Centre for Health and Medical Research

The Centre for Health and Medical Research’s strategy work is informed by the Better together: A strategic plan for research in the ACT’s health system.

The centre’s strategy work is guided by the vision that the ACT has a vibrant, learning health system where research drives optimal health and wellbeing for everyone.

The strategy work includes:

• providing opportunities for researchers, clinicians, practitioners and consumers to collaborate
• the Canberra Health Annual Research Meeting (CHARM)
• the ACT Health Vacation Study program
• the Research and Innovation Fund (RIF)
• the Health Analytics Research Collaborative (HARC)
• a program of work to improve the health research community
• a long-term plan to establish a central ACT wide health and medical research hub
• preparatory and collaborative work around Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander research leadership and consumer research leadership
• a policy framework to guide health and medical research across the ACT to ensure that the ACT is represented in national policy, programs and initiatives.

Find out more about the Canberra Health Annual Research Meeting (CHARM), the ACT Health Vacation Study Program, and the Research and Innovation Fund, and the Health Analytics Research Collaborative.

Pre-clinical support

The unit provides pre-clinical support to researchers and clinicians conducting research at the Canberra Hospital whose focus is improving patient outcomes.

The unit supports animal research in a bio-exclusive containment facility.

The unit assists researchers with preparing and renewing ethics protocols and communicates with researchers and the Office of the Gene Technology Regulator.

Pre-clinical support includes the management of compliance and operations of the pre-clinical PC2 (physical containment level 2) laboratories at Canberra Hospital. This supports the activities of researchers and students of ACT Health and its partner institutions, managing the maintenance and specific lab safety needed to conduct high quality and ethical research.

Find out more about pre-clinical services.

Human research ethics committee

The committee provides an ethical and scientific review and incorporates specialist sub-committees to advise on the research merit and integrity of proposals. It provides full and comprehensive review services to the research community. The sub-committees are the Clinical Trials Sub-Committee (CTSC), Social Research Sub-Committee (SRSC), and the Low Risk Sub-Committee (LRSC). Find out more about the HREC members.

• Human Research Ethics Committee terms of reference
• Clinical Trials Sub-Committee terms of reference
• Social Research Sub-Committee terms of reference
• Low Risk Sub-Committee terms of reference

The office coordinates and manages the ethical and site governance review processes. Find out more about ethics and governance.

Contact us

• For Ethics Committee submissions and questions email Ethics@act.gov.au
• For Site Governance submissions and questions email Research.Governance@act.gov.au
• Call the Human Ethics and Site Governance Unit in the Research Ethics and Governance Office on 02 5124 3949
• Email the Pre-clinical Unit at preclinical.research@act.gov.au
• Email the research strategy team at Health.Research@act.gov.au