A team of researchers at the Kirby Institute at UNSW Sydney have been awarded $1.8M from the NSW Government to undertake research aimed at preventing people acquiring a range of infectious diseases.
The funding announced today is designed to support research on prevention and early intervention that aligns with NSW Health priorities. The funding supports research infrastructure and strategies to build research capability and translate evidence from research into policy and practice.
“The Kirby Institute has a strong track record of impactful prevention and early intervention research, including scale-up of HIV prevention programs, research to prevent STIs among young Aboriginal people and studies to prevent the spread of hepatitis C in prisons,” says Professor Anthony Kelleher, the Kirby Institute’s Director.
This new funding will support the following areas of research in NSW, to be undertaken by the Kirby Institute:
- Developing capacity for the evaluation of HIV prevention interventions implemented within clinics and community settings.
- Monitoring and evaluation of hepatitis C elimination.
- Organising and co-designing HPV immunisation services with students with disabilities.
- Community led models to optimise the uptake of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health checks and embed syphilis testing.
“The research we’ll be conducting with this funding support has the potential to improve the health of thousands of people living in NSW by preventing them from acquiring severe and complex infectious diseases. We’re grateful to the NSW Government for this funding, and look forward to working in partnership with them on these exciting projects,” says Prof Kelleher.