• Provide internationally recognised leadership in public health by advancing and disseminating knowledge in the public health principles
• Provide high quality, accessible education
• Conduct outstanding, high impact research
• Participate effectively in professional, governmental and community activities

• Public Health
• Clinical Epidemiology
• International Public Health
• Health Economics
• Biostatistics
• Health Policy
• Indigenous Health Promotion
• Indigenous Health (Substance Use)

Current or potential research projects - Dissertation

Students wishing to undertake a research dissertation as part of a Masters degree, with the Sydney School of Public Health, can refer to the list of all current research projects on our website.  Expressions of interest should be directed to the Chief Investigative Officer listed.

Current or potential research projects - PhDs

• National registration of health practitioners: a comparative study of the complaints and notification system under the national system and in NSW (Prof Merrilyn Walton) – surveying complainants’ experience of the complaints systems in NSW and in the national system.
• Cancer epidemiology research projects ( ) – identifying causes of cancer, improving cancer control, early diagnosis, and improving the health outcomes of people with cancer. Particularly in the fields of melanoma and gynaecological cancers. PhD and Dissertation opportunities.
• Vietnam Veterans Family Health Study ( ) - national longitudinal cohort study of physical and psychiatric health of veterans and wives/partners that studies the long term effects of war service and combat.
• Assessment of Clinical Guidelines in Early Psychosis ( )  - a cohort study of 451 first episode early psychosis patients enrolled in 13 Area Health Services across 3 Sates that documented in-hospital and out-of-hospital treatment for six months awaits insightful analysis.
• Concord Health and Ageing in Men project ( ) - large scale longitudinal study of health of older men.
• Health economic projects ( ,  & ) - cost-effectiveness of strategies for the management of diabetes, measuring health inequalities, economics of screening tests (e.g. colorectal cancer screening).  For more information visit the Health Economics webpage.

Email: helenab@med.usyd.edu.au

Web: www.fmrc.org.au

Centre's aims or strategic themes
We seek to enhance the health of individuals and the community by continuous improvement in the quality of general practice care. We aim to lead through excellence in health services research and evaluation, and in the development and implementation of systems to improve quality of care

Areas of expertise

• A strong research record in the development of methods for primary care data collection, particularly in determination of most appropriate sample sizes and data analyses.
• A strong record in the analysis and reporting of aspects of general practice workforce and clinical behaviour, and the changes in these variables over time.
• A strong record in the development of methods to address the current shortcomings of electronic data collection, including the development of a minimum data set specification for reporting GP-patient data; promoting development and implementation of standards for GP software and messaging systems; involvement in changes to privacy legislation; and promotion of quality of care.
• a strong record in the application and development of coding and classification systems for primary care, including the development of maps between ICPC /  ICD / SMOMED CT

 Current or potential research projects - Dissertation

• Data collection methods in primary care
• Service delivery in primary care
• Quality in primary care
• Pharmacoepidemiology
• Diagnostic services utilisation
• Rural/regional primary care services
• Terminology and classification development
• Health informatics (in association with the Sydney Language Technology Group)
  

• Data collection methods in primary care
• Service delivery in primary care
• Quality in primary care
• Pharmacoepidemiology
• Diagnostic services utilisation
• Rural/regional primary care services
• Terminology and classification development
• Health informatics (in association with the Sydney Language Technology Group)

Current PhDs being undertaken and supervised at the Centre are:

• Quality use of pathology in Australian general practice
• The validity of SNOMED CT as a clinical terminology for Australian general practice

Most recently completed PhDs undertaken and supervised at the Centre were:

• Measurement of the quality of general practices in Australia
• The effect of computerisation on the quality of care in Australian general practice

• Health issues of direct relevance to low and middle-income countries in Asia and Pacific regions
• Large-scale national and international projects

• Indigenous health
• Renal health
• Cardiovascular health
• Injury prevention & musculoskeletal conditions
• Nutrition & lifestyle risk factors
• Health policy development
• Neurological and mental health
• Epidemiology & biostatistics
• Critical care & trauma
• Health services and systems

• What are the major determinants of disease (eg. heart disease, stroke, renal failure)?
• What are the major determinants of injury?
• What strategies can be developed to improve treatment of diseases?
• What strategies are needed to improve the outcomes and reduce the impact of diseases?
• How to improve indigenous health? Outcomes with CKD care, best-practice models for intervention.
• Reducing socio-economic disparities in conditions and access to health treatments.

