Tag Archives: NHMRC

Nov 14 2017

NACCHO Aboriginal Health #researchtranslation17 @NHMRC and @KenWyattMP announce $12 Million Investment Aiming to #ClosetheGap in #Indigenous Health

‘We hope it can improve the health of Aboriginal babies,’

Darwin mother Dianne Walker (pictured above )   entered her newborn daughter Rekeesha into the study 29 years ago to track her development, and is happy the project is getting more funding.

Hear ABC interview HERE

http://www.abc.net.au/radio/sydney/programs/pm/aboriginal-health-research/9139838

Menzies will also continue the nation’s longest cohort study of Aboriginal health which examines almost 700 children to identify disease risk factors.

“These nine important projects aim to improve and save lives and will provide more opportunities for health breakthroughs,

From diet improvement to vitamin supplements and antibiotics, this broad range of critical work will continue to increase our clinical knowledge.

I congratulate the Menzies School of Research for its work over more than 30 years, with health services and community partners, on people-focused projects to make a real difference on the ground.”

Indigenous Health Minister Ken Wyatt AM said medical research was critical to closing the gap on Indigenous life expectancy.

Indigenous Affairs Minister Nigel Scullion and Indigenous Health Minister Ken Wyatt AM last Friday  announced the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) funding for researchers at Darwin’s Menzies School of Medical Research, covering Indigenous-specific and broader health projects

The Turnbull Government will fund nine landmark Northern Territory medical research projects worth over $12 million, aiming to save children’s lives and help close the gap in Indigenous health.

“This research’s focus on child health and chronic disease will help address significant challenges in Aboriginal and Torres Strait communities,” Minister Scullion said.

“This demonstrates how the Coalition Government works closely with important Territory institutions like Menzies School of Medical Research to deliver better outcomes for Territorians.

“The funding includes major support for Menzies to undertake a trial of maternal immunisation to prevent pneumonia in infants and to continue a 30-year ground-breaking cohort study of 689 Aboriginal children born to mothers at the Royal Darwin Hospital.”

The grants continue the Turnbull Government’s commitment to world-leading medical research, with the NHMRC tasked with expending at least 5 per cent of its funding to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health research.

“Through NHMRC, the government is also developing Road Map 3 A Strategic Framework for Improving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health through Research,” Minister Wyatt said.

“This guide will communicate our objectives and investment in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health research for the next decade.”

Menzies School of Health Research funding:

CIA NAME TITLE
BUDGET
Prof Anne Chang Preventing early-onset pneumonia in Indigenous infants through maternal immunisation: a multi-centre randomised controlled trial

 
$3,210,617.60
Dr Michael Binks Vitamin D supplementation to prevent respiratory infections among Indigenous children in the Northern Territory: a randomised controlled trial.

 
$3,164,378.55
A/Pr Gurmeet Singh Early life and contemporary influences on body composition, mental health, and chronic disease risk markers in the Aboriginal Birth Cohort

 
$3,117,044.30
Prof Anne Chang Prophylactic antibiotics to prevent recurrent lower respiratory tract infections in children with neurological impairment (PARROT) study

 
$1,193,515.70
A/Pr Julie Brimblecombe Healthy Stores 2020: Reducing retail merchandising of discretionary food and beverages in remote Indigenous community stores

 
$903,135.10
Dr Anna Wood Diabetes and cardiovascular risk among Indigenous women after pregnancy complicated by hyperglycaemia.

 
$126,437.00
Dr Simon Smith A prospective study of the aetiology, associations, clinical features and outcomes of community-acquired pneumonia in children and adults in tropical Australia

 
$126,437.00
Ms Jemima Beissbarth Vaccine and antibiotic selective pressures on the microbiology of otitis media in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in northern Australia

 
$87,302.00
Ms Christina Spargo 2017 Equipment Grant
$84,491.50
Oct 17 2017

Aboriginal Health Research @NHMRC Road Map 3: A Strategic Framework for Improving Aboriginal Health through Research for public consultation.

