Community health to benefit from Deakin's $8.9M of federal funding

Seven Deakin projects received funding including six under the National Health and Medical Council Research (NHMRC) Investigator Grants program, and one under the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) Investigator Grant program.

The grants will each fund five years of research into projects investigating mental health and well-being and the impact of nutrition and eating behaviours, especially in early life, looking to identify new causes of ill health and develop new solutions.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research and Alfred Deakin Professor Julie Owens said she was proud to confirm seven Deakin projects have been awarded a total of $8.9m of funding in today’s announcement by Federal Minister for Health, Greg Hunt.

"These critical research grants will support Deakin's emerging leaders and their innovative research projects, all of which will significantly benefit the community," Professor Owens said.

"Our renowned research institutes and faculties across the university are working to solve current and emerging problems for all of us, and these health-focused grants will help us drive more positive community health outcomes through seven important projects."

NHMRC Investigator Grants:

The University was awarded $7.4M in NHMRC funding. All researchers are based in the Faculty of Health, working with others across Deakin and key external partners.

Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation (IMPACT) and School of Medicine

• Professor Felice Jacka: Nutritional Psychiatry: extending the evidence and ensuring translation ($2,238,220)

Institute for Health Transformation (IHT)

• Professor Anna Peeters: Evidence-based healthy food provision at scale ($1,783,164)

Centre for Social & Early Emotional Development (SEED) and School of Psychology

• Associate Professor Delyse Hutchinson: The role of preconception and perinatal substance use and misuse in childhood social, emotional and behavioural problems ($1,562,250)
• Dr Jake Linardon:: Personalising the delivery of e-mental health interventions for eating disorders (632,428)

Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition and School of Exercise & Nutrition Sciences:

• Dr Sheikh Mohammed Shariful Islam: Improving outcome for people with heart diseases using digital health technologies ($606,009)
• Dr Megan Teychenne: Informing the development and real-world translation of a home-based physical activity intervention for improving postnatal mental health ($566,164)

MRFF Investigator Grant:

• Associate Professor Emma Sciberras: Improving outcomes for children and adolescents with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and their carers ($1,544,073)