This year has been like no other year. We’ve seen the catastrophic effects of COVID-19 across the world and also witnessed great human resolve to overcome the pandemic. Scientists around the globe have pioneered vaccines and therapeutics in record time and health workers in remote areas have overcome significant challenges to deliver these to the community. The focus on public health has never been as sharp as it is now.

We’re immensely proud to be part of this global effort to improve peoples’ health and well-being. Here are the top five most-read stories of 2021 on our website.

1. Landmark study shows simple salt swap could prevent millions of deaths each year

August saw the publication of the landmark Salt Substitutes and Stroke Study showing that replacing table salt with a reduced-sodium, added-potassium ‘salt substitute’ significantly reduces rates of stroke, heart attack and death.

Lead investigator, Professor Bruce Neal said that the scale of the benefit seen in the study could prevent millions of early deaths if salt substitutes were widely adopted.

“Almost everyone in the world eats more salt than they should.  Switching to a salt substitute is something that everyone could do if salt substitutes were on the supermarket shelves,’’ he said.

2. Sticking to low-fat dairy may not be the only heart healthy option, study shows

In September, our research amongst the world’s biggest consumers of dairy foods showed that those with higher intakes of dairy fat - measured by levels of fatty acids in the blood - had a lower risk of cardiovascular disease compared to those with low intakes. Higher intakes of dairy fat were not associated with an increased risk of death.

Lead author Dr Kathy Trieu said that consumption of some dairy foods, especially fermented products, have previously been associated with benefits for the heart.

“Our study suggests that cutting down on dairy fat or avoiding dairy altogether might not be the best choice for heart health.”

3. TGI India Health Innovation Fellowship

In April, The George Institute India launched the TGI India Health Innovation Fellowship – an initiative to provide a learning environment to convert an innovative research idea into a working, market-ready solution.

With mentoring from senior researchers at The George Institute India, the program is targeted towards anyone who believes in the power of innovation to disrupt the status quo. The fellowship is open to individual innovators or start-ups in digital health, MedTech and tech-enabled health service delivery providers.

4. Cancer a compelling reason to cut alcohol and drink counting helps

A study led by Prof Simone Pettigrew, published in June, compared different ways of encouraging people to reduce their alcohol intake and found that telling people alcohol causes cancer makes them want to drink less, and encouraging them to count their drinks helps them do it.

“We found that pairing information about alcohol and cancer with a particular practical action - counting their drinks - resulted in drinkers reducing the amount of alcohol they consumed,” said Prof Pettigrew.

5. Announcing Dr Janine Mohamed as new Distinguished Fellow

In June 2021, Dr Janine Mohamed became a Distinguished Fellow at The George Institute, linked to our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Program. Currently CEO of the Lowitja Institute - Australia’s national institute for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health research - Janine has been recognised for her contributions on multiple occasions, including a University of South Australia Alumni Award in 2016, the ACT Health Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander “Individual” NAIDOC Award in 2018 and the 2019 NATSIHWA Lifetime Achievement Award due to her integral role in establishing a national professional association for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers and Health Practitioners.

Thanks for following our work and watch this space for more ground-breaking research in 2022!

The George Institute for Global Health acknowledges plans to establish 35 First Nations Local and Regional Voice bodies, as outlined last week by the Minister for Indigenous Australians, Ken Wyatt. This is a positive step that acknowledges the importance of having First Nations peoples in leadership roles to develop effective pathways towards self-determination.

The George Institute also recognises the work of the Senior Advisory Group and Indigenous Voice co-design groups in partnership with the National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA) over the 18-month consultation process and delivery of the Final Report on Indigenous Voice Co-design Process.

The George Institute adds a call to enshrine a national Voice to Parliament in the constitution as proposed in the landmark 2017 Uluru Statement from the Heart. We note the Final Report also highlights strong feedback supporting constitutional change.  This included the observation that there were, ‘many practical and principled reasons supporting the enshrinement of an Indigenous Voice in the Australian Constitution.’ And was noted to be ‘the best way to protect an Indigenous Voice against abolition, enhance its effectiveness and recognise the unique place of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in our nation.’

