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September Newsletter 2022
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Accelerating the translation of Research findings into Action to ensure scientific evidence can positively Impact the health of South Australians.
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In this month’s newsletter, you’ll find a link to a report released by the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences last week titled “Research and innovation as core functions in transforming the health system”. It has 14 recommendations including one about the role of NHMRC Accredited Research Translation Centres in Australia.
As our board chair Dr Leanna Read reflected; “The report is very consistent with the work HTSA is doing to build health system-wide collaboration, as well as research translation, increase the number of clinical researchers and involve the community in decision making”.
I encourage you to read the report. It is a very interesting read that is potentially transformational.
Such opportunities for system-wide collaboration are abundant as we near the end of 2022, with HTSA both hosting and attending a suite of collaborative forums, symposiums, webinars, and launches. After the challenges of gathering face to face over the last two years, it’s great to see so many engagement opportunities that keep our networks firing.
Reflecting on last month, I had the opportunity to host a session at SALHN Research Week that focussed on the MRFF, and particularly on impact and opportunities. Thank you to professor Raymond Chan, Dr Rui Hoo, Professor Jonathan Karnon and Craig Whitehead for their valuable contribution to the panel session and thanks Simon Windsor and the SALHN Research Office staff for their work behind the scenes to pull off an extremely successful research week.
I also had the chance to attend the AHRA Indigenous Research Capacity Building Network (IRNet) Showcase event at Sydney University. It was an amazing celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander research leadership with over 230 people face to face and many more online, great project presentations, the launch of the NHMRC funded National OCHRe (Our Collaborations in Health Research) Network and opportunities to reflect on the trail blazers that built strong foundations. Congratulations to all who contributed especially those involved with the Scientific Committee. Job well done!
Looking forward, preparations are well underway for the NHMRC Research Translation Symposium in November, which this year will focus on Embracing Diversity. The symposium is a 4-day online event from 11.30 - 3.30 each day on November 17/18/21/22. On Monday November 21, HTSA will host a face-to-face forum in the SAHMRI Auditorium where the NHMRC Symposium will be playing on the big screen. Prior to and during the breaks we will convene an “End of Year Celebration to connect and plan for 2023”. Food and drinks will be provided for those in the HTSA Community - researchers, clinicians, community members and stakeholders. Please put it in your diary. More information will be provided closer to the time as the NHMRC Research Translation Symposium program is finalised.
Congratulations to HTSA’s Dr Agustina Gancia for her terrific work on this month’s Spotlight Series, which is currently focussing on Consumer Engagement. There’s still lots to come over the next week and a half, and you can read more about our consumer & community engagement events and resources in this month’s edition.
Finally, a warm welcome to Dominic Lin who has just commenced an industry-based internship with HTSA also in partnership with CEIH and Digital Health SA. Dominic is a PhD candidate from Swinburne University and will bring his expertise in Health Informatics to the Connected Care project. We’re looking forward to seeing the outcome of his work over the term of his internship.
Wendy Keech
CEO, Health Translation SA
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SA researchers attend National Indigenous Research(er) Capacity Building Network (IRNet) Research Showcase
Last month, leaders in Indigenous health and medical research from across Australia came together for the IRNet National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Research Showcase under the theme Our Voice – Our Research – Our Future.
The showcase began with the launch of OCHRe, a culturally secure and inclusive network of Indigenous researchers seeking to improve the health and wellbeing of Indigenous peoples. Expressions of interest to join OCHRe are now open.
Other highlights included sessions on Indigenous data sovereignty, genomics, emerging diseases, vaccinations and trust, and the ongoing importance of advocacy and activism in Indigenous health. Alongside contemporary academics and clinicians such as Professor Alex Brown and Dr Lorraine Anderson, IRNet Showcase attendees also had the privilege of hearing from Elders Uncle John Delaney and Aunty Dulcie Flower OAM AM who were key founding members of the Aboriginal Medical Services (AMS) Redfern.
HTSA awarded a number of $1000 travel scholarships to support South Australian researchers from across HTSA Partners to attend as part of their own professional development activities.
Recipient Courtney Hammond of SAHMRI's Wardliparingga was able to attend and present multiple projects thanks to HTSA's support.
Courtney is an Eastern Arrernte/Tanganekald woman with ties to Country in lower South East of South Australia and Central Australia. In her role as a Research Assistant within Implementation Science at Wardliparingga Aboriginal Health Equity, she is involved in multiple mixed-methods projects including the Aboriginal Eye Health Project, Taingiwilta Pirku Kawantila (Strong Community in the North) and the Indigenous Language & Wellbeing Study.
