Faculty of Health, Medicine, Nursing and Behavioural Sciences
Deakin University
Partnerships within the Faculty take many forms serving varied and multiple purposes. Formal and informal partnerships have been forged with Government departments and agencies, public and private hospitals, private industry, advocacy organisation and groups, professional bodies, and community groups. The partnerships extend the boundaries of each organisation, making our programs relevant to our constituents and assisting in building research and professional capacity in the communities we serve.
The University wide partnership with the Department of Human Services (Barwon South-Western Region) continues to flourish. The partnership hosts public health forums as well as undertaking collaborative research.
The School of Nursing has a clinical partnerships program with eight large private and public Victorian hospitals. The key element of each partnership is a joint research appointment. The program enables staff from the University to work closely with clinicians at the partner hospitals in research of direct relevance to the hospitals, and provides opportunities for research students to undertake projects in clinical settings. There are currently twenty students undertaking research degrees at the partner hospitals. The partnership also promotes the advancement of clinical practice and education for both organisations, and encourages the utilisation of evidence-based practise in teaching and clinical practice.
The School of Psychology's partnerships with the Australian Drug Foundation, Arthritis Foundation of Victoria and the Multiple Sclerosis Society have resulted in the appointment of three senior research fellows. These, along with other partnerships such as Maroondah Hospital and the Defence Science Technology Organisation, support clinical placements in Psychology and provide rich opportunities for applied research programs.
The School of Exercise and Nutritional Sciencesand the School of Health and Social Development have many active research collaborations, including VicHealth, the Heart Foundation, the Australian and Victorian Institutes of Sport, Food Science Australia, Department of Human Services (Central Office), Victorian Foundation for the Survivors of Trauma, the International Health Unit at the MacFarlane Burnett Centre, the Centre for Development and Innovation in Health, and the Eastern Health Promotion Network. The premier partnership is with ChemGenex Pty Ltd which provides the University with a state of the art gene sequencing platform and supports the School of Exercise and Nutrition Science's Metabolic Research Unit’s search for novel genes in Diabetes and Obesity.
In addition, the Faculty has a number of partnerships with professional bodies, education institutes and the community organizations. These collaborative programs build capacity in the community in health promotion, assist in addressing health inequalities, and contribute to the health of minority groups, including our Koorie community and those suffering a disability.
