International Research Projects
Supporting the University of Sydney's position as one of Australia's leading research institutions, the Office for Global Health aims to further improve our international position by encouraging high-quality and high-impact research with international partners and leading universities from around the world. We also aim to contribute to building research capacity in developing countries in our region.
Here a number of the research projects and activities emanating from the Office for Global Health.
International research projects by country
CHINA
Perinatal health in rural Shaanxi: a background survey for a large-scale community trial of the impact of micronutrient supplements in pregnancy on neonatal mortality
Funded by: International Project Development Fund and Sydney Medical School
Project: A survey to assess perinatal health, and health care services, is proposed for 10 poor rural counties in Shaanxi, north-western China, to provide a research training experience for post graduate students, and to gather background information to plan a large scale community trial of the impact of micronutrient supplements in pregnancy on neonatal survival. We will apply innovative survey methods to identify counties with the highest neonatal mortality rates and the poorest perinatal health care services, as sites for the future trial. It is planned for a University of Sydney MIPH/MPH student to join the field work and to use the experience for an honours project. A postgraduate student from XJTU will visit Australia for one month to also work o the survey data analysis.
Partners:
Xi’an Jiao Tong University
University of Sydney staff:
Associate Professor Michael Dibley - School of Public Health
Professor Heather Jeffery - School of Public Health
Dr Mu Li - School of Public Health
Ms Louise Freckelton - Office for Global Health
Breakthrough collaborative research project to reduce mortality from cardiovascular disease
Funded by: International Project Development Fund and Sydney Medical School
Project: The University of Sydney will lead a Breakthrough Collaborative Project developed under the auspices of the APRU World Institute (AWI). The project aims to lower Cardiovascular Disease mortality in the Asia Pacific through the development of collaborative learning in the participating institutions’ teaching hospitals. The project will be overseen by a steering group of cardiology experts.
Partners:
Chinese University of Hong Kong
Peking University
Nanjing University
University of Sydney staff:
Professor Stephen Leeder - School of Public Health, and the Menzies Centre for Health Policy
Primary healthcare and the General Practitioner in China and Australia
Funded by: International Project Development Fund and Sydney Medical School
Project: We will develop a strong relationship with Fudan University and the Shanghai Medical Association on the theme of primary care by presenting at the Train the Trainer program and the Annual Conference of General Practitioners – Shanghai in Nov ‘09. By profiling our expertise in Primary Care we will enable innovative research with quality partners generating long term, sustainable relationship and research outcomes and training consultancies. A return symposium in Sydney in 2010 will also be held.
Partners:
Fudan University
Shanghai Medical Association
University of Sydney staff:
Ms Louise Freckelton
Dr Lyndal Trevena
Capacity building for international Nursing and Midwifery research collaboration
Funded by: International Project Development Fund and the Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery
Project: The aim of this program to initiate an exchange visit between staff of the Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery and nurses at the Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China. The Office for Global Health at the University of Sydney already has a significant research and teaching relationship with the medical and science faculties of Shanghai Jiao Tong. This program proposes to extend capacity for collaborative health research and professional development by initiating a research and teaching relationship with other members of the health team from Shanghai Jiao Tong, namely the nurses and/or midwives.
Partners:
Shanghai Jiao Tong University
University of Sydney staff:
Professor Jill White - Sydney Nursing School
Associate Professor Donna Waters - Sydney Nursing School
Ms Louise Freckelton - Office for Global Health
Physical activity and food energy intake during pregnancy: the ponderal index and its predictive value for BMI in the offspring
Funded by: The University’s International Project Development Fund and Sydney Medical School.
Project: This project will allow for a collaboration with the School of Public health at Fudan University on the detailed analysis of data collected on physical activity and food energy during pregnancy and the resultant impact on the child.
Partners: Fudan University
University of Sydney staff:
Dr Li Mu - School of Public Health
Associate Professor Michael Dibley - School of Public Health
Louise Freckelton - Office for Global Health
Glial-vascular dysfunction in a primate model for macular telangiectasis
Funded by: The University’s International Project Development Fund and Sydney Medical School.
Project: This project will allow for joint research into glial-vascilar dysfunction in a primate model for macular telanggiectasis.