Below are some of Courtney's reflections on the event:
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"On Thursday and Friday, I was given the opportunity to present three projects; the Aboriginal Eye Health Project, Taingiwilta Pirku Kawantila: Strong Community in the North Project; and the Indigenous Language Study. Having the opportunity to present our work in a safe space, surrounded by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander researchers and our non-Indigenous colleagues was a privilege and an opportunity which is significant in supporting my personal journey into research. Throughout and after the presentations, the community of researchers were incredibly kind and supportive to all presenters. I enjoyed listening to the other presentations and learning about the different projects which are occurring nationally.
Through attendance at this conference in person, I was able to meet new people and expand my networks. I met kind, like-minded people from across Australia who are all working to improve health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. From the event, I have already lined up discussions around how we can potentially obtain further funding to support our projects, from people who offered up suggestions after seeing our presentations. I foresee more potential collaborations in the future, and I feel hopeful for what my future career holds."
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Livestream recordings of the IRNet Showcase can be viewed at the AHRA website
Photo credit: Joseph Mayers
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HTSA on display at SALHN research week
Local Health Network (LHN) research events have long been a vital opportunity for researchers, clinicians, and the broader community to connect and share around the current themes and priorities in the health sector.
In late September, SALHN hosted their 2022 research week across the Flinders University Tonsley campus and the Flinders Medical Centre. Monday afternoon included an opening address from Professor Andrew Bersten and a consumer forum, with Tuesday-Friday being dedicated to SALHN's four fields of enquiry:
- Discovery Science
- Clinical Trials
- Health Services Research
- Continuous Improvement / Implementation Science
HTSA's CEO Wendy Keech led a panel session about MRFF impact and opportunities on the Tuesday as part of the 'Health Services' themed day.
The panel session provided some great insights, particularly around "building great teams to solve big problems" and the need to bring the right people to best address the funding call, particularly across disciplines.
HTSA Project Manager Tamara Hooper also launched a new clinical trials initiative on Friday as part of the 'Clinical Trials' day, alongside Jessica Southwood from SA Health.
The pair discussed opportunities for early users of the Victorian Clinical Trials Education Centre (V-CTEC) platform in South Australia to share their feedback of using the platform ahead of a national rebrand and relaunch planned for 2023. You can find out more about V-CTEC in this month's newsletter.
Thanks to Simon Windsor, Constance Brett, Danielle Eley, and the whole SALHN team for the opportunity to be involved.
Presentations from the full week are available via SALHN's Youtube Channel.
Photos: Top (L-R) Jonathan Karnon, Craig Whitehead, Rui Hoo, Raymond Chan, Wendy Keech
Bottom: Tamara Hooper
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Our HTSA Stakeholder Forum Report is now available
Thank you to the all the stakeholder representatives and community members who attended the HTSA Stakeholder Forum in August.
The forum is a key component of HTSA’s governance, and its purpose is to inform, consult and involve key stakeholders and community members in the development of priorities, projects and advocacy activities of HTSA
The program included several presentations and an interactive session on ‘mobilising consumer involvement in research translation’.
There was great engagement at and following the event, with some key next steps identified.
Download a copy of the forum report (PDF)
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Online Education and training platform for anyone involved in clinical trials
- Free for all South Australians
- Courses which are interactive, practical, multi-modal, evidence based
- Networking opportunities for the clinical trials workforce
Find out more:
V-CTEC has been brought to South Australia thanks to the SA/NT Regional Clinical Trial Coordinating Centre and the Office for Research in the Department for Health and Wellbeing, in partnership with Health Translation SA.
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Join SA WHRTN's new LinkedIn group
The SA chapter of the Women's Health Research Translation Network seeks to empower and improve equity, health and quality of life for all Australian women integrating prevention, healthcare, research and translation for community benefit. The WHRTN also aims to advance and support the careers of women in research.
We are pleased to offer a new SA WHRTN LinkedIn Networking group as a place to network, share and collaborate with other SA WHRTN members in line with the network's vision and goals.
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New policy report: 'Research and innovation as core functions in transforming the health system: A Vision for the future of health in Australia'
The Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences' recently released policy report, ‘Research and innovation as core functions in transforming the health system: A vision for the future of health in Australia’ highlights the opportunity to improve health outcomes, enhance health systems management and maximise existing investment in health by developing and implementing plans to further integrate health and medical research and innovation into our health system.
The report sets out a three-year plan based on extensive consultation across health, government, academia, industry and consumers. As part of this plan, the report presents 14 recommendations that outline a blueprint for action, with 5 of these highlighted as the most urgent.
