Indigenous and Rural Health
Professor Leonie Segal and colleagues in the Health Economics and Policy Group
have commenced an economic evaluation of primary care initiatives in Far
North Queensland. The primary focus is on measuring the impact of distinct
features of primary care models associated with each health service on the
quality of diabetes management and patient outcomes.
These communities are predominantly indigenous with traditionally poor health outcomes. This work builds on the primary care reform which Professor Robyn McDermott was instrumental in establishing while with the Department of Health in Queensland and James Cook University. This research is being pursued by an indigenous PhD student, thereby also building public health/health economics capacity.
Dr Margaret Cargo has recently undertaken a number of projects of particular significance to rural and indigenous population health including:
- ‘Understanding the context of application of community-based diabetes prevention in Aboriginal communities’, funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
- ‘Understanding and acting on Aboriginal suicide: a new multidisciplinary research team’, funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
- ‘National Network for Aboriginal Mental Health Research’ an Aboriginal capacity-building grant funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
- ‘Anisabe kekendazome: Building from the Ottawa ACADRE’, and Aboriginal capacity-building grant funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
- ‘Kahnawake center for research and training in diabetes prevention’, funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
Professor Adrian Esterman is chief investigator on an NHMRC Capacity Building Grant entitled ‘Building a cohort of Indigenous research leaders in community health development’. In addition, he recently completed a cross-sectional study of Tuberculosis in Malaysia examining diagnostic delay among pulmonary tuberculosis patients in Sarawak.
Dr Craig Williams is currently involved in a number of research projects examining vector borne disease including:
- “Development of a predictive risk assessment model for arbovirus transmission and mosquito nuisance problems in South Australia”. Funded by the SA Department of Health.
- An NHMRC funded grant entitled “Can lure and kill strategies prevent dengue transmission in North Queensland, Australia?”
- Bill and Melinda Gates Global Grand Challenge Grant, “Modifying mosquito population age-structure to eliminate dengue transmission”. For further details refer to www.mosquitoage.org
- Commonwealth Environment Research Facilities (CERF) Significant Projects, “Predicting and monitoring climate change in insects: from genes to distribution shifts”.