Improving Health Outcomes With Population-based Biological, Social And Environmental Information And Research Methods.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,050,000.00
Summary
This proposal brings together two partner institutions and research teams in an integrated program through pooling of experience, sharing of databases and other resources and joint mentoring of new researchers to achieve improved health status through a whole of life and intergenerational view of health and health determinants. The proposal incorporates real consumer participation throughout the grant. The grant will help position Australia in the newly emerging research skills and methodology i ....This proposal brings together two partner institutions and research teams in an integrated program through pooling of experience, sharing of databases and other resources and joint mentoring of new researchers to achieve improved health status through a whole of life and intergenerational view of health and health determinants. The proposal incorporates real consumer participation throughout the grant. The grant will help position Australia in the newly emerging research skills and methodology involved with data linkages. Building on the successful multi-disciplinary research environments at both institutions, the grant will provide additional funds for these two groups to work cooperatively together. The groups currently operate with established links to researchers on a national basis and will be exploring aspects from the biomedical, clinical and health service delivery perspective to link environmental and social determinants of health from early childhood to adulthood. The grant will provide research training in a whole of life approach. In particular, researchers will gain experience in linking research findings into health policy with active consumer involvement to improve health outcomes.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
Translating Population Based Mental Health And Ageing Research Into Evidence-based Prevention And Policy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,370,357.00
Summary
Mental health problems and cognitive impairment are major causes of disability in Australia. To tackle these areas, we need to understand their causes, how to prevent them, and the best ways of using this information to improve health for all Australians. This project aims to develop six young researchers in five areas of need so that future relevant and responsive research in mental health and ageing is undertaken. In area 1, researchers will learn to develop and test Internet interventions tha ....Mental health problems and cognitive impairment are major causes of disability in Australia. To tackle these areas, we need to understand their causes, how to prevent them, and the best ways of using this information to improve health for all Australians. This project aims to develop six young researchers in five areas of need so that future relevant and responsive research in mental health and ageing is undertaken. In area 1, researchers will learn to develop and test Internet interventions that reduce anxiety, depression and drug use. People with no access to doctors or who wish to remain anonymous can then self-treat using these proven tools. Area 2 provides training so that researchers from different expert areas understand enough of each other's discipline to tackle the process of ageing - to understand how to stay healthy longer and how to avoid dementia. This area requires expertise and collaboration in genetics, biology, psychology, mathematical modelling and imaging (brain scans), to name just a few specialities required. Area 3 provides training in statistical methods. New methods are needed to analyse increasingly complex and large data sets. In Area 4 researchers are trained to conduct research that consumers (people with anxiety and depression) want to see done. Researchers with direct experience of anxiety and depression will be trained to produce high quality research that meets the needs of those who have these disorders. Finally, Area 5 provides training in getting the outcomes of the research understood by those who make decisions about health priorities and budgets. Many of the gaps in capacity we will address have come about by rapid developments in health and communication technologies and by the recognition that research needs to be more relevant and responsible. Because these gaps require the development of sophisticated knowledge, and the development of new techniques, knowledge and processes, long term stable funding is required.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
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?