Download the full report here
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SA Cancer Plan: have your say
SA Health is seeking input from public and private clinicians including doctors, nurses, allied health staff, support workers, researchers and others who are connected to cancer prevention and care in SA to help shape their new five-year statewide cancer plan.
You can share your experiences and ideas through this consultation using one or more of the options below:
Further information about the project can be accessed via the SA Cancer Plan webpage.
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October Spotlight Series: Consumer Engagement
We're over half way though this quarter's Spotlight Series, where we shine the spotlight on one research translation topic during one month, but there's still plenty of great content to come!
This October, we're focusing on Consumer Engagement. Every day during the month, we've been sharing resources, links, tools and articles on this topic across Twitter and LinkedIn.
Additionally, we have two weekly webinars remaining on key features of consumer engagement. If you miss any of our live webinars this month, they'll all be available on HTSA's YouTube channel.
Check out our website for more information and to register, or contact Agustina Gancia at agustina.gancia@healthtranslationsa.org.au with any questions.
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Patient Reported Measures (PRMs) Research Collaborative Symposium
In collaboration with the Commission on Excellence and Innovation in Health, Health Translation SA is pleased to present the 2nd PRMs with the theme Using patient-reported measures to improve health care for culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) and other underrepresented populations.
Date: Monday 14 November 2022
Time: 9:00 AM to 3:30 PM
Location: SAHMRI, Auditorium (Level 03, Plaza Level), North Terrace
We’re excited to have Mr Mohammad Al-Khafaji, CEO Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Council of Australia (FECCA), as our keynote speaker.
The program will also include:
- Presentations from Wendy Keech, CEO, Health Translation SA and Megan Scott, PRMs Program Director, CEIH
- Presentations from a wide variety of clinicians and researchers relevant to our symposium theme
- A panel discussion and interactive workshop in the afternoon with a diverse representation of consumers to further consider and apply learnings from the day.
PRMs Research Collaborative Members can register their attendance via the online form
Not a member? Register to join at the CEIH website to access this event and the full suite of benefits that the network provides.
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NHMRC Research Translation Long Weekend
The 10th NHMRC Research Translation Symposium will be a hybrid event, combining in person with online events.
The event will run from Thursday 17 November- Tuesday 22 November 2022 (with a weekend break)
The theme this year is 'Embracing Diversity', and the intention is to encourage the translation of research that improves equity and respects the health and health care decision making needs of people of different cultures, ethnic groups, socio-economic groups, abilities or ages. It includes (but is not limited to):
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
- people who live in rural and remote areas
- culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities
- people living with disability.
Find our more via the NHMRC website
More information will be available soon about HTSA's satellite event.
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Consumer and Community Engagement Summit
Join us for our annual one-day summit! This year, we will be exploring the topic of Diversity in consumer and community engagement.
Co-hosted by Health Translation SA and the SAHMRI Registries Consumer Engagement Community of Practice (led by ANZDATA), the event will take place on November 29 2022, at SAHMRI and virtually.
This summit is open to researchers, healthcare consumers and community members, coming together to celebrate successes and showcase methods for including diverse perspectives in research projects.
Find out more and register
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Other upcoming events & training
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ARC Industry Fellowships for early and mid career researchers
Engaging effectively with industry is an essential element in achieving research impact.
The Australian Research Council's Industry Fellowships Program is offering an invaluable opportunity for both early and mid career researchers to gain critical industry experience and forge new connections and understanding that will assist with their future research and research translation.
Applications for both the early and mid career streams close on October 20th. More information is available on the ARC website.
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New grant opportunities regularly available throughout the year
National Health and Medical Research Institute (NHMRC)
Within Australia, the NHMRC is the major funding body for health and medical research. There are a range of funding schemes that have different focuses and purposes. You can view current NHMRC funding opportunities via the NHMRC website.
MRFF
The MRFF provides grants of financial assistance to support health and medical research and innovation, with the objective of improving the health and wellbeing of Australians. The NHMRC works with the Department of Health to implement disbursements from the MRFF. Visit the MRFF website to find out more about the current opportunities.
Many of our partner organisations have a dedicated person that can assist you in applying for MRFF grant opportunities.Visit the HTSA website for a list of South Australian based MRFF Support Leads.
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Do you have an event, story or funding opportunity to share in our Newsletter?
We would love to hear from you!
Come and chat to the Health Translation SA team on Level 8 in the SAHMRI Building (left of the central staircase) or contact Kahlia Green, our Strategic Communications Manager via email at communications@healthtranslationsa.org.au
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