Sydney Health Researchers Secure NHMRC Partnership Grants

University of Sydney researchers Professor Paulo Ferreira and Dr Michelle Barakat-Johnson, both from the Faculty of Medicine and Health, have been awarded respective National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Partnership Project grants.

The Minister for Health and Aged Care, the Hon. Mark Butler MP, announced the successful grants.

“NHMRC Partnership Project grants allow researchers,  policy makers and clinicians to collaborate together on research that ultimately aims to better the health outcomes of our community,” said Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Emma Johnston.

“I look forward to watching the progress of both Paulo and Michelle’s respective projects as they work with their partners to address low back pain and chronic wounds.”

Professor Paulo Ferreira, a member of the Charles Perkins Centre, has been awarded $1.5 million to work towards delivering best practice community care for low back pain through an effective national health line.

This funding adds to a total pool of $3.3 million for the project, following on from additional contributions totalling $1.8 million made by Musculoskeletal Australia (MSK Australia), NSW Agency for Clinical Innovation, Australian Self-Care Alliance, and the Northern Sydney Local Health District.

Partnering with MSK Australia, Australia’s leading musculoskeletal consumers group, Professor Ferreira’s project intends to upgrade and evaluate MSK Australia’s existing national Help Line to bridge the gap in community-based support services for patients with low back pain across Australia.

If successful, the upgraded Help Line will improve patients’ self-management, and reduce preventable general practitioner and emergency department presentations for low back pain.

“The primary aim of this partnership project is to evaluate the effectiveness, implementation, and scalability of the MSK Australia Help Line for reducing utilisation of health services for low back pain,” said Professor Ferreira.

“This will be the first national help line for low back pain in Australia.

“It has the potential to transform the lives of over four million Australians currently living with low back pain.”

Dr Michelle Barakat-Johnson has been awarded $1.5 million to undertake a study to improve patient outcomes and reduce the hidden burden of chronic wounds.

Dr Barakat-Johnson’s project aims to test, evaluate and disseminate an evidence-based, cost-effective digitally enabled model of care involving prompt access to wound specialists, virtual care and a digital wound application for people with chronic wounds and their clinicians.

“Our goal is to ensure that individuals with chronic wounds can promptly access the specialised care they need,” said Dr Barakat-Johnson.

“Approximately 450,000 Australians suffer from chronic wounds, with 2 percent of Australia’s annual health care budget ($3.5 billion per annum) spent on chronic wounds.

“We will work collaboratively with metropolitan, rural, and regional partners, as well as the Agency for Clinical Innovation, eHealth NSW, the Ministry of Health, and Wounds Australia, to enhance healthcare standards for chronic wound patients.”

This endeavour aligns with national priorities and strategic plans across diverse healthcare settings.