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Research in the Faculty of Health is multidisciplinary, fostering collaboration and groundbreaking research across a number of health-related areas. The Faculty of Health is also involved in the
Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation (IHBI) which integrates Australia's most creative minds in Health, Science and Biomedical Engineering research. The key strengths of the Faculty of Health are:
Ageing
The effect of an ageing population has been identified as a global health and social issue. Research questions related to both the impact of age-related disease and successful ageing underpin current research projects in the Faculty of Health. Research activities in this area relate to community and residential care; dementia; pain and symptom management; palliative care; ocular disease and the effects of vision impairment; foot health; gait; mobility and posture analysis; disorders of movement; injury in older people; social identity; families; mental health; nutrition; cognition and cognitive/memory deficit; the older driver; the older worker; and active ageing.
Physical Activity
The role of physical activity in the maintenance and restoration of health is a significant emerging area. There is increasing evidence of the role of physical activity in the prevention, treatment and management of a range of chronic disorders. Research in this area is aimed at the promotion of physical activity during childhood and adolescence and the prescription of exercise in the context of chronic disease, and at community-based health behaviour interventions. Research into prevention and rehabilitation of occupational and sporting injuries requires assessment of biomechanical, physiological, metabolic, neurological, sensory and psychological factors, concentrating on highrisk groups and prevention of older peoples' injuries. Other research into a range of disorders including neurological injury, vision loss, emotional or behavioural disorders in children, peripheral arterial disease, and sleep apnoea is also being conducted.
Human Health and Wellbeing
Research activities in this area relate to health services, policy and management, and population health. Areas of strength include the management of chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes, obesity, coronary heart disease, and other emerging health conditions. These include quality of life and resilience; improving the care of hospitalised patients and managing early discharge; health outcomes for disadvantaged populations; health-promoting schools and early childhood environments; and prevention and management of mental health problems. Other research areas include environmental health, child maltreatment awareness and prevention, development and implementation of nutrition assessment and screening tools, and evaluation of nutritional status.
Human Behaviour
Research in human behaviour embraces fundamental social, cognitive and developmental processes in psychology. This includes research in attitude theory, group behaviour and decision making, child and adolescent development, memory, psycholinguistics, and the development of reading. Opportunities include research in addictive behaviour, eating, exercise, organic mental disorder, and health promotion. A range of research methods has also informed the development of psychological therapies and counselling, including rehabilitation, treatment of psychological trauma, anxiety disorders and depression, narrative therapy, family therapy, and counselling supervision.
Vision
Vision research provides an important resource for the community, industry, government and eye-care professions. There are a number of areas of collaboration with research activities in the other programs and across faculties deriving from the main research activities in this program which are visual optics, including aberrations of the eye and their correction; lens design and performance; myopia and optics of the eye; visual performance studies, including vision rehabilitation, vision and driving. and vision and falls; and clinical research into the ocular surface, effects of refractive surgery, colour vision and electroretinography.
Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety (CARRS-Q)
Accident and Injury Prevention Research
Road safety and workplace accident prevention are key areas of research that have already led to the successful implementation of behaviour intervention and education programs. The Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety–Queensland (CARRS–Q) is a major collaborative research centre established as a joint venture initiative of the Motor Accident Insurance Commission (MAIC) and QUT. The Centre was created to address the enormous human, economic and social costs resulting from road crashes. It has expanded its research scope to include the broader area of injury prevention with a particular interest in youth and risk-taking behaviours.
The Centre's charter is to identify, assess and initiate innovative priority-driven research and teaching programs leading to the development and implementation of strategies to improve safety on roads, in workplaces and in communities. The Centre aims to strengthen and broaden research and intervention development in the areas of vulnerable road users; illegal and high-risk behaviours; the human behaviour and technology interface; school and community-based road safety education; and workplace safety.
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