Event

COVID-19 and mental health: Implications for policy, services, and research

COVID19 mental health webinar tile

The COVID crisis has had a profound impact on people everywhere. The effect on our mental health has been significant; caring for family members, having time away from employment, uncertainty about changed conditions – all contributing to a need for support. Countries have responded in different ways to support the mental health of their populations. In some ways the crisis has shone a spotlight on the need for decisive action for policies and services for mental health. Integrated and long term action is necessary to ensure support for mental health stays on the agenda for countries around the globe and to build back better. There are also substantial opportunities for research on the biological, psychological and social factors affecting brain and mental health.

Please note, this webinar will be recorded. Do join in the virtual conversation on Twitter @georgeinstitue @georgeinstitute.

Speakers

  • Professor Shekhar Saxena

    Shekhar Saxena is Professor of the Practice of Global Mental Health at the Department of Global Health and Population at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. A psychiatrist by training, he was in the faculty of AIIMS, New Delhi before he joined World Health Organization (WHO) in 1998. From 2010 to 2018 he was the Director of the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse at WHO. Author of more than 300 academic papers, he was an editor of the Lancet Commission on Global Mental Health and Sustainable Development 2018. His expertise includes providing evidence-based advice and technical assistance to policy makers, businesses and civil society on mental health promotion and prevention and management of mental, developmental, neurological and substance use disorders and suicide prevention. He is a Distinguished Fellow of The George Institute for Global Health and a leading thought leader  in the area of global mental health. 

    Twitter @ssaxenageneva

Autonomous Vehicle

Driverless cars likely to make us lazier

Driverless cars are forecast to bring a whole new level of convenience, but there may be a downside for our health, according to a new study published in Global Health Promotion. Once driverless vehicles become widely available, people won’t need to walk to the car park or the train station – the car will collect and deposit them as close to the front door as possible. Many people rely on incremental steps throughout the day for their exercise, so the arrival of driverless cars could dramatically reduce physical activity levels. According to research from The George Institute for Global Health, advance planning is needed to prevent Australians from becoming lazier and unhealthier once driverless cars are common.

Lead researcher Professor Simone Pettigrew said, “for a nation where two-thirds of adults are overweight or obese and more than half of us fail to meet minimum physical activity guidelines, further reduction in our step counts will be disastrous for our health and well-being.”

Interviews conducted with 44 experts from government, transport, insurance, technology, health, and research organisations identified two possible future scenarios:

  • one where cities remain designed around personal vehicles and people become even more sedentary; and
  • one where cities become more people-focused and opportunities are everywhere for walking, cycling, and scooting as primary forms of transport, along with advanced forms of driverless public transport (e.g., trains, trams, shuttles, buses).

The study found that due to the long lead times for infrastructure development, governments and communities need to be actively planning now to work towards the second scenario before it’s too late.

“It’s clear that cities of the future need to combine ample opportunities for active transport, such as walking and cycling, with sophisticated forms of driverless public transport. A future with millions of personal driverless cars that deliver people door-to-door and produce lots of empty ‘ghost rides’ on our roads will be bad for our health and bad for traffic congestion,” said Professor Pettigrew.

“At the same time, driverless cars can offer life-changing services for the elderly and those with disabilities by providing the door-to-door transport they need to help them stay physically and socially connected. The benefits of driverless technology will be vast – they just need to be channelled in ways that are most beneficial for society,” she added.

 

SGLT2_diabetes

Study to see if new therapy can protect against loss of kidney function in type 2 diabetes receives funding

A team of George Institute and UNSW Medicine & Health researchers led by Executive Director Professor Bruce Neal has been awarded funding for a study that could improve outcomes for millions of people around the world with a common and rapidly growing condition.

Type 2 diabetes affects 5 in 100 Australians with many going on to develop serious heart and kidney complications. Sodium glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors are a new type of medicine that may provide benefit when used early in diabetes, but that are currently only used once complications have developed.

“Our study will test the value of SGLT2 inhibitor treatment for kidney protection in Australians with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes,” said Prof Neal. “A positive finding could directly impact the more than 100 000 Australians, and 23 million people worldwide, who are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes each year.”

It is anticipated that evidence showing this class of medication could protect against loss of kidney function would see national and international treatment guidelines updated and make a strong case for the reimbursement of SGLT2 inhibitors as first line therapy in type 2 diabetes.

AVPN Constellations Awards 2021

Transforming Primary Care for Cardiovascular Risk Management in Indonesia – Finalist for AVPN Constellations Awards 2021

The George Institute’s SMARThealth Extend: Indonesia program has been selected among the top 14 finalists for the AVPN Constellations Awards 2021 and we need your help to take home the top prize!
The project is in the running for the People’s Choice Awards, with voting open from now until June 22.

CLICK HERE TO VOTE FOR OUR PROGRAM – PCO7!

The Constellations Awards celebrate the remarkable ways in which social investors across Asia collaborate to address the complex challenges of our times, including health, environmental and social equity issues.

About SMARThealth Extend: Indonesia

In 2016-2017, about 25% of the population aged 40 years and above screened from eight villages in Malang district, Indonesia were detected to be at high cardiovascular disease risk, with only 11% of them on any blood pressure (BP) lowering treatment.

The SMARThealth Extend program, known in the competition as ‘Transforming Primary Care for Cardiovascular Risk Management in Indonesia (PC07)’, is a technology-enabled primary care ecosystem to improve the appropriate identification and management of cardiovascular disease.

Implemented by The George Institute in collaboration with the Malang District Health Authority, the University of Brawijaya, and Badan Penyelenggara Jaminan Sosial (BPJS, or Social Insurance Administration Organisation) in four villages as a pilot study, it was found to increase BP medication usage from 11% to 57% within the community.

In recognition of this impact, the program was presented with the 2019 Best Health Service Innovation Award by the Indonesian Ministry of Health and is currently being effectively and sustainably scaled-up by the same consortium for implementation in 100 villages across Malang district by 2022.

About AVPN

AVPN is a unique funders’ network based in Singapore committed to building a vibrant and high-impact social investment community across Asia. They are an advocate, capacity builder and platform that cuts across private, public and social sectors, embracing all types of engagement to improve the effectiveness of its members across the Asia-Pacific region.

Please encourage your colleagues, partners and friends to vote for the SMARThealth Extend program and help it get the global recognition it deserves.

Link between COVID-19 and Sepsis

Media release

The authors of a recently published paper, including Prof Simon Finfer from The George Institute, make a case for using the successful trial platforms set up during the pandemic to support research on sepsis, and also to integrate sepsis education and awareness into national health systems, as urged by the World Health Assembly resolution of 2017.