IHMRI – Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute

Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute (IHMRI) is a partnership between the University of Wollongong (UOW) and the South Eastern Sydney and Illawarra Area Health Service (SESIAHS). 

NEWS : Since the launch of the IHMRI Research Network on 9 December 2009 (pictured), more than 280 of the region’s health and medical community have registered for membership. 

The Network has been established to bring together professionals from different health and medical related disciplines and organisations to collaborate together on research.

Membership is free and offers a range of benefits. Researchers, clinicians and other health professionals are invited to Join the Network online

Our research

By linking academic and clinical research, IHMRI aims to generate results that can be rapidly translated into improved health service delivery. Our research is focused on health and medical issues that are common in the Illawarra region and is guided by six key themes.

• Cancer Continuum
This theme encompasses biologists, chemists, physicists, clinicians, radiologists and behavioural and information technology scientists – based at the University of Wollongong, the Wollongong Hospital and private cancer clinics. The group’s aims are to improve understanding of the biological processes underlying cancer, develop improved methods of detection and treatment, and apply what is known in the areas of cancer screening and cancer prevention.

• Healthy Ageing
Within this theme, clinical and academic researchers from a number of different disciplines are collaborating to discover mechanisms underpinning age-related diseases and conditions, and to improve the treatment and management of these. Areas of particular interest include undernutrition, cognitive performance, and mobility and falls protection.

• Infectious Diseases
Research within this theme focuses on the development and testing of new vaccines and drugs for the prevention and treatment of a range of infectious diseases, the development of interventions to reduce the rate of hospital-acquired infections, and the development of interventions to reduce the rate of HIV infection and increase existing treatment effectiveness.

• Metabolic Conditions
This theme includes research on a number of important metabolic disorders such as overweight/obesity (and its links to cancer), diabetes and cardiovascular disease, as well as lifestyle factors closely associated with these. Such metabolic conditions are common in the Illawarra and throughout the Australia population, and cause a significant burden of disease and death.

• Neuroscience and Mental Health
This theme comprises over 30 researchers, whose research activities range from basic studies on molecular changes in the brain in schizophrenia, to public health campaigns promoting positive mental health. The broad aim of the theme  is to discover causes and develop new effective treatments.

• Primary Care and Rural Health
This theme aims to develop a primary care research network that includes a range of medical, nursing and allied health professionals who provide services to people living in regional and rural areas. The creation of this network is expected to facilitate research on such topics as the presentation and management of select conditions (especially chronic conditions and mental health problems) and factors contributing to ‘burnout’ amongst regional/rural health workers and the impact of interventions.

Additional areas of expertise at the Institute include nutrition, population health and human genetics.

Our new headquarters

IHMRI’s new headquarters are based at the University of Wollongong and are scheduled to open in mid-2010. Our new building will feature international standard PC2 and PC3 medical research laboratories, a dedicated clinical trials centre and a ‘population laboratory’ to monitor the health of the Illawarra community and target research for maximum local impact.

To find out more

Go to www.ihmri.uow.edu.au
Email ihmri-admin@uow.edu.au
Phone 61 2 4221 4333