News

Leading health researchers and health professionals from around northern Australia will unite in Mount Isa next week to support the aspirations and address the major health challenges facing people living in the northern regions and towns.

Held in collaboration with the James Cook University (JCU) and the Northern Australia Research Network (NARN), the HOT NORTH workshop will take place on 12-13 June and covers topics such as rheumatic heart disease, skin infections, diabetes, rehabilitation, innovative service development and how to build and strengthen a culturally responsive health workforce for northern Australia.

“A major focus of this workshop is to give researchers, clinicians and other health professionals an opportunity to network, collaborate and share research.

“It gives researchers and Mount Isa health professionals the opportunity to strengthen relationships and facilitate learning experiences that will develop and transform health practices across northern Australia.

“By developing a community of health researchers and clinicians, HOT NORTH is connecting a wide range of experts to address the current and future aspirations and challenges facing the tropical north.

“With HOT NORTH we aim to support health staff already in the north to feel connected and want to stay, while also attracting high quality colleagues to move to the north and join with us”, said HOT NORTH Director, Professor Bart Currie.

HOT NORTH (Improving Health Outcomes in the Tropical North) is a four-year National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) funded research program led by Menzies School of Health Research.

“With 78 researchers and projects funded to date, HOT NORTH has brought together a wide range of experts to investigate the current and future challenges facing the tropical north,” said Professor Currie.

Associate Professor Ruth Barker of James Cook University, who played a lead role in the development of NARN, will be on hand to discuss the contemporary health aspirations and challenges facing north-west Queensland and exploring ways JCU, NARN and HOT NORTH can work together to address these issues.

“This forum will build on, and strengthen intersectoral collaborations that are crucial for achieving health improvements in northern Australia. It will bring people together to advance research in the area of Functioning, Disability and Health to inform delivery of rehabilitation and lifestyle services in regional, rural and remote northern Australia.

“Events such as these helps foster the multidisciplinary, multisectoral approach that is required to achieve large scale improvements in health and health service delivery in the region and across the north” said Assoc Professor Ruth Barker.

HOT NORTH draws on the expertise of research professionals from eight of Australia’s leading research organisations:

• Menzies School of Health Research
• Telethon Kids Institute
• James Cook University
• Marie Bashir Institute
• Doherty Institute
• South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute
• QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute
• Burnet Institute

To read more about NARN visit www.narn-research.com