The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has released the draft Road Map 3: A Strategic Framework for Improving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health through Research (Road Map 3) for public consultation.

The aims of the public consultation are to:

  1. Seek feedback on the draft Road Map 3, including comments on the objective and priority areas
  2. Identify any gaps in Road Map 3, and
  3. Seek feedback on the inclusion of an Action Plan.

NHMRC has committed to develop Road Map 3 to guide and communicate its objectives and investment in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health research for the next decade. Road Map 3 builds on the previous documents, Road Map I (2002) and Road Map II (2010).

From March to July 2017, the NHMRC and its Principal Committee Indigenous Caucus (PCIC) worked with Nous Group (Nous) to conduct a national consultation process for the development of Road Map 3.

The consultation process for Road Map 3 began with a series of interviews with nine leaders from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and research peak bodies.  This was followed by seven workshops across Australia attended by researchers, health workers, government officials and community leaders. An online survey was also made available for those who could not attend the workshops.

Scope of this public consultation

NHMRC is seeking responses to a series of questions related to the development of Road Map 3.

Consultation Questions:

  1. Is the proposed objective of Road Map 3 relevant?  Why/why not?
  2. Are the three priority areas of Road Map 3 accurate?  Why/why not?
  3. Are there any further priority areas to add?
  4. Is there anything missing from Road Map 3?  Please provide further details.
  5. Are there any other comments you would like to make regarding Road Map 3?

Consultation dates:

Opening date – Friday, 13 October 2017 – 12:00pm, AEST

Closing date – Sunday, 10 December 2017 – 11:59pm, AEST

Extensions will not be provided.

Consultation document:

Supporting documents:

Please note: These documents are for information only and are not open for public consultation.

Please note: If you are having problems downloading a document, please right-click on the link and select “Save Target/Link as…” and choose a location to save the file to.

Personal information

Please provide your contact details: Name, Organisation (if relevant), Email, and Phone number.  This information will not be used or disclosed for any other purpose.

How NHMRC will consider submissions

Due consideration will be given to submissions that address the public consultation questions and provide additional evidence that meets the inclusion criteria.  NHMRC’s Principal Committee Indigenous Caucus (PCIC) will provide advice to NHMRC on responses received.

Privacy and confidentiality

After the final document Road Map 3 is released, submissions may be made publicly available via the NHMRC online public consultation portal, unless they have been requested NOT to be published.

How to make your submission

Provide a submission by response to the above questions using the submission form provided below, and email through to NHMRCroadmap3@nousgroup.com.au. (link sends e-mail)

Contact for further information:

Samantha Faulkner, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Adviser

Email: Samantha.faulkner@nhmrc.gov.au (link sends e-mail

WEBSITE

Sep 5 2017

NACCHO #Aboriginal Health and #Diabetes @theMJA the @NHMRC #Indigenous guidelines need update

“Early onset of type 2 diabetes is very common in Aboriginal communities following Westernisation, so I agree with the recommendations of NACCHO and the RACGP, which recommended early screening.

Whether you do it annually or every 3 years is a less important question to me, and very patient-dependent.

Only 18% of Indigenous adults were tested for diabetes annually, as per the more intensive guidelines by the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO), leading the authors to claim that the RACGP/DA guidelines were more practicable “

Professor Kerin O’Dea, Professor Emeritus at the University of South Australia and Honorary Professor at the University of Melbourne, said that the NHMRC recommendations “really need to be updated”.

Originally published MJA

Read over 120 diabetes related posts by NACCHO over past 5 years

MORE can be done to increase diabetes screening rates among Indigenous Australians and enable earlier intervention, say experts who are calling for a greater focus on young adults.

A study published in the MJA found enormous variation in diabetes screening rates between different Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHSs).

The proportion of Indigenous adults screened for diabetes at least once in 3 years – as per the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and Diabetes Australia (RACGP/DA) guidelines – ranged from 16% to 90% between different services.

