Dear members, the more members I speak with the more I realise that November was an action-packed month for all! We have seen IHT and our members receive fantastic and well-deserved recognition of our expertise across Deakin University and the media.

As you will see in this newsletter, the release of Magda’s Big National Health Check has spurred on a national conversation on obesity prevention, resulting in significant media coverage for our institute, partners, and GLOBE domain members. Following this series we had two further highlights for this work, the obesity research report from Research Australia and The Australian’s research magazine, which both strengthened Deakin’s position as a leading public health and obesity research institution. These culminated in Steve Allender speaking at the Australian Parliament House to launch the report as one of Australia’s leading obesity researchers.  At the level of national government, we have also been busy developing a response to the national consultation for a proposed CDC.

It has also been a big month for new funding, with some great projects funded across IHT.  We are pleased to report that as of the end of October, IHT has exceeded our 2022 overall income target with over $12M in research income.

It was fantastic to see members coming together at our final morning tea events and All Members Day for 2022. I encourage all those who were unable to attend the All Members Day to view the presentation files in our Members’ Portal.  A big thanks to Kate and Diane for organising so many great events this year.

I am looking forward to this evening’s Research Australia awards, in which IHT’s Jo McDonall and our friend and colleague Elizabeth Manias are finalists. This is great recognition of our work with partners to drive meaningful change for patients and communities.

Welcome to our new members:

  • Nantani van Gulik, QPS, Research Fellow
  • Navoda Livana Pathirana, GLOBE, Research Fellow
  • Kimberley Robinson, DoH, Senior Lecturer in Social Work
  • Paige van der Pligt (Affiliate Member)

Written by Deakin Distinguished Professor Anna Peeters AM