Pro Vice-Chancellor's Welcome

Welcome to the Faculty of Health at the University of Newcastle! You have made an excellent decision to study here, and we look forward to working with you throughout your educational program. We know you will have an exciting career in health by coming to the University of Newcastle, whether as a health care professional or in medical research.

What’s great about the Faculty of Health?

• We offer a very broad range of undergraduate and postgraduate degree programs in diverse fields of health care.
• We are experts in the training of health professionals and researchers, and we care about you.
• We are passionate about delivering the highest quality educational experience.
• We seek to continually improve our programs and support our students.
• We were pioneers in the technique of “problem-based learning”, now copied by others around the country, which ensures that what you learn is truly patient focussed, relevant and practical.  
• The academic staff who will teach you rank among the best educators and researchers in the country.
• We are absolutely committed to equity and diversity for all students.
• Our graduates are regarded as among the very best in the country and internationally.
• Our graduates are in demand for jobs, and many are actively recruited before completing their degree.
• We are a multi-professional Faculty offering interdisciplinary training in health and medical research.
• We focus on training health professionals to work in a high functioning team to deliver the very best care possible every day.
• We’re extremely proud of our track record, and we aim to excel in our teaching and research endeavours each and every day.

Practical and hands-on study

You'll find that our degree programs are very student-centred and are focused on the education of professionals.  We have a long tradition of innovation in education, beginning with being the first Australian university to introduce problem based learning to medical education.  We're committed to ensuring that you will not only succeed but thrive in your chosen career.

This is all supported by our strong relationships with both employers and accreditation bodies.  No matter which degree program you study, you will establish close practical links with your chosen field through Area Health Services, private hospitals and community services, or through industry involvement; these relationships are highly supportive and respected.  Depending on your course, many people including patients and members of the community will collaborate with you and us in enhancing your learning.  And we know you’ll find what you do will be challenging and exciting, and will positively change your life.

A leader in health research

The Faculty of Health currently ranks eighth in the country in terms of research funding from the peak body in Australia, the National Health and Medical Research Council (NH&MRC). In addition to training undergraduates in research methods, we train a large group of research higher degree Masters and PhD students across the Faculty's four Schools (over 250 annually). The University of Newcastle is a leader in the fields of neuroscience, cancer research, heart and digestive diseases, reproduction, public health, asthma and respiratory disease, and our Faculty has internationally competitive facilities for biotechnological research.

This strong research focus is demonstrated by our involvement in a majority of the University's established Priority Research Centres, including:

• Asthma and Respiratory Diseases 
• Bioinformatics, Biomarker Discovery and Information-Based Medicine
• Brain and Mental Health Research 
• Gender, Health and Ageing 
• Reproductive Science 
• Health Behaviour

Other major Research Centres in the Faculty include:

• Centre for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics (CCEB)
• Centre for Health Research and Psycho-Oncology (CHeRP)
• Centre for Rural and Remote Mental Health (CRRMH)
• Family Action Centre
• University Department of Rural Health (UDRH)
• Workcover NSW Research Centre of Excellence (WRCE)

In partnership with the Hunter New England Area Health Service and the Calvary Mater Hospital we also host two large Clinical Trials Centres:

• Australian and New Zealand Breast Cancer Trials Group (ANZBCTG)
• Trans-Tasman Radiation Oncology Group (TROG)

Making education available to everyone

We have an enduring commitment to equity and diversity for all students. In particular, we work to assist Indigenous students to enter higher education studies in the medical and health-related professions through the Yapug bridging program.

We are proud of our leadership role in Indigenous Health Education and proud of the fact that the majority of Indigenous doctors in Australia are our graduates!

On behalf of the staff and current students of the Faculty of Health, I welcome you.

Professor Nick Talley
Pro Vice-Chancellor (Health)