Media Release
Description: Complementary Medicine gets a boost Date: 31 March 2008 |
Type: Further information: |
Funding backs research priorities in primary health care
Research into new approaches to help GPs deal with childhood obesity, assess patients' risk of heart attacks and improve the health of Indigenous people will be supported by National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) funding.
NHMRC has allocated almost $4.3 million over three years for research into priority areas of primary health care. The funding has been provided through the Australian Government's Primary Health Care Research, Evaluation and Development (PHCRED) Strategy.
The research will include:
- reducing smoking and improving diabetes care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
- improving risk assessment to prevent cardiovascular disease
- improving the assessment, management and treatment of children with obesity
- supporting the needs of carers of patients with advanced cancer.
NHMRC CEO Professor Warwick Anderson said three of the nine proposals being funded were in areas of urgent need in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health.
"The successful proposals are all relevant to improving clinical practice in primary health care and, in turn, health outcomes for the Australian community," Professor Anderson said.
"I'm particularly pleased that three of the successful proposals will be addressing the urgent health issues of Indigenous Australians."
The grants are provided through the innovative General Practice Clinical Research Program (GPCRP), which is administered by NHMRC and is a key component of the PHCRED Strategy.
A list of the recipients receiving funding is attached.
These grants are in addition to more than $10 million in research funding already provided through the PHCRED Strategy in 2007. The initial round of funding included $6.3 million in fellowships to 12 experienced researchers and $3.3 million in project grants.
» Download the list of the recipients receiving funding (PDF - 42kb) 
| Phil Mayne | NHMRC | 0422 008 512 |
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