Research centre brings adolescent health into the spotlight

A national network of researchers committed to improving health services for adolescents have come together under the Centre of Research Excellence in Adolescent Health, funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and launched earlier this month.

The $2.5 million grant acknowledges the importance of researching, improving and delivering meaningful services to adolescents in our digital age, where in the past, young people have fallen through the cracks between health services for the very young and the very old. 

Led by Professor Kate Steinbeck, the Centre brings together a team of researchers, clinicians, policy makers, health administrators and youth advocates to collaborate with young people on the development of health services that really work. 

Professor Steinbeck, head of clinical research for Adolescent Medicine at the Children's Hospital at Westmead and Medical Foundation Chair of Adolescent Medicine at the University of Sydney, will be supported by her colleauge and deputy director of the Centre, Professor Rachel Skinner, as well as investigators from universities around Australia.

To achieve their goals, the multidisciplinary team will focus on three key areas. These centre around developing robust and ethical methods for youth engagement in research, investigating the economic implications of inadequate health care provision for adolescents, and researching the role of health policies to understand how adolescents can benefit from policy and practice initiatives.  

To find out more about the Centre of Research Excellence in Adolescent Health, you can listen to the interviews with Professor Steinbeck on ABC Radio National with Patricia Karvelas or on 2ser107.3, interviewed by James, a young adult.