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 | Research Achievements |  |
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| Faculty of Health Sciences takes research from the laboratory to the bedside |
| | The University of Queensland is a research intensive institution and is ranked among the top three universities in Australia. The Faculty of Health Sciences makes a significant contribution to the strength and depth of research conducted within the University.
This was highlighted in 2005 with the development of the world’s first cancer vaccine from the work of researchers Professor Ian Frazer, Director of the Centre for Immunology and Cancer Research and research partner, the late Dr Jian Zhou. The development of a vaccine for cervical cancer was a result of successful clinical trials held in 2004 and demonstrates what can arise out of innovative Faculty research.
The Faculty has developed a reputation for research that can be taken from the laboratory to the bedside, with 10 research spin off companies established since 2000. Faculty research encompasses Australian National Health Priority areas as set out by the Government. Research being conducted in these, and other areas, is ranked among the best in the world, including:
• Cancer - vaccine development , breast cancer initiatives
• Diabetes - anti-obesity drugs, effects of exercise on health
• Injury Prevention & Control - burns treatment, falls prevention
• Cardiovascular Disease – new treatments for hypertension, stroke rehabilitation
• Mental Health – Regional mental health infrastructure and support
• Asthma – Mast cells, oral inflammation
• Arthritis – mediators of inflammation, neck pain rehabilitation.
The Faculty also has strengths in the area of Public Health research, in particular:
• Epidemiology
• Tropical disease control, and
• Chronic disease management, particularly in Indigenous communities.
The Faculty continues to be successful in attracting major funding for health research, from Australian and international sources. In addition to national funding, from the National Health & Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and the Australian Research Council (ARC), the Faculty has attracted major funding for a range of significant projects, including:
• The Population Health Metrics Research Consortium Project, in collaboration with Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, and the Broad Institute in the United States - receiving $24.7million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation ‘Grand Challenges in Global Health’ (GCGH) initiative
• UQ Centre for Clinical Research – a three-way funding partnership between UQ, the Queensland Government and Atlantic Philanthropies providing $60million will establish this centre.
• Indigenous Health Research - The Colonial Foundation Ltd provided funding for five years from 2001-2005 (a total of $2,500,000 at $500,000 per year) and continues to fund the work to 2008 (a total of $1,620,000 over three years). This represents the most significant continuous non-government funding of Indigenous Health research in Australia.
• The Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health – currently receiving $1,190,000 over next three years from the federal Department of Health and Aging to continue this population-based survey, which examines the health of over 40,000 Australian women over a 20-year period. It was first funded in 1995.
• Centre for Military and Veteran’s Health, established in 2004 - funded through Defence Health and The Department of Veterans' Affairs, unites the academic, research and educational expertise of UQ with the Department of Defence, Department of Veterans' Affairs, the University of Adelaide and the Charles Darwin University.
| | Keywords: | commercialisation, cancer, collaboration, Frazer, diabetes, injury prevention, cardiovascular disease, mental health, asthma, arthritis, public health, military, veteran, Indigenous Health |
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