Centres and groups
Research Centres
Major Centres
Hunter Medical Research Institute
The Hunter Medical Research Institute (HMRI) supports the Hunter's internationally recognised health and medical research, education and training. HMRI is a multidisciplinary partnership between the University of Newcastle and Hunter New England Local Health District and the community. Established in 1998, HMRI facilitates collaborations between researchers translating scientific advances into better clinical care, competitive commercial products and improved health care guidelines.
Priority Research Centres
University Centres and Faculty Groups
University Centres
Brain and Mental Health Research
The Centre for Brain and Mental Health Research (CBMHR) is focused on increasing our understanding of the brain and mind across the lifespan, in the absence and presence of disease. The Centre hosts three platforms for research: Preclinical Neurobiology, Psychological Processes, and Mental and Physical Health.
Health Professional Education
The Centre for Health Professional Education is committed to engaging in a systematic and rigorous program of research that will examine the effectiveness of curricula interventions as well as the impact of health professional education on patient outcomes.
Health Services
The Health Services Research and Innovation Centre (HSRIC) aims to improve the design and management health services with particular emphasis interdisciplinary approaches to addressing critical challenges.
Faculty Groups
Digital Mental Health Research Group
Led by Professor Rhonda Wilson and involving international and multidisciplinary networks of researchers and collaborating organisations, the Digital Mental Health Research Group is helping to reimagine the way technologies are used to enhance mental health care in Australia and worldwide.
Education and Nursing Research in Child Health
The Centre for Education and Nursing Research in Child Health's aim is to support and encourage nurses working in child and family health, neonatal, paediatric and adolescent health (hereafter termed child health nursing/nurses) to undertake research, ensure nursing practice in these specialty areas is evidence based and build nurses' post graduate education and professional development.
Mental Health Nursing Research and Practice Development
The program of research operating from the Nursing Research and Practice Development Unit (NRPDU) locates research into mental health nursing within a broad framework of mental health services research. The main focus of the program is to assess the effectiveness of nursing led psychological and psychosocial interventions using qualitative and/or quantitative research methods.
Midwifery
The Midwifery Research Group is lead by Dr Virginia Skinner who has worked as a Research Project Officer for Associate Professor Martin Veysey for the previous five years on two studies, one assessing cardiovascular health in an elderly population and the other assessing the relationship between bitter taste, folate intake and the development of bowel polyps before commencing work at the University of Newcastle.
Mothers and Babies
The Mothers and Babies Research Centre is a multidisciplinary group working on maternal, foetal and neonatal health problems.
Professional Issues and Acute Care
Researchers involved in Professional Issues and Acute Care are focused on making a difference in the delivery of health services and for health professionals in the clinical environment, often using a multidisciplinary approach.
Youth Outreach for Diabetes
Young people with type 1 diabetes are transferred from comprehensive outreach paediatric services to adult services at around 18 years of age. Many rural adult services have few resources to specifically support them, and the culture is more focused on compliance and long term complications. Young people are expected to have competent self management skills, which is often not the case as there are limited transition programs within Hunter New England Health. This issue is important as they are life longer users of the health care system.
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.