Innovation In The Primary Care Management Of Back Pain
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$152,595.00
Summary
Back pain affect millions of Australians. Billions of dollars are spent each year on treament but health outcomes are often poor. Experience from overseas shows that simply spending more money on current treatments won’t fix the problem. This fellowship will be used to support a program of research to improve the quality and efficiency of treatments and health services.
Addressing Evidence-practice Gaps In Chronic Disease Prevention And Control
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$709,931.00
Summary
Cardiovascular diseases are the leading causes of premature death and disability worldwide. Effective treatments for prevention and control of these conditions are available however their use remains far from optimal, in Australia and globally. My current and proposed research will develop and evaluate highly innovative solutions to reduce large evidence-practice gaps in healthcare delivery. These include task shifting to non-physician health workers and novel approaches to drug delivery.
Increasing Value, Reducing Waste From Incomplete Or Unusable Reports Of Medical Research
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$788,486.00
Summary
We estimated that the avoidable waste in research - from design flaws, non-publication, and inadequate reporting - results in over $85 Billion annual loss. I will research innovations to reduce this waste. My focus is particularly on non-drug interventions - exercises, dietary changes, self-monitoring, e-health applications – which are often effective but more difficult to use in clinical practice, and being compiled in my recently founded Handbook of Non-Drug Interventions (see RACGP website).
During my fellowship I will lead research to improve understanding of the causes of back pain and its prevention and treatment. I will work in partnership with clinicians and health agencies to improve health care for back pain, so that Australians receive care based upon the very best research. I will work with colleagues to increase the pool of researchers tackling important questions about how best to manage back pain.
New Technologies To Reduce The Population Burden Of Sexually Transmitted Infections
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$772,605.00
Summary
I propose a five year program of public health research on the evaluation of innovative technologies to prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and their adverse consequences in populations at highest risk; Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, youth, men who have sex with men and people in high STI-burden resource-limited countries. My research over the next five years will lead to substantial improvements in the health of people at greatest risk of STIs.
Enhanced Prevention And Control Of Sexually Transmitted Infections
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$782,370.00
Summary
The entire developed world is witnessing dramatic increases in bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs), the likes of which have not been seen since prior to the emergence of the HIV epidemic in the 1980s. My vision is to reduce the burden of STIs by identifying innovative, cost-effective approaches to STI prevention and management that are acceptable to the populations affected (including healthcare workers and people are risk of STIs) and able to be implemented on a broad scale.
The Prevention And Control Of Sexually Transmitted Infections In Australia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$590,785.00
Summary
The increasing sexually transmitted infection diagnoses in Australia have considerable public health implications and there are still many questions about the most effective way to prevent and control their transmission. The goal of my fellowship is to build on my existing program of research and generate new evidence to further our understanding of the epidemiology of these infections and identify the most effective ways for their prevention and control.
Prevention And Management Of Chronic Disease In Primary Health Care
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$898,008.00
Summary
Over the past 10 years, Mark Harris has developed and led an innovate program of research on better ways to prevent and manage chronic disease in primary health care. This has included research on early intervention to assess and reduce the risk factors for these conditions involving innovative approaches to patient education; team based care; information and decision support systems. This research is now being extended to focus on disadvantaged groups and communities.
Professor John Simes is director of the NHMRC Clinical Trials Centre and has a background in oncology, biostatistics and epidemiology. He leads a program of clinical trials, mainly in oncology, cardiovascular disease and neonatology, with associated research into trials methods, biostatistical analysis, patient preferences, individualising treatment, decision analysis and the application of trial evidence to clinical decision making.
This Fellowship will focus on psychosocial issues in cancer, empowering patients to participate in their care, and improving communication between patients and health professionals. Research aims to reduce distress in immigrant, rural, advanced and young cancer patients and reduce fear of cancer recurrence in survivors; better understand the role of stress, coping and social support in the development of breast cancer; and improve communication about prognosis and end of life issues.