• examines the implications of various health policies in terms of their effectiveness and efficiency;
• studies policy approaches which might deliver better health care while making the best use of available health resources;
• explores the health policy implications of an ageing population;
• identifies approaches to the prevention and management of serious and continuing illnesses;
• makes use of a range of databases to better understand existing health care patterns and their outcomes for patients, and identify gaps in the national data collections;
• promotes and informs public debate on health policy to assist Australia in establishing health care priorities in terms of affordability, access, equity, safety and quality of services, outcomes for patients and efficiency of resource allocation;
• contributes to the international understanding of global health policy issues.

Areas of expertise

• Health policy
• Chronic illness, in Australia and internationally, particularly cardiovascular and respiratory disease
• Urban health
• Health inequalities
• International and Indigenous health issues
• Healthcare quality and safety
• Federalism and health
• Global health - WHO and international health organizations.
• Translation of research into policy
• Health workforce

Current or potential research projects - Dissertation

Students wishing to undertake a research dissertation as part of a Masters degree, at the Menzies Centre, should have a strong interest in health policy and a research project proposal which will complement the Centre's strategic themes and areas of expertise.  Expressions of interest for commencement of a research project should be forwarded to Dr Cathie Hull.

Current or potential research projects - PhDs

Potential students wishing to undertake their research at the Menzies Centre should have a strong interest in health policy and a research project proposal which will complement the Centre's strategic themes and areas of expertise.  Expressions of interest for commencement of a research degree should be forwarded to Dr Cathie Hull.

Centre's aims or strategic themes

• Intervention studies for primary prevention of obesity
• Public health interventions across the life course
• Child & adolescent obesity prevention interventions
• Measurement of physical activity and related behaviours
• Measurement of dietary intake and eating behaviours
• Media analysis on depictions of obesity
• Policy research
• Food marketing practice
• Physical activity trends for various populations and activity domains
• "Best buys" & evaluation of physical activity interventions
• The effects of the built environment on physical activity
• The psychosocial & community benefits of physical activity

• Preventative medicine
• Nutrition
• Physical Activity
• Epidemiology
• Media
• Behavioural research
• Health policy
• Applied research and evaluation.

Current or potential research projects - PhD

Potential students wishing to undertake their research with the Prevention Research Collaboration (PRC) should have a strong interest in health prevention and a research project proposal which will complement the group's strategic themes and areas of expertise. Expressions of interest for commencement of a research degree should be forwarded to Lesley King.

Contact: Dr Julie Mooney-Somers, Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Phone: (02)9036 3412

Email: julie.mooneysomers@sydney.edu.au

Centre's aims or strategic themes:

• participatory, by involving diverse groups in the production of new knowledge
• political, by using knowledge to promote justice, equity and self-determination, and to influence public policy
• rigorous, by using established research methods and by developing new methods where established methods fall short
• evidence-based, through detailed empirical study of communication, interaction and meaning
• critical, by exploring the limitations of any single discipline or perspective.

Areas of expertise:

• experience of illness and healthcare
• ethics of science and biotechnology
• philosophy of medicine, science, language and knowledge
• ethical, socio-political and epistemic aspects of public discourse about science and medicine
• ethics of patient care, health services and health policy
• medical humanities

Current or potential research projects - Dissertation

Growing Up with Cancer: A mixed methods examination of how cancer influences the transition adolescence to adulthood.  This project looks at dealing with growing up and with having cancer; we are conducting qualitative research to explore health care professionals’ perspectives on the impact of cancer on young people’s transition from adolescence to adulthood. Expressions of interest for commencement of a research project should be forwarded to