Dr Julieann Coombes, a Gumbaynggir woman and Senior Research Fellow in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Program at The George Institute commented:

“We need to listen to the Voices of First Nations peoples asking for constitutional reform.  We need this to ‘empower our people and take a rightful place in our own country. When we have power over our destiny our children will flourish. They will walk in two worlds and their culture will be a gift to their country’ as written in the Uluru statement.”

“Our Program is conducted within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of knowing, being and doing. Our work is informed by cultural practices, and genuine engagement with First Nations peoples with research determined by community priorities.”

“Having First Nations Voices enshrined in the constitution would demonstrate the importance of First Nations peoples as decision-makers – and would be a big step towards healing and self-determination,” Dr Coombes said.

Dr Kate Hunter, a Senior Research Fellow working in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Program at The George Institute added:

“Improving the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations through self-determination is a priority for the George Institute. Our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Program has a focus on social determinants of health, health systems and injury prevention.”

“We ensure our research maintains an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander paradigm of health and healing -physical, emotional, social, cultural and spiritual- as well as a commitment to creating impact through influence on policy and practice.”

The George Institute for Global Health welcomes the delivery of the National Preventive Health Strategy (the Strategy) as a new era in public health that will lead to a healthier Australia.

“The George Institute is pleased to see the commitment to invest 5 percent of total health expenditure from federal, state and territory governments by 2030 into prevention, as well as the development of the Blueprint for Action,” said Professor Bruce Neal, Executive Director of The George Institute for Global Health, Australia.

“These are tangible mechanisms that can guarantee the implementation of the Strategy, and ensure it ultimately improves quality of life and prevents early mortality”.

Importantly, the Strategy also incorporates the social, cultural, commercial, and environmental determinants that underpin health outcomes. It calls for promotion of self-determination and evidence-based action free from vested and commercial interests.

“All Australians have a right to health – regardless of their circumstances and especially communities experiencing vulnerability. By committing to addressing the broader determinants of health, the Strategy can have true impact for those who need it most.”

The Strategy sets out a preventive health agenda for the next decade, including seven focus areas that accelerate action towards tackling major causes of non-communicable disease and injury: reducing tobacco use and nicotine addiction, improving access to and the consumption of a healthy diet, increasing physical activity, increasing cancer screening and prevention, improving immunisation coverage, reducing alcohol and other drug harm, and promoting and protecting mental health.

“Non-communicable diseases and injury are the biggest causes of death in Australia, and world-wide. While there are many areas that need a prevention focus that could have been included in the Strategy, The George Institute is pleased to see a shift from the traditional siloed approach of treatment, to one that recognises the power of prevention” said Professor Neal.

The George Institute looks forward to understanding the specific commitments to the implementation of the National Preventive Health Strategy ahead of the 2022 Budget and Federal election, and understanding how these are going to be enacted, led, monitored, and improved. In particular, the Blueprint for Action will be crucial for implementation of the Strategy and as such, The George Institute is calling for the following inclusions in the Blueprint:

• Funding the development and implementation of a National Climate and Health Strategy
• Genuine engagement of First Nations peoples that leads to the self-determination of First Nations community priorities for prevention
• Injury as a focus area in line with the release of the National Injury Prevention Strategy
• Ambitious reform of the food system, including making the Health Star Rating system mandatory and preventing marketing of unhealthy products to children

Click here to read the full National Preventive Health Strategy 2021-2030.

In the field of global health, the Prince Mahidol Award Conference (PMAC) has for many years distinguished itself in terms of its convening power, thematic relevance, and policy engagement thrust. For health policy and systems researchers, particularly those in the region, this meeting offers a unique opportunity to understand and locate themselves in global debates, regional perspectives, and to move beyond research in the health space. PMAC also has a Youth Program that creates opportunities for young Thai health professionals to engage in the meeting.