Overall, 74% of Indigenous adults received a screening test for diabetes at least once between 2010 and 2013, the study found, based on de-identified data on 20 978 patients from 18 ACCHSs.

Only 18% of Indigenous adults were tested for diabetes annually, as per the more intensive guidelines by the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO), leading the authors to claim that the RACGP/DA guidelines were more practicable.

Extract Overview provided by NACCHO

Download a full copy of 2 nd edition

http://www.racgp.org.au/download/documents/AHU/2ndednationalguide.pdf

Type 2 diabetes is most commonly found in obese adults who develop increasing insulin resistance over months or years. For these patients there is a substantial ‘prediabetic’ window period of opportunity to offer preventive interventions. Screening for diabetes is safe, accurate and cost effective, and detects a substantial proportion of people who may not otherwise have received early intervention.1 This chapter discusses type 2 diabetes in adults who are not pregnant.

The prevalence of type 2 diabetes in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations is 3–4 times higher at any age than the general population, with an earlier age of onset.2 The precise prevalence is hard to pinpoint; a 2011 systematic review of 24 studies showed prevalence estimates ranged from 3.5–31%, with most lying between 10% and 20%. Diabetes prevalence in remote populations is approximately twice that of urban populations and is higher among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.3

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and women die from diabetes at 23 and 37 times the rate of non-Indigenous Australian men and women respectively, in the 35–54 years age group.4 Large scale clinical trials have demonstrated that appropriate management of diabetes can prevent the development or delay the progression of complications such as myocardial infarction, eye disease and renal failure.5

Obesity is a very strong predictor for diabetes; a body mass index (BMI) ≥30 kg/m2 increases the absolute risk of type 2 diabetes by 1.8–19-fold, depending on the population studied. A cohort study of non-diabetic Aboriginal adults aged 15–77 years in central Australia found that those with a BMI of ≥25 kg/m2 had 3.3 times the risk of developing diabetes over 8 years of follow up compared to those with a BMI <25 kg/m2.1 The AusDiab study found that three measures of obesity: BMI, waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio, all had similar correlations with diabetes and CVD risk.6 Waist circumference performed slightly better than BMI at predicting diabetes in a remote Aboriginal community

The study defined screening tests to include glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) testing as well as the oral glucose tolerance test and venous glucose level testing.

Barriers to screening included being aged under 50 years, being transient rather than a current patient and attending the service less frequently, the study found. The authors concluded that particular attention should be given to increasing the screening rate in these groups.

The finding that young people were less likely to be tested was “intuitively reasonable”, the authors said, given that the risk of developing diabetes rises with age. However, they suggested that it was still best practice to test Indigenous adults from the age of 18 years, as it provided a “substantial opportunity for limiting the impact of type 2 diabetes”.

Indigenous Australians aged 25–34 years are five times more likely to have diabetes or high blood sugar levels than non-Indigenous Australians of the same age, they noted.

Despite this difference between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) only recommends screening Indigenous people for diabetes once they are aged over 35 years, and doing it every 3 years.

Professor Kerin O’Dea, Professor Emeritus at the University of South Australia and Honorary Professor at the University of Melbourne, said that the NHMRC recommendations “really need to be updated”.

“Early onset of type 2 diabetes is very common in Aboriginal communities following Westernisation, so I agree with the recommendations of NACCHO and the RACGP, which recommended early screening,” she told MJA InSight.

“Whether you do it annually or every 3 years is a less important question to me, and very patient-dependent,” she said.

Professor O’Dea said that more widespread use of HbA1c testing could increase the screening rate in Aboriginal communities, particularly among younger people and those who were more transient.

“If screening for diabetes was just a simple opportunistic HbA1c test, you wouldn’t have so many problems getting people to have it done,” she said. “HbA1c testing will give you a good idea of the mean glucose level, and unlike the glucose tolerance test, you don’t have to ask the patient to return in the fasting state.

“If it does turn out that the patient has borderline diabetes, then you can ask if they are prepared to do a glucose tolerance test,” she added.

