Brisbane Diamantina Health Partners is the first Advanced Health Research Translation Centre in Queensland, Australia. The organisation’s purpose is to strengthen the linkages between healthcare, research and education in order to deliver better health outcomes for the community. By encouraging and supporting collaboration, BDHP assists the translation and integration of cutting-edge research and innovation into healthcare delivery. BDHP has two main offices: one located within the Translational Research Institute on the Princess Alexandra Hospital campus, the other located within The University of Queensland’s Centre for Clinical Research on the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital campus.
Partners
Brisbane Diamantina Health Partners is a collaboration which brings together four hospitals, two universities, two medical research institutes, a primary health care network, and Queensland Health
The BDHP partner organisations have a combined annual budget of over $7.5billion, servicing and supporting over 3 million patients, researchers and students each year.
History
Brisbane Diamantina Health Partners’ history dates back to 2011 with the establishment of the Mayne Health Science Alliance and Diamantina Health Partners. In 2014, these two Academic Health Science Centres came together with Children's Health Queensland in a collaborative arrangement to form the Brisbane Diamantina Health Partners Academic Health Science System., Brisbane Diamantina Health Partners is named after Lady Diamantina Bowen. Born in 1833, Lady Bowen initiated and worked for several charities, including the Lady Bowen Lying-In Hospital, the Diamantina Home for Incurables, and the Sisters of Mercy — the Catholic order that established Mater Health Services. The founding partners were Metro North Hospital and Health Service, Metro South Hospital and Health Service, Children’s Health Queensland Hospital and Health Service, Mater Health Services, The University of Queensland, Queensland University of Technology, the Translational Research Institute and the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute. In 2016, the Queensland Department of Health and Brisbane South PHN joined as full partners. In addition, the Southern Queensland Centre of Excellence in Aboriginal and Torres Strait IslanderPrimary Health Care and CSIRO Australian e-Health Research Centre are collaborators. On June 9, 2017, it was announced Brisbane Diamantina Health Partners had been accredited by the National Health and Medical Research Council as a new Advanced Health Research and Translation Centre.
BDHP Leadership
Each of the BDHP partner organisations have a representative on the BDHP Board. The current Board Members are:
Dr Robin Mortimer – Chair, Brisbane Diamantina Health Partners
Dr Stephen Ayre – Executive Director, PAH-QEII Health Network, Metro South Health
Professor Scott Bell – Research, Executive Director, Metro North Hospital and Health Service
Ms Fionnagh Dougan – Health Service Chief Executive, Children’s Health Queensland
Professor Robyn Ward – Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland
Professor Frank Gannon – Chief Executive Officer and Director, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute
Dr Shane Kelly – Chief Executive Officer, Mater Health Services
Professor Carolyn Mountford – Chief Executive Officer, Translational Research Institute
Professor Ross Young – Executive Dean, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology
Mr Michael Walsh - Director General, Department of Health, Queensland Government
Ms Sue Scheinpflug - Chief Executive Officer, Brisbane South PHN
Ms Areti Gavrilidis - General Manager, Brisbane Diamantina Health Partners
Clinical Themes
Through a series of consultations and workshops, Brisbane Diamantina Health Partners established nine broad key clinical themes:
Ageing
Brain and Mental Health
Cancer
Skin and Skin Cancers
Chronic Disease
Evidence and Innovation in Clinical Care
Immunity, Inflammation, Infection
Maternal and Child Health
Trauma, Critical Care and Recovery
These themes are areas of community need in which BDHP’s network of capabilities allows action and leadership to improve health outcomes. While each theme is managed by a different theme leadership team, their purpose is to facilitate collaboration both within and between the themes.
Events
Brisbane Cancer Conference
The BDHP Brisbane Cancer Conference is held annually in December at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre. With over 500 registrants each year, this is the largest meeting of cancer-related researchers, clinicians, educators and industry in Queensland. It is an opportunity to draw together cancer researchers in Brisbane and Queensland to advance collaborative efforts in cancer research. The meeting comprises plenary lectures and workshops on recent scientific, technological, nursing and medical advances in the diagnosis and treatment of malignant disease. The is convened by Professor Ken O’Byrne, Clinical Director of the .
Metabolic Research Collaborative Meeting
The BDHP Metabolic Research Collaborative Meeting is a weekly seminar series held at the Translational Research Institute on the Princess Alexandra Hospital campus. Presentations are given by local, national and international researchers in the areas of diabetic complications, endocrinology, exercise science, gastroenterology, hypertension, metabolic medicine, nursing, nutrition and dietetics, and renal medicine. The weekly seminars are an opportunity to hear about the latest research and encourage greater collaboration within and between research streams. The series is convened by Dr Ingrid Hickman, Director of Research, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Princess Alexandra Hospital.
Blood Cancers Group Seminar Series
The BDHP Blood Cancers Group Seminar Series is held once a month, alternating between the Translational Research Institute on the Princess Alexandra Hospital campus and the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute on the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital campus. Presentations are given by local, national and international researchers, providing an opportunity to hear about the latest research and encourage greater collaboration within and between research streams. The series is convened by Professor Andrew Perkins, Co-leader of the Blood and Bone Diseases Program, .
Circulating Tumour Cell Symposium
The BDHP Circulating Tumour Cell Symposium was a single day event that provided up to date coverage of many aspects of tumour research. The event was co-convened by Professor Colleen Nelson, Executive Director of the Australian Prostate Cancer Research Centre-Queensland, and Professor Rik Thompson, of Queensland University of Technology's Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation. The symposium was attended by some 130 delegates from Queensland University of Technology, The University of Queensland and Griffith Universities, affiliated research institutes, Qld Health, industry and consumer advocacy group representatives as well as attendees from Victoria, New South Wales, Western Australia and South Australia.