Partners: Peking University
University of Sydney staff:
Professor Mark Gillies – Save Sight Institute
Dr Shen Weiyong – Save Sight Institute
The 1st Sino-Australian Symposium: Cancer research in the 21st century - A joint research symposium of the University of Sydney and Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Funded by: The University’s International Project Development Fund and Sydney Medical School.
Project: These funds support the holding of a joint cancer research symposium in Shanghai.
Partners: Shanghai Jiao Tong University
University of Sydney staff:
Professor Nicholas King - Discipline of Pathology
Louise Freckelton - Office for Global Health
GERMANY and USA
Imaging Receptor Tyrosine Kinase signalling in cardiovascular disease and diabetis
Funded by: The University’s International Project Development Fund and Sydney Medical School.
Project: This project aims to develop and apply advanced imaging approaches to cell surface receptor signaling systems in cellular animal models of vascular disease and diabetes.
Partners:
European Molecular Biology Lab (Germany)
University of California – David (USA)
University of Sydney staff:
Dr Sabine Wimmer-Kleikamp - Discipline of Pathology
INDIA
Indo-Australian collaboration in non-communicable disease and injury research.
Funded by: International Project Development Fund and the George Institute for International Health
Project: Two research workshops (diabetes: New Delhi, Nov 2009; road traffic injury: Sydney, March 2010) are proposed, with a detailed collaborative study protocol suitable for major funding as the outcome of each. These initial workshops will serve as a sustainable model for funded, truly collaborative and major research activities between University of Sydney and a range of Indian scientists.
Partners: Indian Council for Medical Research
University of Sydney staff:
Associate Professor Anushka Patel
Associate Professor Chris Cowell
Associate Professor Rebecca Ivers
Developing instruments for conducting low back pain research in India
Partners: All India Institute of Medical Sciences
University of Sydney staff: Professor James Mc Auley
INDIA and USA
Building a cancer prevention partnership for women in Tamil Nadu, India-linking Sydney Medical School, Weill Cornell Medical College (USA), Cancer Council Australia and Christian Medical College Vellore, India
Funded by: The University’s International Project Development Fund and Sydney Medical School.
Project: This project will allow for a collaboration that will extend and evaluate a cerical and breast cancer prevention program in Vellore, Tamil Nadu India.
Partners:
Weill Cornell Medical College (USA)
Christian Medical College (India)
Cancer Council Australia (Australia)
University of Sydney staff:
Dr Lyndal Trevena - Office for Global Health and School of Public Health
View the video: "Cancer Prevention Programme for Women" - Ruhsa Department, Christian Medical College, Vellore
INDONESIA
A Biosafety and Biosecurity symposium with the University of Indonesia
Funded by: International Project Development Fund and the Sydney Medical School
Project: The University of Sydney has been invited to participate in a workshop on Biosafety and Biosecurity by the University of Indonesia. Indonesian Ministries of Health, Agriculture and Research and Technology will be participating and attending providing the opportunity to develop high-impact relationships in Indonesia and to position the University of Sydney as a quality partner in developing innovative responses to biothreats.
Partners:
University of Indonesia
University of Sydney staff:
Professor Tania Sorrell
Ms Louise Freckelton
An evaluation of the communication strategies used between health practitioners and teams in Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital, Jakarta
Funded by: The University’s International Project Development Fund and Sydney Medical School.
Project: This project will establish a collaboration with Universitas Indonesia. A sharing of expertise and information around the interactional and intercommunicative skills used between clinicians and their teams to provide quality care for patients will lead to sustainable medical education training programs in communication, cultural competencies of health practitioners, exchanges of expertise and students between the universities.
Partners: Universitas Indonesia
University of Sydney staff:
Dr Cynthia Hunter - School of Public Health
Louise Freckelton - Office for Global Health
KENYA
Building Kenya’s capacity to respond to non-communicable diseases
Building on partnerships with the University of Nairobi and the Kenyan Ministry of Health, this program will work to build Kenya’s capacity to response to the increasing non-communicable disease burden through the development and delivery of short-courses for health workers.
