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Public Health Research Advisory Group
Background:
PHRAG was originally constituted by the 1997 Board to provide a specific resource to deal with public health research issues in the absence of a research SIG. The group is dynamic in that it convenes periodically to achieve certain goals within delineated timeframes. Members are coopted according to nominated objectives.
The first inception of PHRAG ran from 1997 until 2000. It was then reconvened in 2001, and continued until 2004. In both periods PHRAG had considerable achievements and the Terms of Reference remained substantially unchanged.
In 2007 the then Vice President (Policy) Jane Freemantle re-established PHRAG in 2007 to 2008.
PHRAG has now been reconvened by Professor Fran Baum July 2011.
Aims:
The broad goal of the PHAA PHRAG is to promote and advocate for public health research and development so that members, stakeholders and the Australian community will benefit from a sound, strategic and shared research base in public health
Specifically, the Committee will:
- Identify, promote and advocate opportunities for training and continuing professional development in public health research for PHAA members
- Contribute to informed public and professional debate about public health research
- Encouraging the monitoring of public health research funding in Australian and contribute to efforts to increase funding in absolute terms
- Encourage more effective links between public health policy, research and practice
- Encourage PHAA representation on research and other relevant groups and working parties of the NHMRC and advocate for increased representation.
- Liaise with the Population Health Division of the Commonwealth Department of Health & Aged Care Services, other government health bureaucracies and non-government organisations with an involvement or stake in public health research and development.
- Maintain a 'watching brief' over developments in medical and public health research at national level.
- Advocate for increased representation and offer support to public health representatives.
- Encourage best practice in research through recognised awards, including liaison with and enhancement of PHERT, dissemination through the Journal and other strategies
Workplan for July 2011-June 2012
Work with NH&MRC to plan and participate in the NH&MRC workshop on research funding on the social determinants of health
Work to see the recommendations of the Nutbeam report on public health research implemented
Make an input to the Review of Health and Medical Research announced in July 2011
The Committee:
- Professor Fran Baum (Chair)
- Associate Professor Peter Sainsbury
- Associate Professor Sharon Friel
- Ms Vanessa Lee
- Dr Jonathan Wardle
- Dr John Marrone
- Dr Fahad Hanna
The membership of PHRAG will be developed as is appropriate to the projects it undertakes, but will include both senior and more junior members of the public health research fraternity. Invitations to join PHRAG will be extended to nominated research-active younger Fellows of the Australasian Faculty of Public Health Medicine and to a head of an academic Public Health Institution
New Code of Practice for the Responsible Conduct of Research - 2007 - NHMRC (PDF)
Link to the NHMRC website for statistics on funding
Related Documents
PHAA Background paper (PDF)
Directory of Grants and Fellowships in the Global Health Sciences (PDF)
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