A Solution Based Approach Developing Child Health Research With A Focus On Preventive Interventions For Common Childhood
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,599,538.00
Summary
There is an increasing recognition that research into child health should focus not only on disease but also on common childhood disorders such as obesity, depression and poor literacy. In addition, such research should include solution-based activity. That is, child health research should have an active program of testing new interventions to prevent the onset of disorders, or to allow optimal early management. The Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, the largest Australian child health resear ....There is an increasing recognition that research into child health should focus not only on disease but also on common childhood disorders such as obesity, depression and poor literacy. In addition, such research should include solution-based activity. That is, child health research should have an active program of testing new interventions to prevent the onset of disorders, or to allow optimal early management. The Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, the largest Australian child health research institute, is in a very good position to develop Australia's capacity further with regard to a coordinated research program into preventative interventions in child health. This is because of: - the Institute's location at the Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, the largest paediatric health service provider in Australia - the many individual relevant research projects that are already occurring in MCRI - the strong existing teams of researchers with skills in many different fields of child health such as psychology, speech pathology, clinical-medical care, epidemiology and biostatistics, and laboratory science including genetics. This capacity building program will coordinate population health work to develop the knowledge and skills of eight population health researchers. This development will occur within the context of an internationally competitive research program with structured continuing education and training to promote public health leadership. The capacity building program will develop skills not only in study design, conduct and analysis, but also in collaboration and the translation of research findings into better health services, government policy and parental knowledge to prevent problems and improve the health and well being of children and their families. To care for children in the best way, parents, families, schools, health care providers, and government need the best evidence base possible on the prevention of common child disorders.Read moreRead less
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
Capacity Building In Childhood And Adolescent Obesity Prevention
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,080,191.00
Summary
As obesity prevalence in children and adolescents continues to climb, there is an urgent need to build Australia's ability to undertake solutions-orientated research across several fronts. This program covers the four areas of greatest need for building research capacity in obesity prevention.Whole-of-community intervention programs: These evaluate what works and what does not work in the real world of trying to get integrated action at the community level and how to get the maximum uptake by ch ....As obesity prevalence in children and adolescents continues to climb, there is an urgent need to build Australia's ability to undertake solutions-orientated research across several fronts. This program covers the four areas of greatest need for building research capacity in obesity prevention.Whole-of-community intervention programs: These evaluate what works and what does not work in the real world of trying to get integrated action at the community level and how to get the maximum uptake by children and adolescents, their families, schools and other community settings.Assessing the cost-effectiveness of interventions: This research combines existing and emerging evidence with new modeling techniques to estimate the costs, population impacts, and cost-effectiveness of a variety of interventions.Socio-cultural contexts for obesity prevention: This research seeks to understand the various attitudes, beliefs, perceptions and values relating to food, physical activity and body size perception so that social marketing messages and intervention programs are socially and culturally appropriate and resonate with the variety of communities involved.Analysing policy processes and interventions: Policy changes are important early and powerful drivers of creating environments where the health choices are the easy choices, and the evidence base for such changes in obesity prevention is urgently needed.The four Lead Applicants in the team are all highly experienced researchers across the range of disciplines involved and are already working on a number of combined projects which will provide the research platform for the seven Team Investigators to build their skills. The Team Investigators are at various stages in their research careers and are already contributing to a significant extent. This capacity building grant will substantially boost this critical area of research by developing a team of cross-disciplinary researchers of international standing.Read moreRead less
Australian Health Inequities Program: A Program Addressing Social And Economic Determinants Of Health
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,444,000.00
Summary
The Australian Health Inequities Program, AHIP, is an exciting new program which brings together researchers from a range of disciplines including sociology, public health, labour market economics, housing and geography to research health inequities and analyse policy and program responses to reduce these inequities. This will be done by addressing ways in which our housing, employment, the availability and quality of our social connections, the locations we live in, and perceptions of our envir ....The Australian Health Inequities Program, AHIP, is an exciting new program which brings together researchers from a range of disciplines including sociology, public health, labour market economics, housing and geography to research health inequities and analyse policy and program responses to reduce these inequities. This will be done by addressing ways in which our housing, employment, the availability and quality of our social connections, the locations we live in, and perceptions of our environments, affect health. The researchers, based at Flinders University in Adelaide and La Trobe University in Melbourne, will identify how the physical and social characteristics of local environments impact on health. The research conducted in this program will provide guidance to government, service providers and community groups about how to improve the quality of people's local environments and reduce the health differences between different groups of Australians. Policy makers will be engaged fully with the AHIP.Read moreRead less
Nurition Promotion And Population Health: A Program Addressing Behavioural, Social And Environmental Determinants
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,210,140.00
Summary
Good nutrition is important for health well-being by reducing the risk of diseases like heart disease, cancer and diabetes. However, a significant number of Australians do not eat diets that are consistent with existing health recommendations. While the health consequences of poor nutrition have been well-documented and there is a substantial body of research that describes this problem, much less research has focused on coming up with solutions. This research will explore the influences on Aust ....Good nutrition is important for health well-being by reducing the risk of diseases like heart disease, cancer and diabetes. However, a significant number of Australians do not eat diets that are consistent with existing health recommendations. While the health consequences of poor nutrition have been well-documented and there is a substantial body of research that describes this problem, much less research has focused on coming up with solutions. This research will explore the influences on Australian's eating patterns by examining the role of a range of personal, social and environmental factors in children and adults. The research will also test the effectiveness of innovative strategies to promote healthy eating.Read moreRead less