New WHO Collaborating Centre will target injury and trauma
The George Institute for Global Health has been designated a World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre in Injury Prevention and Trauma Care.
It is the The George Institute's second collaborating centre that has undertaken projects in support of the WHO’s program at both national and international levels. It joins the WHO’s Collaborating Centre for Salt Reduction.
Dr Margie Peden, Head of the Global Injury Program at The George Institute, said:
“Every year there are around six million deaths that are injury-related. But, despite this huge global burden, and that many of these deaths are preventable, injury and trauma is often low on the list of global health priorities.
“This centre will enable us to measure and deliver effective strategies for prevention, as well as delivering care, that is both affordable and accessible.”
The George Institute has been working successfully with WHO for many years on a range of injury and trauma projects, including the synthesis of evidence, developing good practice guides, organising and hosting regional injury meetings and workshops, collaborating on falls, burns, drowning, and road safety projects, to supervising and mentoring injury researchers around the world.
Over the next four years, this new collaboration will enable researchers to:
- Support WHO in the generation of high-quality research evidence to inform development and implementation of injury prevention and trauma care activities globally;
- Support WHO in the delivery of prevention and trauma care programs and dissemination of communication material; and
- Participate in capacity development of researchers, policy makers and practitioners across various fields of unintentional injury and trauma care.
Professor Rebecca Ivers, Head of the School of Public Health and Community Medicine, UNSW Sydney, and honorary Professorial Fellow at The George Institute, said the collaboration was very welcome.
“We now have four years to build upon the work we have already done with the WHO. It is exciting to join a network of 800 collaborating centres worldwide and to be only the second centre in Australia with a focus on injury.”
The George Institute has considerable and unique expertise in research focusing on injury prevention and trauma care in both high-income and low- and middle-income countries. The organisation has offices in three of WHO’s regions - Sydney, Australia and Beijing China (WPRO); Delhi and Hyderabad, India (SEARO); and Oxford, UK (EURO).
The George Institute is experienced in conducting large-scale population based and strategic research in unintentional injury and trauma care. Its research projects focus primarily on understanding the burden and risk factors for injury, and implementation of effective programs for both prevention and care. With a staff of around 40 dedicated injury prevention researchers, the team is supported by a wider network of staff in biostatistics, health economics, communications, data management and quality assurance.
The George Institute is also an institutional member of various global and regional bodies including the UN Road Safety Collaboration, the Global Alliance for the Care of the Injured and the SEARO Technical Advisory Group.
WHO collaborating centres are institutions such as research institutes, parts of universities or academies, which are designated by the Director-General to carry out activities in support of the organisation's programs. Currently there are over 800 WHO collaborating centres in over 80 Member States working with WHO on areas such as nursing, occupational health, communicable diseases, nutrition, mental health, chronic diseases and health technologies.
For more information please contact:
Dr Margie Peden margie.peden@georgeinstitute.ox.ac.uk
Professor Rebecca Ivers rivers@georgeinstitute.org.au
