Research type | Research institute |
---|---|
Location | Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia |
Affiliations | University of Wollongong and Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District |
Website | www |
The Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute (IHMRI) was an independent health and medical research institute based in Wollongong, New South Wales.
The institute covered a broad range of research themes including research for Huntington's Disease, Motor Neurone Disease, and Vanishing White Matter Disease [1] IHMRI’s purpose was to support and grow health and medical research in the Illawarra region and aimed to connect academic and clinical researchers to enable better understanding and treatment of a range of diseases and conditions.
The IHMRI formally came to a close in June 2022 following a decision of the IHMRI Board, together with founding partners, the University of Wollongong (UOW) and Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District (ISLHD) [2]
In 2006, the University of Wollongong (UOW) and the Southeastern Sydney Illawarra Area Health Service (SESIAHS) signed a memorandum of understanding to foster and expand health and medical research in the Illawarra. [3]
IHMRI was formally constituted as a company limited by guarantee in 2008, with the UOW and SESIAHS (now the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District) as its founding members. Professor Don Iverson was appointed as IHMRI’s inaugural executive director and Sue Baker-Finch appointed as chief operating officer. [4] [5]
A contribution of $15 million from the New South Wales Government was matched by $15 million from the UOW to allow construction of a headquarters for IHMRI, with research laboratories and clinical trial research facilities. In July 2010, IHMRI’s headquarters were completed and officially opened by the then NSW Deputy Premier, the Hon Carmel Tebbutt. [6]
In 2014, IHMRI was recognized by the NSW State Government as an independent Medical Research Institute (MRI), [7] allowing access to funding from the NSW Government’s Medical Research Support Program (MRSP).
In 2020, IHMRI became a member of the Association of Australian Medical Research Institutes (AAMRI), an association of medical research institutes across Australia. [8]
IHMRI was governed by a board of directors consisting of two directors each from UOW and ISLHD, as well as five independent directors. [9]
Chair
Executive Director
Chief Operating Officer
The University of Wollongong (UOW) is an Australian public research university located in the coastal city of Wollongong, New South Wales, approximately 80 kilometres (50 mi) south of Sydney. As of 2023, the university had an enrolment of more than 33,000 students, an alumni base of more than 176,000 [LC1] and over 2,400 staff members including 16 Distinguished professors.
Nowra is a city in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. It is located 160 kilometres (99 mi) south-southwest of the state capital of Sydney. As of the 2021 census, Nowra has an estimated population of 22,584. Situated in the southern reaches of the Sydney basin, Nowra is the seat and commercial centre of the City of Shoalhaven.
The Illawarra is a coastal region in the southeast of the Australian state of New South Wales. It is situated immediately south of Sydney and north of the South Coast region. It encompasses the two cities of Wollongong, Shellharbour and the coastal town of Kiama. Wollongong is the largest city of the Illawarra with a population of 240,000, then Shellharbour with a population of 70,000 and Kiama with a population of 10,000. These three cities have their own suburbs. Wollongong stretches from Otford in the north to Windang in the south, with Maddens Plains and Cordeaux in the west.
The Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute (VCCRI) is an Australian non-profit medical research facility that is dedicated to finding cures for cardiovascular disease. With headquarters located in Darlinghurst, New South Wales, the research hub is home to more than 20 research laboratories and the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute Innovation Centre. The institute's mission is "the relief of pain and suffering, and the promotion of well-being, through an understanding of the fundamental mechanisms of cardiovascular disease". Its key research is focused on the prevention and treatment of various heart diseases, including arrhythmia, cardiac arrest, cardiomyopathy, congenital heart disease, heart attack, heart failure, high cholesterol, obesity, spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) and stroke.
South Eastern Sydney and Illawarra Area Health Service (SESIAHS) was formed in 2005 from the amalgamation of the Illawarra Area Health Service and South Eastern Sydney Area Health Service. It was disbanded on 1 January 2011 as part of the National Health Reform and creation of Local Hospital Networks. It was a statutory body of the New South Wales Government, operating under the NSW Department of Health, charged with the provision of public health services in eastern and southern Sydney, and regions to the south of Sydney. The area's Area Health Advisory Council was headed by Bob Farnsworth.
Neuroscience Research Australia is an independent, not for profit medical research institute based in Sydney, Australia.
Alexander ‘Alex’ Zelinsky, is an Australian computer scientist, systems engineer and roboticist. His career spans innovation, science and technology, research and development, commercial start-ups and education. Professor Zelinsky is Vice-chancellor and President of the University of Newcastle joining the university in November 2018. He was the Chief Defence Scientist of Australia from March 2012 until November 2018. As Chief Defence Scientist he led defence science and technology for Australia's Department of Defence.
