The Minister for Health and Medical Research, Jillian Skinner, has delivered on her pre-election promise to make medical research a priority by announcing the team which will develop the state’s first long-term plan to future-proof the industry.

 

The NSW Government has appointed a Health and Medical Research Strategic Review Committee to develop a 10-year plan for medical research in the state.

 

Headed by research advocate Peter Wills, the Committee includes

  • Professor Don Iverson, the University of Wollongong’s Pro Vice-Chancellor (Health) and Executive Director of the Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute.
  • Professor John Shine: executive director of the Garvan Institute of Medical Research.
  • Professor Mary O’Kane: NSW chief scientist; Executive Chair of Mary O’Kane and Associates Pty Ltd.
  • Professor S. Bruce Dowton: Harvard University Medical School, Boston, USA.
  • Professor Nick Saunders: Vice-Chancellor of the University of Newcastle; board member of the Hunter Medical Research Institute.
  • Dr Christine Bennett: Chair of Research Australia.
  • Professor Stephen Leeder: Director of the Menzies Centre for Health Policy, University of Sydney; Chair of the Western Sydney Local Health District Governing Board.
  • Ron Phillips: Chair of the Sydney Local Health District; Managing Director of the Sydney Breast Clinic Pty Limited and SBC Research Pty Ltd.

• Ms Elizabeth Carr: Director of E.J Carr and Co Pty Ltd; Chair of the Macular Degeneration Foundation.

• Professor Margaret Harding: Pro-Vice Chancellor (Research), UNSW.

 

The review, expected to be completed later this year, will streamline projects to reduce duplication and competition among researchers for funding. It will also link researchers with clinicians to ensure laboratory discoveries make it to patients more quickly.

 

A series of roundtables and interviews will be held with key stakeholders over the coming weeks and public submissions to the review will open shortly. They can be made at this site.

 

It is planned that an issues paper will be released in September followed by a draft report in October. The release of both these documents will provide an opportunity for all stakeholders, including the broader community to express their views.