Research seal of approval for CDU / Menzies

Australia’s peak funding body for medical research has recognised Charles Darwin University and the Menzies School of Health Research for world-leading standards in health and medical research.

The two institutions are partners in the Central Australian Academic Health Science Centre (CAAHSC), an 11-member consortium that this month was formally recognised by the National Health and Medical Research Council as a Centre for Innovation in Regional Health.

Head of the School of Psychological and Clinical Sciences Professor Tim Skinner said the consortium had to demonstrate competitiveness at the highest international levels across all relevant areas of health research and translation of research findings into health care practice.

“The consortium partners include Aboriginal community controlled and government-run health services, universities and medical research institutes with significant expertise in the field of innovative, evidence-based projects to improve health outcomes among patients in Central Australia,” Professor Skinner said.

“This esteemed recognition strongly places us to secure other health research funding that will enhance our capacity to advance even more landmark research.”

Professor Skinner said the consortium joined an elite group of Australian academic health science centres, and was the only one based outside a major city.

Federal Indigenous Health and Aged Care Minister Ken Wyatt said the Science Centre would receive $222,000 in seed funding from the Medical Research Future Fund’s Rapid Applied Research Translation program.

“The centre is a hub for hope for the future,” Mr Wyatt said.

“Aboriginal leadership is fundamental to success in this field, and this also applies to quickly translating research into results on the ground.”

The partners in CAAHSC have identified five research priorities: chronic conditions, health determinants and risk factors, health services research, policy research and evaluation, and workforce and capacity building.