Institute for Health Research

Our work aspires to generate knowledge capable of meaningfully improving the health and quality of life of vulnerable persons.

Latest news from the IHR

Publication highlight of the month

Protecting People Experiencing Homelessness from Extreme Heat

A new review published in The Lancet Public Health highlights the urgent need for more effective heat-health strategies for people experiencing homelessness, a population disproportionately affected by rising temperatures and extreme heat events. Co-authored by Lisa Wood from the Institute for Health Research, the review examined the global evidence on interventions designed to reduce heat-related harms among people experiencing homelessness. The review found that cooling centres can provide important physiological benefits, including reductions in body temperature and heart rate. However, access barriers such as limited transport, identification requirements, restrictions on pets and belongings, stigma, and restricted opening hours often limit their use. Many people instead rely on self-directed strategies such as visiting libraries, seeking shade, wetting clothing, or travelling on public transport to stay cool. The authors concluded that heat responses should move beyond passive centre-based approaches and adopt more accessible, outreach-focused models.

You can find the paper here: Read the paper

Research Insights Program

Date

Session type

Speaker

Topic

12 October 2026

Project Clinic

Charlotte Sofield

Investigating microplastic accumulation and neurotoxicity in larval zebrafish using a high-throughput multi-behaviour pipeline.

26 October 2026

Seminar

Lauren Bloomfield

Unlocking Insights from Clinical Notes: A Privacy-Preserving NLP Approach

Staff may join our Research Insights shared channel.

If you have any questions or would like to attend a session, please email ihr@nd.edu.au.

What we do

  • Conduct transformative and high-impact research designed to address the needs of vulnerable persons, including those with chronic diseases or frailty, those in aged or palliative care, individuals living with chronic pain, and those who have a mental disorder, are homeless, or have a disability.
  • Conduct highly collaborative research to address inequalities in heart health in Australia and worldwide through innovative community surveillance, big data registries, and randomised controlled trials.
  • Conduct innovative health service research designed to identify and mitigate the impact of climate change on the health of vulnerable persons and communities.
  • Utilise new technologies (such as AI) to enhance the assessment and management of individuals with chronic health conditions.
  • Conduct expert evaluation and reporting of health services designed to address the needs of vulnerable persons, including the homeless and people living with disabilities.

How we build research capacity and collaborations

Research student

We provide expert advice on research techniques

  • Design of observational and experimental studies, including various forms of randomised controlled trials.
  • Setting up, management, and analysis of complex datasets, including various forms of statistical modelling and hypothesis-testing.
  • Setting up of qualitative research based on focus groups, interviews, and observation, as well as on the use of qualitative methods and analyses.
Medicine student

We provide support and training on research applications, studies and ethics

  • Provide expert support and advice on the drafting of health research grant applications, contracts, and scientific communications.
  • We train, mentor, and provide expert supervision to health research students, including those pursuing Master or PhD degrees.
  • Contribute to promote and support a strong and ethical health research ethos.
Australian connections across the globe

We reach out to other researchers and stakeholders

  • Support and collaborate with researchers locally, nationally, and internationally with the aim of improving the health outcomes of vulnerable persons.
  • Active contributors to health advocacy and policy locally, nationally, and internationally.

How we do it

We work in partnership with consumers, philanthropists, not-for-profit organisations, service providers, government agencies, and research collaborators to enhance our understanding of the pathways that lead to the prevention and recovery from health conditions that commonly affect vulnerable persons.

How we measure success

  • Improved health outcomes for study participants.
  • Improved cost-effectiveness in the delivery of health services.
  • Adoption of research findings into health policy and practice.
  • Increasing number of publications appearing in high impact scientific journals.
  • Increasing number of grant applications to funding agencies.
  • Increasing funding from contracts and philanthropy.
  • Increasing number of health research grants managed by UNDA.
  • Improved national and international profile of the UNDA health research program.

View featured publications and staff publication links.

View publications