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2018-2019 ANNUAL REPORT Our Vision

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2018-2019 ANNUAL REPORT Our Vision Annual Report 2018 -2019 UOW, ISLHD and the community — Working together for better health Contents Message from the IHMRI Chair ..............................................................................3 Message from the IHMRI Directors ..........................................................................4 IHMRI at a glance 2018-2019 ..............................................................................6 Our research, values and strategic priorities ............................................................8 Research excellence, innovation and translation .....................................................10 People and partners ...........................................................................................12 Stronger community relationships .........................................................................14 Infrastructure and facilities ...................................................................................16 Governance ......................................................................................................18 Income statement and balance sheet .....................................................................20 Funded research 2018 .......................................................................................22 Grant success ....................................................................................................23 Publications .......................................................................................................37 IHMRI acknowledges and pays respects to the traditional owners of country throughout Australia and their continuing connection to land, sea and community. OUR PARTNERS Working together for better health Cover photo: Participants in UniActive's Go Commando for Motor Neurone Disease on 6 April 2019. Photo by Jake Lapham Professor Alan Pettigrew. Photo by Trudy Simpkin. Message from the IHMRI Chair Collaboration is a major goal for many organisations around the place their projects within new schemes, and write their applications. world. And with good reason. Working with people from different They also provided vital advice on new eligibility requirements, backgrounds or areas of expertise can result in better ideas and application processes and submission deadlines. I believe this service outcomes. will greatly increase the chances of funding success. The Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute (IHMRI) provides This financial year was a remarkable time for increased recognition the right environment for collaboration to flourish. As a not-for-profit on the international stage. In November 2018, IHMRI secured charity, we bring together a diverse range of academics, clinicians widespread attention with the opening of its new Electrophysiology and health professionals to work on solutions to diseases such as Facility for Cell Phenotyping and Drug Discovery, which was attended cancer, dementia, diabetes and mental illness. Our vision is to by Australia’s Chief Scientist Dr Alan Finkel AC. I am very excited by improve the health and wellbeing of people living in the Illawarra- the breakthroughs in drug discovery that this facility will uncover. Shoalhaven through research excellence and innovation. The Australian Research Council's 2018 Excellence in Research Relationships are the foundation of IHMRI’s continuing success. Australia report also revealed how IHMRI researchers are making Throughout the year, we worked closely with state government a significant contribution to UOW’s global reputation for research, entities, such as the Office of Health and Medical Research, to with five health and medical disciplines ranking 'well above world report on our results and provide feedback on policy proposals. standard'. IHMRI also plays an influential role in key partnerships with other I would like to acknowledge the contributions of Professor Judy Raper universities and medical research institutes. and Emeritus Professor John Rostas who both retired from the IHMRI This year I was proud to see IHMRI CEO and Executive Director, Board of Directors after many years of service. I would also like to Distinguished Professor David J. Adams, appointed to the Advisory thank IHMRI’s Executive Management Team and operations staff for Committee of the NSW Government’s Cardiovascular Disease their swift and energetic implementation of IHMRI’s Strategic Plan Research Capacity Development Program. I look forward to assisting 2017 – 2021. in efforts to secure more cardiovascular researchers to this region to Now that we are on the cusp of a new decade, I am excited to see take advantage of this significant stream of funding. how IHMRI can shape an expanded partnership with our founding As a dynamic and agile organisation, IHMRI is ready to respond to partners so that our shared research can continue to create lasting Australia’s challenging and competitive environment for health and impact in our region and beyond. medical research funding. IHMRI’s new Research Development Office (RDO) adeptly managed significant changes to the structure of the National Health and Medical Research Council’s grant funding program. RDO staff helped IHMRI researchers based in the University of Wollongong (UOW) Professor Alan Pettigrew and the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District (ISLHD) strategically Chair, IHMRI Board ILLAWARRA HEALTH AND MEDICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE 3 Distinguished Professor David J. Adams and Professor Leonard Arnolda. Photo by Paul Grabowksi. Message from the IHMRI Directors The passionate and unwavering pursuit of discovery. This is the spirit Our efforts are paying dividends. In 2018, 20 new clinicians of the Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute (IHMRI). Our joined IHMRI as affiliated researchers. IHMRI is actively working affiliated researchers are a diverse group of academics, clinicians with clinicians in the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District and health professionals. They work together to uncover new insights (ISLHD) to support research project development and source funding into the human body, find better ways to treat disease and illness, opportunities, with almost $200,000 provided to clinicians in IHMRI and improve clinical practice. internal grants. Over the past 12 months we continued to implement initiatives set This year we implemented a new Community Engagement Strategy out in our Strategic Plan 2017-2021. To develop a collaborative and assigned extra resources to develop new outreach and internal culture focused on excellence, we promoted research engagement activities. We are very grateful to our community integrity, and supported equity, diversity and inclusion. We supporters, including The Great Illawarra Walk, the Saving Chloe also sought a deeper understanding of the diverse needs of our Saxby Foundation, the Illawarra Cancer Carers, the Oak Flats researchers. Lioness Club, UniActive and Mr Richard Miller. By improving research performance, we have increased funding We acknowledge Professor Brett Garner for his contribution to IHMRI for infrastructure from the Medical Research Support Program of the as interim Executive Director in 2014. An outstanding researcher NSW Office of Health and Medical Research, with $1,177,848 in neurodegenerative diseases, Professor Garner retired from his received in 2018-2019. academic position at the University of Wollongong (UOW) this year. We wish him all the best in his new endeavours. To further increase the chances of funding success, IHMRI’s new Research Development Office (RDO) implemented a pro- We would like to thank IHMRI’s Board of Directors for their continued active and strategic approach to grant applications and quickly commitment to IHMRI’s growing independence and our partners — identified, promoted and advised on new funding opportunities UOW and ISLHD — for their ongoing support. Finally, we thank our such as the inaugural Dementia Australia Research Foundation, dedicated operations team who help make IHMRI a dynamic, and new funding streams of the National Health and Medical focused and outcome-driven research institute. Research Council. This year we have also been fortunate to secure commercial funding sources for key projects in IHMRI’s new Electrophysiology Facility for Cell Phenotyping and Drug Discovery. The rollout of the Research and Innovation Strategy 2017- Distinguished Professor Professor Leonard Arnolda 2020 continued, with new programs to assist the professional David J. Adams Clinical Director and Deputy Executive Director, development of our researchers, to grow expertise in health CEO and Executive Director, Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute analytics, and to encourage collaboration between academics Illawarra Health and Medical Clinical Director, Health and Medical Research, and clinicians. Research Institute Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District 4 2018-2019 ANNUAL REPORT Our vision Excellence and innovation in health and medical research, supporting better health services, leading to a healthier Illawarra community Our purpose To build a nationally and internationally recognised centre of health and medical research targeting regionally relevant health improvements, better clinical practice and preventative health IHMRI at a glance 2018-2019 Statistics 180 296 531 14 Affiliated researchers PhD candidates and Publications* Clinical trials (commercial and higher degree students investigator initiated studies) 93 $15.9M 45% 23% Externally funded Total funding from Publications Publications
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