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2023 Impact Report

Addressing today’s most complex and compelling health challenges through excellence in collaborative research that transforms the design and delivery of prevention and care.

Image: Help for health workers under duress. Image courtesy of Western Health

2023 Impact Report

Addressing today’s most complex and compelling health challenges through excellence in collaborative research that transforms the design and delivery of prevention and care.

Image: Responding to childhood obesity

2023 Impact Report

Addressing today’s most complex and compelling health challenges through excellence in collaborative research that transforms the design and delivery of prevention and care.

Image: Ending diabetes stigma
"The Institute for Health Transformation’s 2023 Impact Report celebrates significant advances in enhancing health and wellbeing through groundbreaking research and transformative partnerships. Our research has made pivotal contributions to critical areas such as preventive health, pandemic response, quality of care, health economics, digital health and combatting diabetes stigma."

2023 impact snapshot

Our dedicated team’s efforts has seen the Institute grow substantially and increase the reach of our impact in 2023.

578

publications

Increasing our research’s global reach.

Read

189

global collaborations

Partnering with and beyond the health sector in Australia.

Learn

10+

policy submissions

Evidence-informed research driving policy and practice change.

Learn

105

active PhD students

Committed to developing the next generation of researchers.

Read

63

new research projects

Collaborative research that transforms prevention and care.

Explore

$20.1M

research income

Building a successful and sustainable organisation.

Read
Reflections

A message from the director

I am extremely pleased to be able to share with you the 2023 Impact Report for Deakin University’s Institute for Health Transformation. We have brought together a selection of highlights that demonstrate our commitment to building research capability and partnerships to deliver improved health and wellbeing for all, through evidence informed health policy and practice.

I want to start by recognising all of our members, who make the Institute such a collegiate, dynamic and purposeful place to work. Every day our members demonstrate the values of the Institute; Collaborative, Integrity, Equity, Excellent, Inclusive, and Dynamic. In 2023 our members received a number of national and international awards, all reflecting these values with awards ranging from partnerships in practice, through data innovation, to commitment to communicating science to a broad audience.

Our valued partnerships have allowed us to achieve substantial impact for communities, health systems, patients and the research workforce. This year, we’ve witnessed the transformative power of collaboration and the positive change it can bring. Thank you to all our partners for your ongoing support and dedication.

Our research highlights

Our valued partnerships with health, government, community and industry allow us to deliver research with impact across our five domains. Our work impacts public health and prevention; health systems and services; health economics and financing; data and digital health; patient experience and care; diabetes behaviour and sustainability.

IHT Director Deakin Distinguished Professor Anna Peeters AM’s highlights

Australian Centre for Behavioural Research in Diabetes

The Australian Centre for Behavioural Research in Diabetes is the first national research centre in Australia and internationally, dedicated to investigating the behavioural, psychological and social aspects of diabetes.

  • 36 Peer-reviewed publications published and accepted
  • 8 new research grants awarded
  • Successful global launch of the Pledge to End Diabetes Stigma was attended by more than 500 people across 30 countries. Pledge endorsed by more than 2500 individual and organisations in 100+ countries.
  • New office co-located at Diabetes Victoria’s Pelham Street offices

Read more

Centre for Quality and Patient Safety

Improving quality and safety of patient care through applied health services research conducted in a pioneering integrated health services partnership network.

  • Successful in over $7.4 million worth of research funding
  • Our Health service partners govern 37 acute and subacute care hospitals and 12 residential aged care facilities, employ approximately 33,000 nurses and midwives, and provide care for in excess of 3 million Victorians annually.
  • Honoured in the 2023 King’s Birthday Honours: Professor Julie Considine AO for distinguished service to medicine in the field of emergency nursing, to tertiary education, and to professional associations
  • Dr Natalie Winter presented at the Senate Committee Inquiry into the recognition of unpaid carers.
  • Led by Professor Tracey Bucknall, the PRONTO (Prioritising Responses Of Nurses To deteriorating patient Observations) study was named the Top Research Article of 2022 by the BMJ Quality and Safety.

Read more

Deakin Health Economics

One of Australia’s largest teams of health economists delivering meaningful, impactful research and education, that improves the health of communities and strengthens our position as a global leader in health economics.

  • 22 successful grants awarded and numerous consultancies completed.
  • Multiple awards won – highlights include Sean Randall and the LinXmart Team receiving a highly commended in the Data Innovation Award category from Research Australia, Tan Nguyen was awarded the IADR (ANZ Division) 2023 Investigator Award, Victoria Brown was awarded the Victorian Young Tall Poppy Award, and Jaithri Ananthapavan was awarded the 2022 Premiers Award and the 2022 Deakin University Faculty of Health Outstanding Thesis Award; Vice-Chancellor’s Early Career Researcher Award for Career Excellence.
  • Partnerships agreed with Cancer Council Victoria, Grampians Public Health Unit (GPHU) and an extension of the WVPHN contract to expand the evaluation of Urgent Care Centres in Victoria.
  • Attendance and representation at IHEA, AHES and many other reputable Health Economics International and National Conferences in 2023.

Read more

Determinants of Health

Contributing to health improvements for Australian and global populations through addressing the social, environmental, commercial and political determinants of health.