Health Systems Global (HSG), a professional association of health policy and systems researchers, is looking to support greater participation and engagement of early career scholars in the Southeast Asia (SEAR) and Western Pacific Regions (WPR) to provide support to PMAC proceedings. HSG believes there could be mutual benefit in early career scholars being able to observe and rapporteur at PMAC 2022 to increase their knowledge and exposure, while also adding value to the secretariat’s work.

HSG welcomes applications from early career professionals/researchers in the sphere of health policy and systems research interested in acting as rapporteurs for PMAC conference sessions from the 24th Jan 2022 – 29th Jan 2022. The outcome of this engagement will be greater orientation of these scholars to the conference and its thematic areas for 2022 (as well as the Youth Program); the chance for greater external visibility of PMAC from an early career perspective, and coordination/collaboration for meaningful contributions to PMAC 2023.

Compensation

Under the joint guidance of the PMAC secretariat as well as the HSG Board members for the Southeast Asia and Western Pacific Regions, HSG proposes to support travel/attendance costs of up to five early career scholars within the region to be assigned rapporteuring roles by the PMAC secretariat.

Rapporteur Responsibilities (indicative)

Rapporteurs will have the following tasks:

1. Attendance in all briefings pertaining to roles and responsibilities as well as adherence to rapporteuring guidelines and expected outputs provided by the PMAC secretariat
2. Capturing, summarising, and submitting notes, discussions, and key takeaways from assigned sessions with overnight turnaround.
3. Contributing to drafting/writing the conference proceedings/reports as applicable. The language of reports would be English.
4. Participation in networking opportunities/activities offered in conjunction with the PMAC Young Scholars program
5. Co-authoring a summary blogpost (jointly authored by all rapporteurs) - to be published in an international journal. The summary blogpost is tentatively expected to be written by the second week of February 2022.
6. Additional outputs as deemed useful by the PMAC secretariat

Time requirement

All selected rapporteurs for the conference are expected to be available during the entirety of the side and main sessions of the conference (cca 4-7 hours / every day from 24th Jan 2022 – 29th Jan 2022 excluding orientation/briefings) and proactively involved in relevant daily meetings and pre- and post-session events.

Eligibility

Rapporteurs are expected to:

• Be early career public health professionals (i.e. with postgraduate training in health, medicine, and/or allied sciences)
• Be proficient in English
• Have less than five years of experience after their most recent degree
• Have experience with rapporteuring in international conferences, events and workshops
• Have experience proof-reading scientific and academic reports and publications
• Have an interest in health reform and expertise relevant to the PMAC 2022 theme
• Have an ability to work with others, commit to participating in all nine sessions of PMAC 2022 and submit all conference related deliverables on time

Application Process

Please submit your application by filling the form and attaching the following documents:

• CV/resume along with a short bio
• A letter of intent detailing:
  • Your motivation for applying as a rapporteur
  • Relevant experience and/or knowledge on the topic(s) of the conference
  • Conferences/events where you have acted as a rapporteur (if applicable)
  • A brief about how your engagement with PMAC 2022 will add value to your research/ongoing work.

Early career researchers and scholars of all genders, ethnicities, and relevant backgrounds across SEAR and WPR are welcome. This call supports wide inclusion both at a professional and personal level.

Application Deadline: 7^th January 2022, 23:59 UTC

Applicants to be notified of their selection latest by the second week of Jan 2022

Queries

For more information, questions and/or clarifications, please contact:

Dr. Devaki Nambiar, Program Head – Health Systems and Equity at the George Institute for Global Health, India and HSG SEAR Board member dnambiar@georgeinstitute.org.in

Dr. Katherine Ann Reyes, Board President, Alliance for Improving Health Outcomes, Inc., and the HSG WPR Board member kannvillegas@gmail.com

Application date closed