Media releases

A new research centre at Federation University will work to reduce the health disadvantage of regional and rural residents.

The Health Innovation and Transformation Centre, launched yesterday, will develop innovative, multidisciplinary solutions for patients and the general community, spearheaded by the digital, genomic and data revolution.

It will focus on areas including aged care, cardiovascular health, digital health interventions, workforce development and patient safety, ensuring the right care, in the right place at the right time.

The centre will bring together local, national and international researchers to answer complex global health care questions and translate research in order to understand the distinct mechanisms of disease and individual responses to treatment.

Researchers from the University’s School of Science, Psychology and Sport, School of Health and the School of Engineering, Information Technology and Physical Sciences will collaborate on a range of programs with the aim of improving people’s wellbeing across their lifespan.

Led by Professor Fadi Charchar and Professor Simon Cooper, a team of leading and early-career researchers from across the university will focus on six priority research areas:

• Personalised health
• Data mining and artificial intelligence
• Digital health interventions and models of care
• Workforce development
• Patient safety and care quality
• Population health.

The Health Innovation and Transformation Centre is the first centre launched as part of Federation University’s new Research and Innovation Strategy, which identified health and wellbeing; society and the environment; and virtual, digital and computational environments as research priority areas. It also identified education; engineering; history and archaeology; and commerce, management, tourism and services as emerging research areas.

The Centre was launched yesterday with national and international leaders in advanced technologies and transformative health at a virtual event discussing disruption in health services.

Quotes attributable to Federation University Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Duncan Bentley

 “Federation University is bringing together its world-leading multidisciplinary research teams to address the health challenges facing an ageing population, and now the significant pressures of the coronavirus pandemic.”

“These issues hit regional communities particularly hard. The new centre uses the latest research and digital technologies as the basis for improving the health and lives of regional communities.”