Wollongong Hospital is the major tertiary referral hospital located in the Wollongong Metropolitan area, New South Wales, Australia. It provides services to the entire Illawarra and Shoalhaven Region, encompassing population of approximately 350,000.
The Shoalhaven District Memorial Hospital often shortened to Shoalhaven Hospital is a public hospital serving the City of Shoalhaven in New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the banks of the Shoalhaven River 1 km (0.62 mi) from the Nowra CBD. The secondary health care facility is the main acute care hospital for the region, serving a population of over 100,000. The hospital is operated by the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District In the 2009–2010 financial year, SDMH handled 21,193 hospitalisations. It is also affiliated with the University of Wollongong and University of New South Wales as a teaching hospital.
Dion's Bus Service is an Australian bus company operating services in Wollongong.
Roslyn Judith "Judy" Wilyman is an Australian anti-vaccination activist who came to prominence following the controversial award of a humanities PhD titled "A critical analysis of the Australian government's rationale for its vaccination policy" by University of Wollongong. The thesis came under heavy criticism from multiple directions, including medical professionals, due to claims within the thesis, including advancing a conspiracy theory whereby the World Health Organization (WHO) and the pharmaceutical industry supposedly conspire to promote vaccinations in the absence of evidence of safety and efficacy. The awarding of the degree created questions about the standards being applied and whether or not the thesis supervisors and examiners had sufficient knowledge to oversee the research, and led to calls for the university to review the doctorate. A number of individuals and medical organisations – including academics and researchers from other parts of the University of Wollongong – spoke out against the findings of the thesis, emphasising the need for vaccinations in order to prevent serious disease; and the University of Wollongong was criticised for a perceived lack of transparency in their doctoral process and an alleged failure to uphold standards of scholarship.
Dr Eugen Molodysky OAM, MMBS is an academic and medical practitioner in preventive medicine and translational research. His research has been published in peer reviewed journals over the last 30 years. His clinical work has contributed to the early identification of HIV/AIDS in the 1980s epidemic in Australia.
Justin John Yerbury was an Australian molecular biologist who was spurred to follow a career in biological research when he discovered that his family has the genetic form of motor neurone disease (MND). He held the position of Professor in Neurodegenerative Disease at the University of Wollongong. He was diagnosed with MND himself in 2016, but continued to research until his death from the disease in 2023.
The Wodiwodi or Wodi Wodi, also pronounced Whardi Whardi, are a sub-group of the Dharawal people, an Indigenous Australian people of the east coast of the continent.
Dr. Natalie Matosin is an Australian scientist known for research into the impacts of the human brain in health and disease, and particularly stress and its role in mental illness. Matosin's research has been published in prestigious academic journals, as well as on The Conversation. Matosin spoke at TEDx Hamburg in June 2017 and is the 2021 Al & Val Rosenstrauss Fellow. She was previously a National Health and Medical Research Council CJ Martin Early Career Research Fellow, and Alexander von Humboldt Fellow. In 2017, Matosin was listed as a Forbes 30 Under 30 in Europe in the category of Science & Healthcare, placing her in the top 1% of innovators worldwide.
Lindsay G. Oades is an Australian wellbeing public policy strategist, author, researcher and academic. He is the Director of the Centre for Wellbeing Science and a professor at the University of Melbourne. He is also a non-executive Director of Action for Happiness Australia, and the Positive Education Schools Association. He is a former co-editor of the International Journal of Wellbeing.
Kathleen Margaret Eagar, known as Kathy Eagar, is an Australian clinician and health services academic, who was awarded an Order of Australia in 2024 for services to health services. She was professor of health services research at the University of Wollongong until 2023. She led the design of the Australian National Aged Care Classification, and contributed to the Aged Care Royal commission held in Australia.
Kathleen Frances Clapham is an Indigenous Australian anthropologist and health researcher, who was the recipient of an Order of Australia, for services to "indigenous community health and tertiary education". She is the founding director of both the Ngarruwan Ngadjul: First People's Health and Wellbeing Research Centre as well as Professor of Indigenous Health at the University of Wollongong.
Clara Chow AM FAHMS is an Australian cardiologist who is the program director of community-based cardiac services at Sydney's Westmead Hospital. She is a professor of medicine at the University of Sydney in the field of cardiovascular disease epidemiology, prevention, treatment and innovation. In 2019, she was appointed the academic director of the Westmead Applied Research Centre, a collaborative centre with a mission to better understand the causes of cardiovascular disease and translate their research to new treatments. She has also held the role of academic co-director of the Charles Perkins Centre since 2016.