Research Week is an important event in the Northern Health calendar as it showcases the breadth and depth of research activity across our organisation, highlighting the significant contributions of staff and partners. This year, there has been an incredible response to our call for abstracts with 78 abstract submissions from clinicians and researchers at Northern Health. Across oral and poster presentations, many clinicians and researchers have the opportunity to share their work, which we hope will encourage further collaboration and innovation across different departments. We also have a terrific line up of invited speakers for research week, including:

• Professor Jon Karnon from Flinders University, an expert in health economics whose work focuses on economic evaluations in healthcare, decision analytic modeling, and health policy development.
• Professor Elif Ekinci from the University of Melbourne, a renowned endocrinologist, brings extensive research on diabetes, particularly the impacts of diabetes on kidney health and cardiovascular risk management.
• Professor Richard Saffery from the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (GENV) who leads pioneering research in epigenetics, exploring how genetic and environmental factors influence childhood health outcomes.
• Professor Paul Monagle from the Royal Children’s Hospital and Murdoch Children’s Research Institute is a leader in paediatric haematology, well-known for his research on thrombosis and anticoagulation in children.

Together, these experts provide diverse perspectives on current and emerging issues in healthcare and biomedical research.

One of the key reasons Research Week is so important is that it highlights Northern Health’s ongoing commitment to cutting-edge research and its role in improving healthcare outcomes. This year, research collaborations between Northern Health and external institutions including RMIT University and La Trobe University will be showcased. These partnerships will help place Northern Health in a stronger position to drive innovation and enhance the quality of care provided to our community.

A big thank you to the research office, in particular Britt Szabo, for all their work in pulling another wonderful week together.

Associate Professor Rebecca Jessup

Director, Victorian Centre for Virtual Health Research

Acting Director of Research, Northern Health

Deputy Chair, Northern Health Research Executive Committee