October 13, 2017

Funding success for health and medical researchers

Projects to gain NHMRC funding include medical cannabis, environmental factors in childhood health and development, potential health risks of mobile phones, and the role of sleep in physical and mental health

University of Wollongong researchers have been successful in the latest round of National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) funding, announced by the Federal Minister for Health, the Hon Greg Hunt MP on 11 October.

Dr Xiaoqi Feng (pictured above) from the Population Wellbeing and Environment Research Lab (PowerLab) in the Faculty of Social Sciences was awarded a four-year, $431,000 Career Development Fellowship to further her research into the effects of environmental factors on children’s health.

Dr Feng is an expert in public and population health. In her research she examines how the environments in which people live - for example their proximity to parks or to fast food outlets - affects their health.

Professor Rodney Croft’s Australian Centre for Electromagnetic Bioeffects Research (ACEBR), an NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence, was awarded $2,499,671 over five years for research into the health effects of radiofrequency electromagnetic energy, such as from mobile phones and Wi-Fi.

Although these technologies have brought substantial benefits to society, they have also raised the concern that frequent radiofrequency electromagnetic energy exposure may pose an unknown but pervasive health risk.

Professor Nadia Solowij from the University of Wollongong (UOW) was announced as co-director of the new $2.5 million Australian Centre for Cannabinoid Clinical and Research Excellence (ACRE), a world-first centre to coordinate research into medicinal cannabis use.

Access to cannabinoids for medicinal purposes has been hampered by difficulties sourcing reliable, consistent and clinically suitable products that are safe and effective for specific medical conditions.

ACRE will undertake medical cannabinoid research, consolidate existing data into guidance, and link health outcomes from people currently accessing local and imported products to guide plant growing and product formulation into appropriate medicines.

Professor Nick Zwar, Head of the School of Medicine, will be one of the Chief Investigators of a new $2.5 million National Centre for Sleep Health Services Research.

Healthy sleep is vital for good physical and mental health. Sleep disorders and sleep restriction have a major negative impact on health, productivity and safety; sleep apnoea and insomnia alone are estimated to have a direct and indirect economic cost of over $30 billion per year in Australia.

Professor Zwar, an experienced general practitioner and internationally recognised leader in primary health care research, will focus on designing, implementing and evaluating complex interventions to bring about improved care in general practice.