The social determinants of childhood injury. Child hood injury is a preventable problem of major importance. This project will provide a comprehensive, research-based policy solution that will minimise death and disability among children zero to three years of age.
Addressing significant product safety knowledge gaps for older Australians . This project addresses significant gaps in contemporary knowledge of consumer product safety risks for older persons, with 25 years since the last Australian product safety research found older persons are at high risk of product-related injury/death. Products have evolved substantially and aged care models have changed in that time. This project generates contemporary knowledge of unsafe products causing injuries/death ....Addressing significant product safety knowledge gaps for older Australians . This project addresses significant gaps in contemporary knowledge of consumer product safety risks for older persons, with 25 years since the last Australian product safety research found older persons are at high risk of product-related injury/death. Products have evolved substantially and aged care models have changed in that time. This project generates contemporary knowledge of unsafe products causing injuries/deaths, risk factors/behaviours, and human rights issues. Outcomes benefiting the Australian community are improved prediction/characterisation of product safety issues for older Australians informing safer product design and use, targetted regulatory responses, ageing-in-place strategies, and creating safer home environments.Read moreRead less
Protecting Occupants in Vehicle Rollover Crashes. This project addresses a public health issue involving rollover crashes. It will help prevent 340 deaths, 6000 injuries and save $3.6 billion annually in Australia and many fold this number internationally. A dynamic rollover crashworthiness test protocol, that ensures efficient and economical vehicle rollover protection systems are designed and manufactured, will be provided to consumer and regulatory bodies to consider and implement. In additio ....Protecting Occupants in Vehicle Rollover Crashes. This project addresses a public health issue involving rollover crashes. It will help prevent 340 deaths, 6000 injuries and save $3.6 billion annually in Australia and many fold this number internationally. A dynamic rollover crashworthiness test protocol, that ensures efficient and economical vehicle rollover protection systems are designed and manufactured, will be provided to consumer and regulatory bodies to consider and implement. In addition, much needed Occupational Health & Safety information regarding vehicle rollover crashworthiness, which provide a safe work place environment for professional drivers and employees using vehicles, will be supplied to industry fleet managers, defence and emergency services.Read moreRead less
Protecting young people from harm and injury: investigating the utility of a risk and protective framework. Serious injuries due to transport, violence and alcohol associated risk-taking are the main cause of teenage death. An innovative school course will be taught and evaluated that increases protecting others from risk, helping injured friends and promoting a connected environment where teachers and peers reach out to provide support.
An autonomously controlled ankle exoskeleton for gait rehabilitation. This project addresses a critical problem in gait rehabilitation; predicting unstable locomotion and designing interventions to augment limb-joint function. The project will develop an autonomous ankle-foot assistive device to actively increase ground clearance when high-risk foot trajectory is detected. Using wearable sensor data, machine learning algorithms will predict high-risk gait and compute an actuator-induced ankle to ....An autonomously controlled ankle exoskeleton for gait rehabilitation. This project addresses a critical problem in gait rehabilitation; predicting unstable locomotion and designing interventions to augment limb-joint function. The project will develop an autonomous ankle-foot assistive device to actively increase ground clearance when high-risk foot trajectory is detected. Using wearable sensor data, machine learning algorithms will predict high-risk gait and compute an actuator-induced ankle torque to maintain safe foot-ground clearance. A wearable autonomous joint-actuation system will contribute significantly to rehabilitation across a range of gait-impaired populations. The project's scientific and technological innovations will provide the opportunity for future developments in assistive technologies. Read moreRead less
Elucidating the mechanics of facet dislocation and fracture in the neck. This project aims to address shortcomings in understanding the mechanics of neck trauma. Understanding the mechanical factors leading to cervical facet dislocation and fracture is necessary to improve injury prevention strategies and their assessment. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of spinal injury biomechanics, developing and using new experimental techniques. The project expects to provide know ....Elucidating the mechanics of facet dislocation and fracture in the neck. This project aims to address shortcomings in understanding the mechanics of neck trauma. Understanding the mechanical factors leading to cervical facet dislocation and fracture is necessary to improve injury prevention strategies and their assessment. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of spinal injury biomechanics, developing and using new experimental techniques. The project expects to provide knowledge necessary to improve crash test dummy design, associated injury criteria, and computational models, which provide the potential for improved injury prevention measures and methods for assessing existing and new technologies. The anticipated benefits of this project will be significant in reducing the personal and economic burden of spinal injuries.Read moreRead less
Understanding and preventing gun violence: A qualitative study. Gun violence causes significant harm across Australian communities. Excluding sexual assault, firearms feature in nearly one in 10 violent crimes. The annual costs of gun violence run into tens of millions of dollars. This project aims to make an original qualitative contribution to understanding and preventing gun violence in three contexts: drug dealing/trafficking, other organised crime activity, and armed robbery. The proposed r ....Understanding and preventing gun violence: A qualitative study. Gun violence causes significant harm across Australian communities. Excluding sexual assault, firearms feature in nearly one in 10 violent crimes. The annual costs of gun violence run into tens of millions of dollars. This project aims to make an original qualitative contribution to understanding and preventing gun violence in three contexts: drug dealing/trafficking, other organised crime activity, and armed robbery. The proposed research would be the first study nationally - and one of the very few internationally - to interview convicted gun crime users about the acquisition and use of firearms in criminal life. Project results are expected to have direct implications for reducing the impact of gun violence in Australia.Read moreRead less
A prospective investigation of self-injury, suicidal ideation and psychological distress in Australian secondary school students. Suicide prevention has been a national priority for the past 10 years. Self-injury is a predictor of suicide, results in considerable distress for family and friends and is associated with significant health care expenditure. In addition the known correlates of self-injury, such as depression and substance use, also pose significant burden to society and are themselve ....A prospective investigation of self-injury, suicidal ideation and psychological distress in Australian secondary school students. Suicide prevention has been a national priority for the past 10 years. Self-injury is a predictor of suicide, results in considerable distress for family and friends and is associated with significant health care expenditure. In addition the known correlates of self-injury, such as depression and substance use, also pose significant burden to society and are themselves predictors of suicide. Understanding the nature and extent of self-injury in Australian adolescents, and the causal relationships between self-injury, suicidal ideation and psychological distress, will improve the care given to those who self-injure, improve their well-being, decrease their chances of further self-injury, and decrease the chance they will die by suicide.Read moreRead less
The mechanics of being human. This project will lead to far more detailed understanding of skull mechanics in our own lineage. Results will be of great interest to international scholars in both evolutionary and biomedical fields and help to establish a primary position for Australia in the rapidly expanding area of computer simulation of biological structure. Further development on our own established protocols for automated transfer of CT scan data into finite element models, which have alread ....The mechanics of being human. This project will lead to far more detailed understanding of skull mechanics in our own lineage. Results will be of great interest to international scholars in both evolutionary and biomedical fields and help to establish a primary position for Australia in the rapidly expanding area of computer simulation of biological structure. Further development on our own established protocols for automated transfer of CT scan data into finite element models, which have already improved speed, accuracy and realism, will take finite element analysis to a point at which it can be more readily applied to evolutionary, biomedical and safety design questions.Read moreRead less
Development and evaluation of a web-based decision and safety planning aid for women experiencing domestic violence (I-DECIDE). This project will develop and evaluate a web-based intervention process which enables women experiencing domestic violence to consider their safety planning and support options, reach a carefully thought through decision (reflecting their personal priorities) and then make appropriate plans safely for themselves and their children.