Good Health and Well-being
Current Collaborations with Health Institutions
The University of Newcastle collaborates with health institutions at the local, national, and global levels to improve health and wellbeing outcomes for individuals and communities.
In 2025, these relationships connected University researchers with health services, national brain cancer organisations and international medical research partners. The collaborations advance clinical care, research translation, workforce development and approaches to health challenges affecting communities in the Hunter, across Australia and internationally.
Local partnerships delivering better care
Diabetes Alliance Program Plus and the 2025 Medibus
In May 2025, the University highlighted its role as a research and evaluation partner in the Diabetes Alliance Program Plus (DAP+) Medibus initiative. The long-running DAP+ programme was established by Hunter New England Local Health District and the Hunter New England and Central Coast Primary Health Network in 2015. The University and Hunter Medical Research Institute joined the expanded programme in 2023 to lead research and evaluate patient and health-system outcomes. The 2025 Medibus initiative was designed to take specialist diabetes services to rural and remote communities and strengthen the skills of local healthcare professionals.
John Hunter Hospital Clinical Director of Endocrinology and Clinical Lead for Diabetes Alliance Program Plus,
Professor Shamasunder Acharya, with members of the DAP+ team.
In its tenth year in 2025, DAP+ reported having supported more than 190 general practices, engaged more than 700 GPs and practice nurses, and provided care to more than 6,500 patients over the life of the programme. The University’s contribution focuses on research and evaluation; clinical care is delivered by the partner health services.
Hunter Medical Research Institute and health innovation
The University continues to work with Hunter Medical Research Institute (HMRI) and Hunter New England Local Health District through health research and translation.
In 2025, University Professor Murray Cairns led a nib foundation-funded precision medicine project investigating how genetic information could support more personalised treatment for people living with chronic conditions. The University and its regional research partners also supported the Newcastle Permanent Innovation Accelerator, with its inaugural 2025 cohort pursuing innovative approaches to healthcare challenges involving sepsis, stroke, IVF and hearing. These initiatives bring together University researchers, healthcare professionals and funding partners to advance research with the potential to improve patient care and community health outcomes.
National collaborations in brain cancer research
The University’s Mark Hughes Foundation Centre for Brain Cancer Research joined leading Australian clinical, research and charity organisations to convene the 2025 International Brain Tumour Research Summit in Newcastle on 20 February 2025. The third annual summit was co-presented with national partners including Cure Brain Cancer Foundation, The Brain Cancer Centre, Children's Cancer Foundation and the Robert Connor Dawes Foundation. These organisations brought researchers and clinicians together to share advances in diagnosis, treatment and patient care and develop future areas for collaborative research.
Established in 2022 by the University and the Mark Hughes Foundation, the Centre maintains a broader research programme for brain cancer patients and families. Its ongoing work, complemented by the recurring national summit, provides a sustained basis for collaboration beyond a single event.
International and globally connected health research
Duke University brain tumour research collaboration
In November 2025, the University announced a new research collaboration between its Mark Hughes Foundation Centre and the Gregory laboratory at Duke University’s Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center in the United States. Researchers are sharing access to the Centre’s post-mortem brain cancer biobank and genomic analysis expertise to investigate how glioblastoma develops and progresses. The teams include University of Newcastle researchers and clinical cancer specialists working directly with Duke researchers on a defined international research project.
Novartis partnership in cardiovascular health
In February 2025, HMRI entered a formal research partnership with Novartis Australia, a member of a global pharmaceutical organisation, with collaboration from the University. University researchers Professors Aaron Sverdlov and Doan Ngo were identified to lead an initial project focused on lipid management and cardiovascular health. The agreement established a framework for identifying and developing healthcare research projects; its longer-term clinical outcomes remain prospective.
Public health capacity in Papua New Guinea
In September 2025, the University’s Field Epidemiology in Action team secured funding for a collaborative emergency-response training initiative in Papua New Guinea with the PNG National Department of Health and Australian and PNG Defence Forces. The project is designed to strengthen coordination between civilian and military health responders through practical simulations and training. Announced in 2025, this work demonstrates international cooperation in public-health capacity building, with delivery described as a planned next stage.
Established collaborations and continuity
Earlier programmes provide a foundation for these partnerships. In 2024, the University joined Awabakal Limited, HMRI and Hunter New England Local Health District to launch Research Our Way, a five-year community-led First Nations health research strategy. The Triple E Project brought University of Newcastle, HMRI and University of Sydney researchers together to study adolescents’ engagement with health apps. The University also became a founding member of a national digital-health academic network in 2024. Historically, a University health-behaviour research centre was designated a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre in 2019; that designation is not relied on as evidence of active WHO collaboration in 2025.
Through its partnerships with health services, national organisations and internationally recognised research groups, the University of Newcastle combines regional knowledge with wider expertise to develop better approaches to care. Its work in 2025 strengthened pathways from medical research to prevention, diagnosis, treatment and improved community health outcomes.
The University of Newcastle acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands within our footprint areas: Awabakal, Darkinjung, Biripai, Worimi, Wonnarua, and Eora Nations. We also pay respect to the wisdom of our Elders past and present.