Hello and welcome to the first edition of HOT NORTH NEWS. The purpose of this newsletter is to keep you informed of the latest developments happening in HOT NORTH. Here you will find information on research findings, funding opportunities, events, and the people and community that make it all possible.
HOT NORTH researchers are based at the following research organisations:
- Menzies School of Health Research
- James Cook University
- Telethon Kids Institute
- Marie Bashir Institute & The University of Sydney
- Doherty Institute & The University of Melbourne
- South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute
- Burnet Institute
Utilising a strong collaborative approach between researchers and community, this program will generate new research capability and capacity in the health and medical research workforce, and promote effective translation of this research into health policy and practice.
HOT NORTH started in January 2017 and in the first nine months has funded 5 fellowships, 3 PhD scholarships, and 12 pilot projects.
We welcome your input and participation and look forward to helping you connect and collaborate with the people, communities and places that will empower and inform research and community in Northern Australia and beyond.
If you believe you have received this email in error you can unsubscribe here.
|
|
 From the Director
For those health professionals with a passion for clinical or laboratory sciences research, central and northern Australia is in my unbiased opinion undoubtedly the most exciting and challenging part of Australia to work in.
The metro-centric nature of our academic and funding systems has for many years worked against us attracting and retaining a critical mass of clinicians and researchers to address all the challenges.
The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) have now provided us with the opportunity to begin to turn this around and we are really excited to be able to support a range of diverse projects and collaborations.
By building the capacity of health professionals and scientists in Northern Australia over the next four years we hope to see improvements in health outcomes not only for Australia, but also the Asia-Pacific region.
There are three enduring challenges that face the tropical north of Australia:
- improving the health of Indigenous Australians;
- supporting, growing and retaining healthcare professionals and scientists; and
- optimising disease surveillance, communication and research translation.
Our integrated research agenda is focussed on helping close the gap in Indigenous health disadvantage, protecting the north from emerging infectious threats and engaging regional neighbours. Our five key research themes are:
- skin health;
- respiratory health;
- antimicrobial resistance;
- chronic diseases; and
- vector borne and emerging diseases
If you want to make doing really good work on tropical health a defining aspect of your career, there is no better place to be than the north. Welcome to the HOT NORTH community.
Professor Bart Currie
Director, HOT NORTH
|
|
|
HOT NORTH Researcher Spotlight
|
|
- Research in the HOT NORTH
- Hot Spot: A battle for better health
- Six HOT NORTH pilot projects named
- Mosquito poo could help to detect diseases
- HOT NORTH Fellowships to improve health outcomes in the tropics
- Funding boost to tackle health challenges in northern Australia
|
|
|
Upcoming Events
Katherine, NT Teaching Workshop - The HOT NORTH teaching forum in Katherine will be held on the 16th & 17th of November at the Flinders University Clinical Conference Room. Details to follow soon on the HOT NORTH website.
Recent Events
 Northern Territory and Far North Queensland Diabetes in Pregnancy Educational Symposium - Experts in the field of diabetes, epigenetics, women’s health and public health were in Darwin to discuss the strategies of addressing type 2 diabetes in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. The event was an opportunity for healthcare professionals, researchers and stakeholders to hear from a range of experts including visiting Canadian specialist, Associate Professor Brandy Wicklow, who talked about her work on the determinants of type 2 diabetes in children from Indigenous populations in Northern Manitoba. Associate Professor Louise Maple-Brown, lead investigator of the NT & FNQ Diabetes in Pregnancy Partnership and HOT NORTH CI, noted that “research at Menzies has found very high rates of diabetes among Indigenous Australians. We are particularly concerned about the high numbers of young people with the condition, including women of child-bearing age. This symposium provided interested parties to find out about the latest developments in the field of research in diabetes in pregnancy, and what can be done to prevent diabetes.”
 Broome, WA Teaching Workshop - The Inaugural HOT NORTH teaching workshop took place in Broome on the 9th & 10th of August 2017. Feedback from the event was overwhelmingly positive with participants enjoying the wide variety of speakers and content. Participants were also delighted to have professionals and local community members from Broome given a platform to share their local stories and find areas of overlap for future collaborative projects. Presentations from the event can be accessed here.
One of the highlights from the series of meetings in Broome included the creation of a set of “Guiding Principles” for HOT NORTH that were prepared by the Indigenous Governance Committee and presented at the teaching workshop. These are schematically represented in the Image below.
|
|
Quick Updates
- Sean Taylor, of the Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service has joined HOT NORTH and will be a member of the Indigenous Governance Committee.
- Teresa Wozniak will be working in the Menzies office one day a week, assisting to progress the agenda developed from the women in research workshop in Broome.
- Sean Rung (currently with RHDAustralia) has started with us as part-time communications officer. He welcomes receiving any news items related to your involvement with HOT NORTH
|
|
|
Fellowship Opportunities
Fellowships - We are pleased to announce that the 2018 HOT NORTH Early Career Fellowship and Career Development Fellowship funding round is now open.
HOT NORTH offers competitive research funding of $75,738 (ECF) and $89,457 (CDF) per year for 1-year or 3-year Fellowships focused on Northern Australia and the region and aligned with the five HOT NORTH research themes: skin health, respiratory health, antimicrobial resistance, chronic diseases, and vector borne and emerging diseases.
Applicants should note that:
- Before applying, discuss your application with the Hot North Chief Investigator or Associate Investigator who will be your principal supervisor.
- The Fellow must be supervised by a HOT NORTH Chief Investigator or Associate Investigator.
- The Fellows proposed activities must focus on one or several of the HOT NORTH research themes, and must identify one theme as the primary focus.
- 1-Year Fellows are generally expected to be located fully, or at least half of the year, in Northern Australia.
- 3-Year Fellows must move to, and live in, Northern Australia for the duration of the Fellowship.
Please note that applications are to be sent to kevin.williams@menzies.edu.au by 31st October 2017. Find out more…
Scholarship Opportunities
PhD Scholarships - Charles Darwin University is offering Commonwealth Government’s Research Training Program (RTP) Scholarships to support HOT NORTH PhD students who undertake a research project in one of these theme areas:
Skin Health; Respiratory Health; Antimicrobial Resistance; Chronic Diseases; Vector Borne and Emerging Infectious Diseases.
The Domestic RTP Stipend Scholarship is $27,082 in 2018
Scholarships close 30th October 2017 Find out more…
Pilot Projects - Round 3 Now Open
Pilot Programs - A strong component of the collaboration is to build new research capability and capacity which includes the development of projects supporting the aims of HOT NORTH. In order to do this, the program offers competitive research funding twice a year for six pilot projects, each focused on one of the five key research themes. Pilot project applications will be competitively assessed for quality, innovation, potential impact, and likelihood of attracting further funding. Pilot projects will provide preliminary data which will be evaluated for potential scale up and knowledge advancement in one of the five research themes.
Applications close 31st October 2017 Find out more…
|
|
Future Contributions
With so many HOT NORTH members across Australia, it can be easy to miss out on exciting developments. If you’d like to contribute content, we urge you to email us at HOTNORTH@menzies.edu.au
We encourage you to support your colleagues by sharing details of your latest publications, blogs, news, project updates, reports, and videos with them via this newsletter.
No publication is too big or too small. For journal publications please send through details of your latest publication (fully referenced) for the next newsletter to the HOTNORTH email.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