Study co-author, Associate Professor Christine Paul, said that there was significant variation in the use of HBA1c testing across sites and across time in the study.

“I think it is possible that increasing the use of HbA1c as a screening test may help [to increase screening rates]; however, I don’t think it’s the main answer,” she said. “Clearly some health services need support to get systems in place, regardless of which test they use.”

 

Aug 3 2016

NACCHO Indigenous Health Research News: Tom Calma urges quarantining of Indigenous research funding

ctg-breakfasat-m-cooke-t-calma-and-nash

“The NHMRC has close to a 6 per cent target now for funding to go towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander projects, We’re calling on the ARC to match it.”

While the ARC did have a dedicated stream of funding for Indigenous grants, it was a very small proportion of the overall pool. A quarantined funding would create a virtuous circle for Indigenous researchers starting with capacity building.

We have a recorded 10 years life expectancy gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Australia.

“When I wrote the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Report chapter on achieving health equality within a generation in 2005, the gap was 17 years. But there’s still a significant gap compared to our Indigenous brothers and sisters in New Zealand and Canada and the United States where they enjoy five to six years.”

Professor Calma, who is chairman of the Poche Centre for Indigenous Health Network and chancellor of the University of Canberra.

From The Australian

File Picture above NACCHO Chair Matthew Cooke with Former Rural Health Minister Fiona Nash and Professor Tom Calma at a recent Close the Gap event Parliament House Canberra

One of the country’s most senior Indigenous figures, Tom Calma, has called on the Australian Research Council to quarantine a proportion of its funding for research into indigenous matters.

Professor Calma said the ARC should match the proportion of designated funding for indigenous research as the National Health and Medical Research Council does.

See NACCHO Research News : Call for research priorities in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health

Research

“At Poche Melbourne we are trying to develop leadership among Indigenous people with a university qualification and also to get more Indigenous PhDs through,” Professor Calma said. “But this is coming out of philanthropic and university money.

“My belief is that philanthropic money should be used for the establishment of programs, not for keeping them going.”

An ARC spokeswoman said it “had no plans to quarantine a certain percentage of national competitive grants programs funding for Indigenous programs”. She said Indigenous research was supported across the range of NCGP areas, including in education, performing arts, health, policy, law, economic development, history and languages.

She said the dedicated scheme, Discovery Indigenous, funded research led by indigenous researchers, as well as higher degree and early career researchers.

The fund was valued at $4 million this year. The spokeswoman said a 2012 Indigenous research network initiative provided $3.2m across four years.

The Poche Indigenous Health Network is a made up of six research centres in five universities.

It was the result of a donation of more than $50m from philanthropists Greg and Kay van Norton Poche, who made their fortune by creating the courier and logistics company StarTrack Express, which was sold to Australia Post and Qantas for $750m in 2003.

Professor Calma is also chairman of the Co-operative Research Centre for Remote Economic Participation, or Ninti One. But he said a change in government focus was threatening public-good CRCs such as his.

Press Release

Poche Patron calls for increased funding for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander research projects

Professor Tom Calma AO has called on the Australian Research Council (ARC) to match the proportion of funding provided by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander research projects.

Addressing the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Research Showcase, presented by The Poche Centre for Indigenous Health at the University of Sydney, the Chair and Patron of The Poche Indigenous Health Network said: “The NHMRC now has a target of between 5-6 percent for funding to go towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander projects.”

“We’re calling on the ARC to match it. If we can expand the funding for research in this area, it’s better for all of us, particularly for the communities we’re doing our research for.

“I also strongly encourage senior public servants and policy makers to engage in the research, as research forums like today should be informing public policy,” Professor Calma added.

Speaking about the importance of research in this area, Professor Calma said: “We have a recorded 10 years life expectancy gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Australia.

“When I wrote the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Report chapter on achieving health equality within a generation in 2005, the gap was 17 years. But there’s still a significant gap compared to our Indigenous brothers and sisters in New Zealand and Canada and the United States where they enjoy five to six years.