  • 11 new research grants awarded
  • Significant policy impact in gambling reform was achieved via testimony to multiple parliamentary inquiries, key policy recommendations based on our research and extensive media activity.
  • Dr Eric Lau was named in the top 1% in the world in his field in the 2023 Highly Cited Researchers list.
  • Professor Catherine Bennett was appointed to the Australian Government COVID-19 Response Inquiry Panel.
  • Prof Angela Dew was awarded the inaugural Excellence in Communicating with Refugee Communities’ category of the NSW Multicultural Health Communication Awards 2023 for her work in Co-designing Resources for Syrian and Iraqi People with Disability by NSW Refugee Health Service

Read more

Global Centre for Preventive Health and Nutrition

Innovative preventive health and nutrition research that empowers people and enables healthier environments.

  • Successful in over $6.6 million worth of grants, including new NHMRC CRE led by GLOBE
  • Celebrated 20 years as a WHO Collaborating Centre for Obesity Prevention and have been re-designated until 2028.
  • Ongoing work with UNICEF, including in multiple regions, with several high-profile reports launched
  • Co-leading a feasibility study into the regulatory options for restricting unhealthy food marketing to kids for the Commonwealth Government

Read more

Our impact stories

At the Institute we’re committed to addressing today’s most complex and compelling challenges facing prevention, health and care systems both in Australia and globally.

Our experience and expertise positions the Institute to drive change across all levels of these systems, delivering real impact and solutions that will make better health and wellbeing easier for everyone to achieve.

Strengthening accountability for government action on obesity

Read more

Help for health workers under duress

Read more

RESPONDing to childhood obesity

Read more

Addressing the global issue of diabetes stigma

Read more

Mapping stigma and resilience

Read more

Economics of Cancer Collaboration

Read more

Advocacy

IHT researchers contributed to numerous external consultation processes, through written submissions and presenting to a range of Parliamentary Inquiries and Senate Committees. By sharing their expertise and research evidence to support improvements to decision making, strategy and policy, our researchers continue to create evidence-informed policy and practice change.

Australian Centre for Disease Control

The Institute coordinated a Faculty-wide response to the Federal Government Department of Health and Aged Care Consultation Paper on the Role and Functions of an Australian Centre for Disease Control.

Find out more

Health, Aged Care and Sport Inquiry into Diabetes

In August 2023, we submitted an Institute-wide response to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Sport Inquiry into Diabetes. The Australian Centre for Behavioural Research in Diabetes made a complementary submission.

Find out more

Inquiry into online gambling

Simone McCarthy, Hannah Pitt and Samantha Thomas testified to Federal parliament for the inquiry into online gambling and its impacts on those experiencing gambling harm. The team made recommendations to protect children and young people from gambling related harms.

Find out more

43 members received awards in 2023

In 2023, 43 members of the Institute for Health Transformation received awards throughout the year acknowledging their impact, research excellence, innovation, and successful collaborations with our partners and colleagues.

Find out more

Partners in impact

The Institute for Health Transformation has more than 100 well-established partnerships across and beyond the health sector in Australia and internationally.

These partnerships with health service providers, peak bodies, government organisations, health insurers, not-for-profits, community organisations, other research organisations and philanthropic bodies are critical to our success in translating research into impact.

Watch all our partnership videos or read more about our partnerships

IHT and Western Alliance

Partners for better rural and regional health

Find out more

ACBRD

A partnership for better health between Diabetes Victoria and IHT

Find out more

IHT and UNICEF

Working together to tackle obesity

Find out more

In the media

With more members than ever participating in media activity, this year saw increases across all our channels including website views, newsletter engagement, and social with X and Linked accounts increasing followers and impressions. Top areas of public interest continue to be COVID and long COVID, gambling harm, supermarket pricing, junk food marketing, diabetes and our award wins.

218M+

people reached via the media

67K+

page views on our website

128K

impressions (views) on X

86K+

impressions (views) on Linkedin

Top media appearances

Deakin Distinguished Professor Catherine Bennett and Associate Professor Hassan Vally appeared in the media multiple times throughout the year on COVID-19 interventions and vaccinations, Long Covid, the experience during the pandemic and Catherine’s role in the panel leading the national COVID-19 Inquiry.

Professor Samantha Thomas and Hannah Pitt featured in the media talking about gambling harm and reform, the online gambling inquiry, UK Premier League’s betting ad ban, the impact of gambling advertising on youth, gambling advertising targeting heavy gamblers and harmful gambling industry tactics and the need to restrict advertisements on social media.

Professor Gary Sacks featured following the release of the Western Australian and Northern Territory government scorecards for implementation of globally recommended policies to improve population diets and the University food environments scorecard release; and appeared numerous times commenting on the federal bill to stop junk food promotion, the healthier checkouts commitment by Woolworths, food industry health star ratings and junk food advertising restrictions.

Professor Kathryn Backholer featured talking about Australia’s Early Years Strategy and the importance of focusing on nutrition as a key driver of children’s health, health equity, rising costs of healthy eating, population obesity and food environments.

Dr Christina Zorbas spoke numerous times on the rising cost of healthy eating, the increasing cost of living and rising food prices in Australia.

Professor Tony LaMontagne co-authored a Lancet paper on ‘Work-related causes of mental health conditions…’ and explores the question: Can poor working conditions contribute to the onset of mental health disorders? Launched at the World Health Summit in Berlin, The Lancet Series explores the complex relationships between work and health: Work and Health (thelancet.com)

Professor Angela Dew spoke to ABC News about the barriers refugee face when accessing government services, such as the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

Associate Professor Serene Yoong’s trial of the Baby-EATS online program received significant media coverage.

Professor Linda Sweet and Vidanka Vasilevski appeared in the multiple news outlets to share findings from the Green Maternity Intervention.

For Sugar Awareness Week, Adyya Gupta explained Australia’s relationship to sugar and how this is a policy problem.