Skye McGregor and Claire Vajdic from the Kirby Institute at UNSW Sydney have been awarded a $1,940,300 Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) grant through the 2024 Survivorship Care and Collaborative Research Prioritisation Grant Opportunity. This four-year project, co-led by qualitative researchers at La Trobe University, is a collaboration between community, academic, government and clinical stakeholders, and aims to reshape and improve care models for people living with HIV in Australia.
For the first time, the funding will focus on survivorship care – the ongoing care received beyond initial treatment of a major illness or health condition – for people living with HIV.
“In Australia, there are approximately 29,000 people living with HIV who require continuous treatment, healthcare and support,” says Prof Vajdic. “Although life expectancy for those on treatment has increased substantially, HIV remains a lifelong chronic disease that can require complex care plans, particularly in the context of an ageing population. There are also people with varied health and social care needs, including gay and bisexual men, women, and people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.”
“People with HIV experience a significantly higher burden of co-infections, chronic conditions and age-related diseases,” says Dr McGregor. “It is essential to take a tailored approach to provide appropriate and accessible care for people living with HIV in Australia to ensure equitable outcomes for all.”
Other Kirby Institute investigators are Professor Rebecca Guy and Drs Hamish McManus and Ben Bavinton. They are joined by colleagues from the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society at La Trobe University and the School of Population Health at Curtin University, as well as important partner organisations ASHM, Health Equity Matters, National Association of People with HIV Australia (NAPWHA), Positive Life NSW, WAAC (formerly Western Australian AIDS Council) and Federation of Ethnic Communities Council of Australia/Australian Multicultural Health Collaborative.
“This grant represents a significant step forward in advancing our understanding of survivorship care for people living with HIV, and we are proud to be part of a multidisciplinary team tackling these crucial issues,” says Scientia Professor Anthony Kelleher, director of the Kirby Institute.
The MRFF’s Survivorship Care and Collaborative Research Prioritisation Grants provide financial support to medical research and medical innovation projects that develop approaches to improve care and quality of life for individuals who have survived severe health conditions.