findings from anti-racism interventions, examine the interplay between racism and ....Understanding and addressing racism in Australia. Despite the well recognised need to understand and address racism, it remains a globally significant issue. Encompassing a range of internationally novel research, this project aims to enhance conceptual understandings of racism and anti-racism and investigate empirical data on the health and social effects of racism. It will design, implement, evaluate and analyse findings from anti-racism interventions, examine the interplay between racism and the impact of organisational diversity and shape policy and practice relating to racism, anti-racism and diversity across various sectors. This multi-faceted approach will considerably enhance our understanding of, and capacity to address, racism both in Australia and internationally.Read moreRead less
Borders, babies and biotechnologies: cross border reproductive travel in Asia and Australia. A growing number of patients travel internationally to undertake assisted reproductive care such as commercial surrogacy, egg donation or sex selection. The project aims to study the extent of this trade in Australia, Thailand and India and the cross cultural ethical, legal and social context surrounding it.