I am an epidemiologist with a particular interest in injury prevention, injury data systems and safety promotion as they apply to the context of sports injury. I also contribut to the broager field of epidemiology, through the theoretical and methodilogic
Preventing Sports Injuries Through Better Targetting Of Effective Interventions And Monitoring Of Safety Practices And Outcomes
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$756,962.00
Summary
Injuries such as concussion and muscle/joint sprains/strains are a recognised sports medicine issue globally. They are a major barrier towards sustained physical activity participation and a public health concern. Much information about their causes and prevention is yet to be fully disseminated to the community and adopted as standard safety practice. This fellowship will provide a strong evidence-base for sports injury prevention and monitoring, as well as sports safety promotion strategies.
A Randomised Controlled Trial Of Exercise Programs For Preventing Knee Injuries
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,160,491.00
Summary
The promotion of physical activity, either through organised sport or active recreation, is a key public health strategy in this country. However, there is a risk of injury during this participation and efforts need to be undertaken to reduce this risk so that spor is safe for all. Sports injury prevention efforts to date in Australia have been severely hampered by a lack of evidence supporting currently advocated countermeasures. This concern has been recognised by both the NHMRC and the Common ....The promotion of physical activity, either through organised sport or active recreation, is a key public health strategy in this country. However, there is a risk of injury during this participation and efforts need to be undertaken to reduce this risk so that spor is safe for all. Sports injury prevention efforts to date in Australia have been severely hampered by a lack of evidence supporting currently advocated countermeasures. This concern has been recognised by both the NHMRC and the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing. It is imperative that we formally evaluate the effectiveness of sports injury countermeasures in the context of broad community level participation in sport, in contrast to previous research focussed on professional sport, and begin to deliver the preventive measures to the community. Australian football is a popular sport throughout Australia and it is associated with more medically-treated injuries than any other sport. Knee injuries are particularly common and can have severe consequences. One of the most commonly recommended knee injury prevention strategies is a well-designed exercise training program. Despite their potential to significantly reduce injury rates, the effectiveness of exercise training programs to prevent knee injuries in football, and indeed in most other sports, has not previously been assessed but has been identified as a priority research area by the NHMRC. This project will determine the effectiveness of exercise training programs for preventing knee injuries in community-level football players by monitoring injury rates, player behaviours and player attitudes before and after the training programs are implemented.Read moreRead less
Risk Factors For Serious Farm-work Related Injury Among Adult Males
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$665,930.00
Summary
This study addresses occupational injury among male adult farm workers. The health and safety performance of agricultural industries is among the worst in Australia. A recently published study of work-related fatalities from 1989 to 1992 found that rural industries ranked third, with a fatality rate 3-4 times that for all industries. The rural industries accounted for 80 deaths annually. Best estimates place the cost of farm injury between $0.5 and $1.29 billion per year. This study is designed ....This study addresses occupational injury among male adult farm workers. The health and safety performance of agricultural industries is among the worst in Australia. A recently published study of work-related fatalities from 1989 to 1992 found that rural industries ranked third, with a fatality rate 3-4 times that for all industries. The rural industries accounted for 80 deaths annually. Best estimates place the cost of farm injury between $0.5 and $1.29 billion per year. This study is designed to contribute to farm injury prevention by: (1) identifying factors associated with a higher risk of serious injury among adult farm workers and (2) determining the proportions of the farm workforce who are exposed to various injury risks. The study will recruit 300 seriously injured or killed farm workers from regional Victoria and collect information about themselves, their working life and the property on which they work. This information will be compared with 600 randomly selected farm workers who are not seriously injured to determine which personal, work and environmental factors place farm workers at higher risk of injury. The study will lead to the development of new or more refined prevention strategies and programs. A study of this kind has not been conducted before in Australia and would contribute to a continuing scientific basis for selection of interventions for farm injury and targeting of prevention programs, at a time of increasing momentum in agricultural health and safety.Read moreRead less
I am a epidemiologist with a research focus on road and child injury. This includes expertise in both clinical and observational research related to injury
The Neural Reaction To Injury: Clues To The Cause And Prevention Of Acquired Brain Damage And Alzheimer's Disease.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$390,326.00
Summary
The cellular mechanism underlying neuronal degeneration following head trauma and Alzheimer?s disease is not known and represents the major impediment to developing therapeutic strategies to protect nerve cells. This grant application will utilise a variety of modern research methods to determine the key changes in the brain that are associated with the response of nerve cells to physical trauma. These include not only the structural alterations that immediately follow such injury, but the compl ....The cellular mechanism underlying neuronal degeneration following head trauma and Alzheimer?s disease is not known and represents the major impediment to developing therapeutic strategies to protect nerve cells. This grant application will utilise a variety of modern research methods to determine the key changes in the brain that are associated with the response of nerve cells to physical trauma. These include not only the structural alterations that immediately follow such injury, but the complex cellular and gene expression changes that determine the ultimate fate of the cell. Both acquired brain injury and degenerative conditions such as Alzheimer?s disease represent an enormous health, social and economic burden. Furthermore, with predictions that Alzheimer?s disease will increase by 3-4 times by the middle of the next century due to the Oaging? of the population, it is becoming even more crucial to establish effective therapeutic interventions. The animal models investigated in this project can be used to unravel the crucial neuronal alterations associated with head trauma and the early stages of Alzheimer?s disease and, more importantly, may be the key to discovering novel strategies to prevent neuronal degeneration in these conditions.Read moreRead less
Researching Functioning, Disability And Rehabilitation: Translation Into Policy And Practice
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$481,167.00
Summary
Appropriate support, including responsive health services, is a key to assisting people with disabilities. Disability is most common in older age but acquired disability, particularly following injury, is important in younger people. This research proposal investigates functioning, disability and rehabilitation across the adult lifespan and aims to translate research findings into policy and practice.
Managing Return-to-play Decisions Following Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI): A Cohort Study
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$63,350.00
Summary
Contact sports, such as rugby, carry a high risk of mild traumatic head injury (mTBI) and such injuries have the potential for adverse long-term sequelae. There are conflicting guidelines about when a player should return to play. The study aims to estimate the incidence of rugby-related mTBI, assess the role of risk and protective factors, and develop recommendations for managing return-to-play decisions following mTBI in community level rugby players within the Sydney metropolitan area.
The Influence Of Caregiver Supervision On The Risk Of Child Drowning And Injury At The Beach.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$60,125.00
Summary
The aim of this research is to gain a comprehensive understanding of the role of caregiver beliefs, perceptions and behaviours in relation to child injury risk, drowning and injury prevention in beach settings. Findings will provide baseline evidence quantifying the function of supervision as a risk and protective factor for child drowning and injuries. Increased understanding of this relationship in beach settings will guide future development of injury and drowning prevention strategies.
Implementation Of Negative Pressure For Acute Paediatric Burns
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,410,476.00
Summary
Over 4000 children present to our burns services every year. Contemporary burn care aims to speed up a patients time to healing which directly avoids the child's risk of developing a scar. We know that applying negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) to a child's burn within 72 hours post injury will improve a child's time to healing, decreasing the risk of scarring & cost of care. Co-developing a NPWT Pathway and implementation strategies will improve outcomes for childhood burns nationally.