Completed Research

August 25 2020

The first round of our Rapid Applied Research Translation projects has been completed

Rapid Applied Research Translation

The Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) provides a long-term sustainable source of funding for endeavours that aim to improve health outcomes, quality of life and health system sustainability across Australia.

The MRFF first funded Sydney Health Partners in late 2017, providing money which was disbursed in an initial round of grants under the Rapid Applied Research Translation (RART) scheme (Round 1). RART Round 2.1 was announced in January 2019 and awarded $1.65 million to 11 projects, while another 11 projects received $1.2 million under RART Round 2.2, announced in September 2019.

Completed Projects

You can read about these projects in Impact Report 2019-2020: Stronger Together.

Weight loss for sleep disordered breathing: translating sleep, lifestyle, energy, eating, exercise program into practice
Dr Elizabeth Cayanan
Sydney Local Health District
B Yee, K Wong, C Phillips, R Grunstein, N Marshall

Making sense of splice variants in rare disease for precision and preventative medicine
Associate Professor Sandra Cooper
Sydney Children's Hospitals Network (at Westmead)
KJones, R Jamieson, B Bennetts, M Tchan, C Sue, C Semsarian, L Ewans, R Trent, D Mowat, J Primer, M Kennerson, G Nicholson, M Davis, S Lunke

Molecular profiling of bowel polyps as a tool to define colonoscopic surveillance intervals
Associate Professor Alexander Engel
Northern Sydney Local Health District
M Molloy, M Solomon, A Gill, I Norton, J Yang

REACH OUT: Maximising cures for HCV in marginalised communities: Microelimination
Professor Jacob George
Western Sydney Local Health District
G McCaughan

Oximetry screening to detect sleep-disordered breathing in severe mental illness
Professor Ron Grunstein
Sydney Local Health District
T Lambert, B Yee, A D’Rozario, N Marshall, G Gauthier, D McEvoy

Westmead Precinct sepsis pathway digital research platform
Associate Professor Naren Gunja
Western Sydney Local Health District
C McCullagh, A Shetty, A Ritchie, A Saavedra, J Iredell, B Tang, P Kennedy, M Green

Self-management of musculoskeletal conditions: an RCT comparing clinic-based physiotherapy with home-based exercise programs
Professor Lisa Harvey
Northern Sydney Local Health District
J Glinsky, A Hayes, B Lucas, D Taylor, I Starkley, M Ferreira, M Jennings

Better participation in exercise for people aged 50+ and people with physical disabilities through health professional education
Professor Cathie Sherrington
Sydney Local Health District
B Richards, L Baur, A Bauman, L Harvey, P Phongsavan, J Allison, A Tiedemann, B Smith, L Hassett, K West, C Rissel, J Cole, J Walkley, G Dwyer

Scaling up a school-based fluoride varnish program for Aboriginal children in New South Wales
Professor Woosung Sohn
Sydney Local Health District
H Spallek, B Rambaldini, N Prabhu, R Widmer, J Skinner, K Gwynne

Development of a web-based platform for accurate prediction of melanoma prognosis using Australian data
Dr Alexander Varey
Western Sydney Local Health District
S Lo, R Scolyer, G Mann, J Thompson, G Long, J Stretch, A Cust

SUCCESS: Supporting culturally-diverse adults with Chronic Kidney Disease to engage in shared decision making (Phase IIb)
Associate Professor Angela Webster
Western Sydney Local Health District
D Muscat, K Sud, H Shepherd, K McCaffery, E O'Lone, J Saunders, A Robbins

Round 1 (2018)

You can read about these projects in our Impact Report 2018: Bringing the pieces together

Author	Project
Dr Sarah Maguire SYDNEY LOCAL HEALTH DISTRICT S Madden, M Cunich	The implementation of an evidence-based treatment in the hospital-to-community pathways for children & adolescents with anorexia nervosa.
Associate Professor Angela Webster WESTERN SYDNEY LOCAL HEALTH DISTRICT K Sud, E O'Lone, K McCaffery, H Shepherd, D Muscat	Supporting culturally-diverse adults with Chronic Kidney Disease to engage in shared decision making successfully.
Professor Barbara Fazekas de St Groth SYDNEY LOCAL HEALTH DISTRICT S Kao, S Clarke, N Pavlakis, R Hui, D Karikios	Predicting response to checkpoint therapy in lung cancer. These therapies are expensive and can induce severe immune-related adverse events so there is an urgent unmet need to predict which patients are likely to respond.
Dr Dinny Graham WESTERN SYDNEY LOCAL HEALTH DISTRICT C Clarke, P Dinh, E Elder, N Pathmanathan	Affordable genomic testing for improved breast cancer outcomes in disadvantaged Australian populations.
Professor David Hunter NORTHERN SYDNEY LOCAL HEALTH DISTRICT	OAChangeMap: Moving from best practice models of osteoarthritis care to system level implementation and impact.
Professor Jacob George WESTERN SYDNEY LOCAL HEALTH DISTRICT G McCaughan	Maximising Cures for HCV in Marginalised Communities - e.g., those with a history of injecting drug use, and other disadvantaged socioeconomic groups.
Professor Jonathan Morris NORTHERN SYDNEY LOCAL HEALTH DISTRICT	Does real time data reduce clinical variation and improve patient outcome in acute chest pain?
Professor Madeleine King SYDNEY LOCAL HEALTH DISTRICT M Tinsley, C Rutherford, R Speerin, A Butcher, L Soars	Enablers and barriers to implementing patient reported measures to improve patient self-management and behaviour change, clinical care and health services.
Professor Nicholas Wood SYDNEY CHILDRENS HOSPITAL NETWORK (WESTMEAD) T McGee, S Chua, M Nicholl, R Ogle, J Hyett	Efficacy and safety of vaccination in “at risk” pregnant women and impact on infant immune responses to vaccines.
Professor Robyn Jamieson SYDNEY CHILDRENS HOSPITAL NETWORK (WESTMEAD)	Genomic Eye Medicine Initiative - translate genomics testing for genetic eye disease developed through research into the clinical setting at four participating hospitals.
Professor Sarah Hilmer NORTHERN SYDNEY LOCAL HEALTH DISTRICT D Le Couteur	Polypharmacy in the Elderly - develop and provide information for patients and caregivers at discharge from acute geriatric services about ceasing to use inappropriate medications identified during their hospital stay.
Professor Tim Shaw WESTERN SYDNEY LOCAL HEALTH DISTRICT C Kielly-Carroll, A Janssen	Using EHR data to drive translation of evidence into practice and improve cancer care provided by teams and individuals.
Professor Jonathan Morris NORTHERN SYDNEY LOCAL HEALTH DISTRICT M Nicholl, T McGee, I Alahakoon, T Nippita, J Ford	Are we there yet? Optimising timing of planned birth to improve newborn outcomes and reduce health service costs.
Professor Clara Chow WESTERN SYDNEY LOCAL HEALTH DISTRICT G Figtree, L Kritharides	Cardiology Rapid Access Clinics - an outpatient management pathway for patients presenting to Emergency Department with chest pain, providing quick evaluation, investigations and management in a specialised outpatient setting.