Using Applied Epidemiology To Respond To Foodborne Diseases And Contaminated Environments
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$476,728.00
Summary
During this Fellowship I will examine how to prevent foodborne diseases and how public health agencies respond to contaminated environments. To do this, I will harness the revolution in public health from genetic analysis of pathogens and the use of linked datasets to examine environmental health concerns.
The National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System, 1991-2011: Epidemiologic Analysis Of The First 20 Years Of National Infectious Diseases Notifications In Australia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$181,154.00
Summary
The National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System contains approximately 4 million records of infectious disease notifications made since 1991. We will use these data to describe trends in notifiable infectious diseases in Australia, determine the impact of interventions such as immunisation, and develop algorithms to identify infectious disease outbreaks as early as possible. This information will be used to help minimise the burden of infectious diseases in Australia in the future.
Predicting The Impact Of Current Obesity And Diabetes Trends On Future Prevalence Of Cardiovascular Disease In Australia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$222,762.00
Summary
Obesity and diabetes are both strong risk factors for cardiovascular disease. As their prevalence has more than doubled over the past decades we need to know the likely effect on future rates of cardiovascular disease. Here we propose to create projection models for cardiovascular disease in Australia to estimate the future impact of trends in obesity and diabetes.
Whole-of-population Linked Data: Strengthening The Evidence To Drive Improvement In Health And Health Care In Australia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,130,376.00
Summary
In partnership with the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and Heart Foundation, we will create a whole-of-population linked data platform to inform improvements in health and heath care. We will investigate: socioeconomic variation in disease burden, to identify opportunities to improve population health; preventive cardiovascular disease (CVD) care, to improve treatment; and end-of-life care trajectories, focusing on CVD, to inform improvements in care.
Genetic, Family And Social Determinants Of The Burden And Outcome In Rett Syndrome: A Population-based Investigation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$332,550.00
Summary
Rett syndrome is a severe disorder of the nervous system mainly affecting females. At birth children with Rett syndrome often seem normal but in their second year lose skills. With time it becomes clear that they are severely intellectually and physically handicapped. In 1999 the link between Rett syndrome and a mutation in the gene, known as MECP2, was found. In Australia since 1993, we have had a register of basic information on all girls and young women diagnosed with Rett syndrome. Over thre ....Rett syndrome is a severe disorder of the nervous system mainly affecting females. At birth children with Rett syndrome often seem normal but in their second year lose skills. With time it becomes clear that they are severely intellectually and physically handicapped. In 1999 the link between Rett syndrome and a mutation in the gene, known as MECP2, was found. In Australia since 1993, we have had a register of basic information on all girls and young women diagnosed with Rett syndrome. Over three quarters of the register s 248 cases have now been genetically tested. In 2000 and again in 2002, extra information on ability to do everyday tasks, behaviour, hand function, medical conditions, and use of health and education services was collected. In 2002 questions on family well being were also included. From 2004 to 2007, further information will be gathered on function, health and well being of the affected child and their family. This will be by telephone interview, questionnaire, video recording, existing medical records, clinical assessments and tests. This will include in 2004 completion of calendars which will provide information needed to estimate health and medical care costs for these children. Similar information by questionnaire and calendar will also be collected from the parents of children with Down syndrome in 2004. The information will be used to compare the social and financial burden of Rett syndrome with Down syndrome, a commoner cause of intellectual disability. The research will also show if it is possible to predict from early genetic test results how severely a child with Rett syndrome will later be affected. It will also determine whether some ways of management improve the long-term outlook for the girl and her family. Finally this study will investigate why some families cope better with this devastating disorder than others. This research is only possible in Australia because of the ongoing register we have set up here.Read moreRead less
Quantifying The Effectiveness Of Pertussis Vaccine In Older Adults
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$448,703.00
Summary
Pertussis is the most poorly controlled vaccine preventable disease in Australia. Childhood pertussis is a well-known public health problem but adult pertussis is also common and has a significant burden on the health system, especially in adults over 65 years. Pertussis vaccines for adults are currently not funded by our national immunisation program. This project will provide vital data to inform whether pertussis vaccination is cost-effective in older Australian adults.
Outcomes After Serious Injury: What Is The Recovery Trajectory And How Do The Priorities For Treatment And Disability Services Change Over Time?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$766,630.00
Summary
Traumatic injury is a significant contributor to global disease burden, with serious injury commonly resulting in disability and profound costs to the individual, family and society. This population-based project will describe the long term consequences of injury and recovery experiences of more than 2500 seriously injured patients. This longitudinal study will use quantitative and qualitative data to provide a comprehensive overview of patient outcomes and experiences in the first 5-years after ....Traumatic injury is a significant contributor to global disease burden, with serious injury commonly resulting in disability and profound costs to the individual, family and society. This population-based project will describe the long term consequences of injury and recovery experiences of more than 2500 seriously injured patients. This longitudinal study will use quantitative and qualitative data to provide a comprehensive overview of patient outcomes and experiences in the first 5-years after injury.Read moreRead less