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About Health Translation SA

HTSA is a Research Translation Centre, accredited by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) since 2015.

We exist to turn groundbreaking research into real-world impact, improving the health and lives of South Australians.

HTSA bridges the gap between research and health services to accelerate the translation of research evidence into practice and policy.

Collaborating for effective health research translation

Every day South Australian, national and international researchers make important scientific innovations and discoveries in how to prevent and treat disease and promote health. The process of ensuring these innovation and discoveries are turned into cutting edge, reliable and safe healthcare for our community is known as research translation.

Research translation is a dynamic process taking place within a complex system and requires collaboration among diversely skilled teams and partners including researchers, clinicians, educators, policy makers, consumers and the community.

HTSA's role is to accelerate the pace and scale of scientific innovations and discoveries into healthcare by supporting and connecting people across all phases of the research journey.

Contact us to learn more about how we can help you create effective collaborations. 

Contact Us
Tom Symonds
Executive Director
2015
Year Founded

1500+

People connected across 8 collaborative networks

$78m

Grant funding catalysed, driving better health outcomes since 2018

HTSA Impact Report 2019 - 2021

Our first Impact Report based on HTSA’s Strategy July 2019 to June 2021 highlights a selection of projects and initiatives that demonstrate the diversity and variety of our involvement in research translation across the state, and nationally.

These stories showcase HTSA's ability to build and support collaborative efforts to address major health service and system challenges.

We achieve this by acting as an independent catalyst and broker and effectively mobilising collaborations between our Partners and other key stakeholders. 

Our History

2023

Active across SA as an independent catalyst and broker, offering specialised training and services to advance health research translation projects and impact.

2022

Reaccredited by the NHMRC as a Research Translation Centre for 5 years (2022-2027).

Read Reaccreditation Submission

2021

Established new HTSA Strategy for 2021-24 and accepted 3 new partner organisations.  

2020

Established statewide capacity building networks and supported Flagship projects, including two new ones Mental Health and Health in All Policies.

2019

Expanded our statewide Impact Projects and our role as independent catalyst and broker to drive significant system reforms 

2018

Formally renamed Health Translation SA. Board of Partners established with eight key partners through a formal Partner Agreement and an Independent Chair. Established HTSA Stakeholder Forum.

2018

Received Medical Research Future Fund Rapid Applied Research Translation (MRFF RART) funding to support new statewide collaborative projects and 2 National projects, working with interstate NHMRC Translation Centres.

2016

Established 5 Flagship Projects; Bowel Cancer, ROSA, SA Aboriginal Chronic Disease Consortium, Cardiac Rehabilitation, First 1000 days.

2015

SA Academic Health Science and Translation Centre formally accredited by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), as one of the first four inaugural Advanced Health Research Translation Centre’s in Australia.

Image: Original Centre Logo, 2015

Our Governance

HTSA operates as an unincorporated Joint Venture with a governance structure that includes; a Board of Partners (four meetings per year); Board of Partners nominated working groups to address specific issues and projects; and a Stakeholder Forum (one meeting per year).

Stakeholder Forum

The Stakeholder Forum is a key component of HTSA's governance structure.

Its purpose is to inform, consult and involve key stakeholders in the development of HTSA's priorities, projects, enabling platforms, capacity building initiatives and advocacy activities.

HTSA defines stakeholders as any individual, organisation, sector or community that has a ‘stake’ in enhancing the rate of translation of research into healthcare to create a self-improving, sustainable and high-quality health system.

Join our mailing list to find out about future Stakeholder Forum events. 

Our Partners

Our unique partnership unites nine academic, research and healthcare organisations within South Australia, and encompasses the full breadth of health service delivery across the state.

The partnership represents organisations who can contribute to, and directly influence, the activities of the HTSA across the three research translation elements; research, action and impact.

  • South Australian Health & Medical Research Institute
  • Flinders University
  • Adelaide University
  • Torrent University Australia
  • Government of South Australia
  • Government of South Australia - SA Health
  • PHN Adelaide
  • PHN Country SA
  • Aboriginal Health Council of South Australia Inc.

Partnering for impact

By combining the expertise and strengths of our Partners, HTSA is effectively placed to tackle the most pressing healthcare challenges within our community and to create a self-improving, sustainable and high-quality health system.

 

Our Board

HTSA is led by a representative Board of Partners consisting of one member from each Partner organisation.

Dr Leanna Read

Board Chair

Katie Billing

Executive Director, Consumer and Clinical Partnerships, Commission on Excellence and Innovation in Health

Prof Maria Makrides

Executive Director, SAHMRI and Research Director, HTSA

Tania Manser

Executive Manager, Health System Integration and Innovation, Country SA PHN

Prof Helen Marshall AM

Clinical Research Director, Women’s and Children’s Local Health Network

Tanya McGregor

Chief Executive Officer, Aboriginal Health Council of South Australia

Michelle McKay

Chief Executive Officer, Adelaide PHN

A/Prof Hannah Wardill, PhD

Chair, HTSA Consumer and Community Involvement Action Group
Our People

HTSA's projects and activities are supported by a dedicated team based at the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute.

Tom Symonds

Executive Director

Dr Rebecca Perry

Lead: Partnerships and Impact

Alex Harris

Business Operations & Communications Manager

Dr Agustina Gancia

Program Lead: Capacity Building

Marta Jasińska

Consumer and Community Engagement Lead

Elsie Nunu

Project Officer

Jessica Giles

Lived Experience Consultant

Our Strategy 2024-2027

HTSA's vision is to improve health outcomes in South Australia through research translation.

Working with our Partners, and other key stakeholders, we do this by focusing on three strategic priority areas for the period 2024-2027:

Addressing key health issues

Strengthening collaborations to address key health issues affecting the state.

Empower the people

Build the capacity and capability of individuals involved in research translation to drive impactful outcomes.

Optimise the system

Streamline processes and reduce barriers to enhance the effectiveness of research translation.

These priorities are progressed through a series of state-based translation projects and system-improvement initiatives.

In addition, we also work on a number of national system-level initiatives as part of the Australian Health Research Alliance.

Download a copy of our HTSA Strategy July 2024 to June 2027 here.

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