Integrated oral health care in midwifery practice
There is limited emphasis being placed on perinatal oral health by prenatal care providers in Australia. Pregnant women have no system in place that can offer them regular oral assessment during pregnancy and prompt dental treatment at minimal or no cost as experienced in other countries. To address the oral health needs of pregnant women, a unique midwifery initiated oral health (MIOH) model was developed to promote and maintain maternal oral health.
Funding roadblocks creating digital health inequity
Helen Souris, CEO and Executive Director of Cardihab and Chair of the Digital Health Advisory Group at the Medical Technology Association of Australia (MTAA), highlights the significant gap in cardiac rehabilitation access across Australia. Despite the proven benefits of cardiac rehabilitation in improving survival, quality of life, and reducing hospital admissions, around 80% of eligible patients do not receive this care, with access rates even lower in regional and rural communities.
Closing the diagnostic gap in ovarian cancer detection
After 15 years in academia, Associate Professor Michelle Hill founded ProSeek bio to address one of the most urgent challenges in women’s health: closing the diagnostic gap in ovarian cancer.
For too long, women suspected of ovarian cancer have faced an impossible choice — undergo invasive surgery for diagnosis, only for up to 80% of those procedures to reveal no cancer, or delay intervention and risk diagnosis at a later stage when treatment options are fewer and survival outcomes are significantly worse.
Course developed for people with intellectual disability to learn about research
Scope Australia is one of the largest not-for-profit disability service providers in Australia, supporting thousands of people with complex intellectual, physical, and multiple disabilities.
They operate across Victoria and New South Wales across more than 425 service locations.
Scope’s research team developed a course about what research is and how to do research. Eight people with intellectual disability did the course. Five people took part in interviews to help Scope learn about the course and how to make it better.
Clinical trial site in primary care setting open for novel therapies in psychiatry
Over the past decade, Paratus has been involved in over 200 clinical trials across 4 clinical site locations. Now a fifth site, the newly opened Melbourne site will cater to both primary care and psychiatry, specifically designed for psychedelic studies.
The new Melbourne site will be a focused on primary care studies specifically expanding access to psychiatric research, a growing area of unmet need. Australian Health Journal met with 3 recent hires brought in to support clinical trials across the organisation and in psychiatry in Melbourne.
Forum fosters dialogue in breast cancer
In October 2024, the Frazier Institute hosted an event dedicated to breast cancer advocacy and research, supported by TRI (Translational Research Institute), National Breast Cancer Foundation, PA Research Foundation, Health Translation Queensland, QUT and The University of Queensland Faculty of Medicine/Frazer Institute.
The key aim of the event co-organised by Associate Professor Joy Wolfram, Group Leader, Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology & School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland was to foster dialogue between breast cancer lived experience advocates (consumers), researchers, and clinicians.