Today at the United Nations headquarters in New York City, 193 world leaders will commit to 17 Global Goals that will guide economic, social and government policy for the next 15 years. The goals identify issues such as poverty, education, health, climate change and more as major priority areas to focus on in order to achieve sustainable development.

The George Institute for Global Health is a strong supporter and advocate of these Global Goals. Goal Three “Good health and wellbeing: ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages” aligns very closely with our mission to “improve the health of millions of people worldwide”. At the same time much of our work also upholds Goal Five “Gender equality”, Goal 10 “Reduced inequalities” plus many others.

“These goals provide targets for people, organisations and governments to work towards over the next 15 years,” said Principal Director of The George Institute Professor Robyn Norton. “By committing ourselves to these goals, we can collectively achieve development that is as good for humanity and the environment as it is for business and the economy.”

The Global Goals are an offshoot of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which were launched in 2000 with a target year of 2015.  Recognising the success of the MDGs and that a new development agenda was needed, a number of countries agreed in 2012 at Rio+20, the UN Conference on Sustainable Development, to develop a set of sustainable development goals for beyond 2015.

The George Institute’s work is based on our belief that medical research involves people, not test tubes: our goal is to generate research outputs that can lead to real-world change within a five-year timeframe, rather than the decades-long timeframes of other research fields. Examples of our projects currently underway in Australia include:

• Using simple text messages to improve the health of heart attack survivors
• Improving treatment for stroke survivors, sleep apnoea and other neurological conditions
• Identifying the safest and most effective treatments for back pain and other musculoskeletal conditions
• Working with aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to address priority health areas
• Identifying which type of food labels results in the healthiest food choices in the supermarket

“With the new Global Goals focusing on a broader range of health issues than the MDGs, there are substantial opportunities for The George Institute to play an important role in the achievement of these goals,” said Professor Norton, “and we look forward to partnering with colleagues across the world to ensure their success.”

Find out more about the Global Goals.

The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has awarded Research Excellence Awards to two of The George Institute’s researchers for their contribution to health and leadership in Australian research.

Professor Anushka Patel, Chief Scientist of The George Institute and Professor of Medicine at The University of Sydney, received the Elizabeth Blackburn Fellowship in Public Health for her focus on improving the uptake of best practice in health care delivery, in particular for preventing and treating cardiovascular disease and other chronic diseases in lower income countries.

Associate Professor Ian Seppelt from the Critical Care and Trauma Division received the highest ranked project grant among 3700 applications for work that is addressing a major gap in evidence that could potentially transform global practice in intensive care and reduce the risk of infection and improve survival for critical care patients around the world. (More about this project).

Executive Director of The George Institute Australia, Professor Vlado Perkovic, congratulated Associate Professor Seppelt and Professor Patel on these Excellence Awards.

“Associate Professor Seppelt and the Critical care and Trauma team at The George Institute received the highest ranking possible by NHRMC on this project, and were also the only grant application to have received such a ranking this year, no small feat,” said Professor Perkovic. “This award is not only well deserved, but also testament to the high quality of this research and its anticipated and potential scale of impact on healthcare practices and to save lives around the world.”

“Professor Patel is a leader in her field, with an incredible track record in health care innovation and improving practice around the treatment and prevention of chronic diseases, especially in countries where the need is greatest,” said Professor Perkovic “This Award recognises this excellence and Professor Patel’s commitment to priority-driven medical and health research”.

In total, 19 researchers received the Research Excellence Awards from Federal Minister for Health Sussan Ley at a ceremony in Canberra, Australia last night.

Ms Ley said: “Australia is a world leader in health and medical research and these researchers will no doubt continue to make a strong contribution to improving the health of all Australians.”

Find out more about the NHMRC Research Excellence Awards.

[Image courtesy of IDphoto.com.au]

Why is it that in Australia, women make up more than half of science PhD graduates but only 17% of senior academics? The George Institute is proud to take part in a national pilot program of universities and research institutes to break down these barriers.

The Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE) initiative is aimed at addressing gender equity issues in the Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine (STEMM) sector. Started by the Australian Academy of Science in partnership with the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, the pilot includes 24 universities, five medical research institutes and two public research agencies. It is based on the successful Athena SWAN Charter program in the UK.

SAGE requires participating organisations to demonstrate with evidence how their workplaces support gender equity as a strategic issue in areas such as retention, progression and pay. Organisations then receive a bronze, silver or gold accreditation according to their rating.

The George Institute Australia Business Manager and Deputy Director of Critical Care and Trauma, Dr Parisa Glass said: “This pilot is critical not just for gender equity in science but also for the future of research in Australia. If we can remove barriers to women realising the full potential of their science careers, then everyone benefits, not just women.”

Executive Director Professor Vlado Perkovic said: “The George Institute has always had strong gender representation across the team, so SAGE is an opportunity for us to be leaders in this area. With the National Health and Medical Research Council announcing a gender equity policy earlier this year to support women in health and medical research, this is an issue of increasing importance in an already competitive funding environment.”

The SAGE pilot was officially launched at Parliament House in Canberra on Wednesday 16 September. Dr Parisa Glass and The George Institute’s HR Manager Lynne Worlock attended the launch.

Find out more about the SAGE initiative.