Anton Breinl Research Centre About the ABRCHSS

About the ABRCHSS

The Anton Breinl Research Centre for Health Systems Strengthening brings together a multidisciplinary team of medical, nursing, public health, social science and allied health researchers to build on JCU’s strong record of rural, remote, Indigenous and tropical health research. We do this through progressing a highly collaborative program of translational research with a strong social justice focus, addressing issues of high importance and relevance to tropical communities.

Our research focus is on meeting the priority health needs of northern Australia and our near tropical neighbours through research that makes a difference and training a workforce with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to respond to these priority health needs. We aim to progress health equity in partnership with Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islanders, rural and remote populations, tropical populations in neighbouring countries and other underserved groups.

We aim to improve health equity in the tropics through:

  • Research responding to priority health concerns of rural, remote, Indigenous and tropical communities
  • Fostering participatory approaches when working with communities
  • Advocating for change and social justice in health policy and practice
  • Building and strengthening research capacity

Strong and equitable health systems for rural, remote, Indigenous and tropical communities

Our goal is to conduct high quality research underpinned by a deep commitment to health equity for tropical, rural, remote and Indigenous populations.

  1. In consultation with communities, identify and prioritise key research questions
  2. Understand and document the epidemiology of disease and health in our region
  3. Develop sustainable models of health care service delivery for rural, remote, Indigenous and tropical populations
  4. Identify and disseminate effective interventions responding to priority concerns for populations of focus
  5. Promulgate evidence based models of workforce development in rural and remote settings
  6. Increase the research activity of Higher Degree Researchers, Early Career and Mid-Career researchers attached to the Centre.

Organisational Structure

Associate Professor Catrina Felton-Busch

Centre Co-Director and Program Leader for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health

Professor Sarah Larkins

Centre Co-Director and Program Leader for Health Systems Strengthening and Workforce Development

Associate Professor Richard Franklin

Program leader for Responding to Priority Health Concerns

Governance structure

Centre Management is composed of Program Leaders who meet bi-monthly to discuss their stream's planning, strategies and implementation of research strategies.

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Committee is composed of key stakeholders in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health including health service providers, policy makers, consumers, advocates and academics.

The Centre Advisory Committee meets annually to discuss the translation of research outcomes into practice.  Members include representation from Queensland Health, non-government primary health care and acute care, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Controlled Health Service, Medicare Local, Melanesian health or research institutions and consumers from the community.