“All of our research projects are looking at ways we can influence the way we close that gap.”

Professor Calma also thanked The Poche Centre at the University of Sydney for supporting the annual Health Research Showcase, the fifth since the centre was established in 2008.

“They’re an opportunity to bring together different research elements of the University, to be able to share experiences but also look at ways in which we can work better together,” he said.

“If we can encourage more targeted initiatives, we’ll always get better outcomes.”

The Poche Centre for Indigenous Health at the University of Sydney was established and funded by philanthropists Greg Poche AO and Kay Van Norton Poche, along with their friend and co-founder, Reg Richardson AM. They have gifted more than $50m in the past seven years to harness the skills, expertise and resources of the University of Sydney and four other universities to contribute towards Aboriginal health.

The centre draws upon a combination of Commonwealth, State and philanthropic funds and partners with Aboriginal Community Controlled and other organisations to provide specialist health services for Aboriginal people. They also build and support education and career pathways for Aboriginal people, and develop opportunities for students and graduates to participate in Aboriginal health service delivery.

Committed to the ongoing development of a strong research vision and strategy, the centre’s annual Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Research Showcase brings together an array of health researchers, scholars and community collaborators.

This year’s showcase covered three themes: evidence and discourse; meaningful collaboration in Indigenous health; and health, lifestyle and wellbeing. The University of Sydney faculties involved include the Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, School of Nursing and Midwifery as well as colleagues from The George Institute for Global Health.

 

Jul 30 2013

NACCHO Researching Right Way workshops: Shaping good Aboriginal health research practices

Lowitja InstituteAIATSIS

On behalf of the NHMRC, the Lowitja Institute and the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) are conducting an evaluation of two documents that relation to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health research ethics:

·         ‘Values and Ethics: Guidelines for Ethical Conduct in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Research’; and

·         ‘Keeping Research on Track: A Guide for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples about Health Research’.

We are interested in hearing your views about how these guidelines have been used and if they have assisted in the research process.   We particularly want to hear from:

·         Aboriginal community controlled and government health services

·         Researchers in the Aboriginal health arena

·         Research organisations such as universities and research institutes

·         Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participants in research

·         Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) members

·         HREC administrators

These two documents currently shape the way that health research is conducted in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities all over Australia. Your input will help ensure that the guidelines effectively meet the needs of you,  your community or your organisation.

Workshops – Locations and Dates   –  All workshops will run from  9.30am – 1.30pm

Broome Monday 5 August, Jimmy Chi Hall, Broome Civic Centre, 27 Weld Street, Broome
Thursday Island Monday 5 August, Port Kennedy Hall, 64-66 Douglas Street, Thursday Island
Brisbane Wednesday 7 August, Conference room, ATSICHS Head office, 55 Annerley Road, Woolloongabba
Perth Thursday 7 August, Conference room, Derbarl Yerrigan, 156 Wittenoom Street, East Perth
Adelaide Monday 12 August, Functions Hall, Nunkuwarrin Yunti, 182–190 Wakefield Street, Adelaide
Darwin Monday 12 August, Room 6.1.03, Casuarina Campus, Charles Darwin University, Ellengowan Drive, Casuarina
Cairns Wednesday 14 August, Conference room, Wuchopperen Health Services, 13 Moignard Street, Manoora, Cairns
Alice Springs Thursday 15 August, Corkwood Room, Desert Knowledge Australia, Desert Knowledge Precinct, South Stuart Highway, Alice Springs

PLEASE REGISTER YOUR ATTENDANCE FOR A WORKSHOP. Your registration ensures we can cater for you on the day.

Your input is important to us. There are a variety of ways you can submit your feedback about these two documents.

·         Complete a short survey or upload a written submission

·         The consultation team will also be available for phone interviews by request.

·         For more details about this project, please contact Ray Lovett at AIATSIS or Mary Guthrie at the Lowitja Institute.

If you are not able to attend the consultations, please pass this on to others whom you think may be able to attend and contribute to this important discussion about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health research ethics.

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