The Hospital Research Foundation Group Impact Report - Flipbook - Page 71
PUBLIC HEALTH
We proudly supported SA Health’s
response to the tuberculosis
(TB) outbreak in the APY Lands
in 2023, by funding a new fullyportable chest X-ray unit.
Remarkably, no portable X-ray
machine had been available in
Australia – until now!
Improving public health
Public health focuses on protecting the
health of the community, including disease
prevention and responding to infectious
disease outbreaks.
The project will
focus on four key areas:
The Hospital Research Foundation Group is
proud to be funding a special Scholarship in
Public Health, in partnership with SA Health
and the University of Adelaide.
• Investigating how climate change
may impact two transmissible
diseases – Ross River virus (vectorborne) and Salmonella (food-borne)
The inaugural scholarship was awarded to
Christina Varghese and Professor Peng Bi
to deliver their project: Climate change and
infectious diseases in Australia: current risk,
future projection and responses.
Backed by Chief Public Health Officer
Professor Nicola Spurrier, the project aims to
understand how the increased transmission of
infectious diseases caused by climate change,
will put pressure on the healthcare system.
• Mapping areas where infectious
disease burden is likely to be more
prevalent
• Projecting future infectious disease
burden in relation to climate
change scenarios
• Examining capacity to deal
with emerging and re-emerging
infectious diseases.
| 71