Funded by:
The University’s International Project Development Fund
The School of Public health, Sydney Medical School
Partners:
University of Nairobi
Ministry of Health, Kenya
Millennium Development Goals Centre, Kenya
Earth Institute at Columbia University, USA
University of Sydney staff:
Professor Robert Cumming - School of Public Health, Sydney Medical School
Mr Joel Negin - School of Public Health, Sydney Medical School
TMOR LESTE
Working with the Timorese Health system to develop a systematic, practical and team-orientated critical care education program for health professionals
Funded by: International Project Development Fund and Sydney Medical School
Project: Using IPDF, Sydney Medical School and AusAID PSLP funding, a successful adult patient critical care education program was developed and implemented in 2009 with the National Hospital and Ministry of Health in Timor Leste. We propose to strengthen existing strategic collaborative relationships as well as establish new linkages with district referral hospitals and community health centres by expanding the program to include up-skilling of staff in the districts as well as developing and implementing a paediatric critical care skills component to complement the adult critical care component of the program.
Partners: Dili National Hospital of Guido Valadares
University of Sydney staff:
Dr Dilhani Bandaranayake
Dr Lyndal Trevena
Dr Kirsty Forster
Dr Roger Harris
Dr Andrea Marshall
Building a health education collaboration with Dili National Hospital and the Ministry of Health, Timor Leste
Funded by: AusAID's Public Sector Linkage Program (PSLP), the University’s International Project Development Fund and Sydney Medical School.
Project: This project will assist the team in building a health education collaboration with the partners in the area of critical care (emergency medicine and intensive care).
Partners:
Dili National Hospital (Timor Leste),
Ministry of Health (Timor Leste),
The Institute of Health Sciences (Timor Leste)
University of Sydney staff:
Dr Dilhani Bandaranayake – Office for Global Health
Dr Kirsty Foster – Northern Clinical School
Dr R Harris – Department of Emergency Medicine
Dr Lyndal Trevena – Office for Global Health and School of Public Health
VIETNAM
Developing capacity of the diagnostic microbiology laboratory in Dien Bien Provincial Hospital to optimise maternal and child health outcomes, support clinical teaching and enable research.
Funded by: International Project Development Fund and Sydney Medical School
Project: This multidisciplinary project, to develop sustainable laboratory capacity through equipment and education, advances our 2005-7 IDPF projects. Key outcomes include enabling safe laboratory diagnosis of infection, antibiotic susceptibility testing, optimal antibiotic use, infection control and improved public health in Dien Bien Province, Vietnam. Collaborative research will provide novel epidemiological data on infection in the region. The project interrelates with existing and planned projects in Vietnam.
Partners:
Dien Bien Provincial Hospital, Pasteur Institute of Ho Chi Minh City, WHO, National Institute of Infectious and Tropical Disease, National Institute of Paediatrics, Hanoi, Hanoi Medical University, Hoc Mai Australia Vietnam Foundation, Australian Paediatric Surveillance Unit, Childrens’ Hopsital Westmead, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital
University of Sydney staff:
Dr Monica Lahra
Professor Elizabeth Elliott
Professor Peter McMinn
Professor Heather Jeffery
Evaluating and enhancing the national mortality registration system in Vietnam
Funded by: The project is funded through AusAID’s Australian Development Research Awards.
Project: This project will evaluate and enhance the national mortality registration system in Vietnam.
Partners:
Hanoi Medical University
Ministry of Health Vietnam
University of Sydney staff:
Professor Mark Stevenson - George Institute for International Health
USA
Global health and development collaboration with the Earth Institute of Colombia University.
Funded by: International Project Development Fund and Sydney Medical School
Project: Building on existing partnerships between the University of Sydney and the Earth Institute at Columbia University, the program will support collaboration on the Millennium Villages Project in Africa and in Papua New Guinea as well as the newly established Global Food Systems Initiative. Areas of activity include faculty visits and collaborative operational research.
Partners: Colombia University
University of Sydney staff:
Dr Joel Negin - School of Public Health
Professor Stephen Leeder - School of Public Health and Menzies Centre for Health Policy
Hemichannels and gap junctional communication in astrocytes: The supportive cells in the central nervous system
Funded by: The University’s International Project Development Fund and Sydney Medical School.
Project: This project will allow for collaboration between Australia and the US in glia cell physiology as it relates to stroke.
Partners: University of Washington
University of Sydney staff: Associate Professor Tailoi Chan-Ling - School of Medical Sciences