MEDICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTES ASSOCIATION RESPONDS TO DRAFT NATIONAL RESEARCH STRATEGY National workforce plan welcomed, though concern remains on the indirect costs of research
With
Dr Saraid Billiards,
Chief Executive Officer
Association of Australian Medical Research Institutes (AAMRI)
SEGMENT
Filmed in Melbourne | October 2025
On 27 August 2025, the Minister for Health, Disability and Ageing announced the release of the draft National Health and Medical Research Strategy (the National Strategy).
The aims of the National Strategy are to build on Australia’s strengths in health and medical research and leverage Australia’s world leading research capability.
The developed strategy aims to attract researchers and investors, strengthen coordination and impact and improve health outcomes in communities.
Involved in the initial consultation phase, was the Association of Australian Medical Research Institutes (AAMRI), the peak body for medical research institutes across Australia. Member institutes work on a broad spectrum of human health issues such as preventive health, chronic disease, mental health, immunology and Indigenous health. Their research ranges from fundamental biomedical discovery through to clinical research and the translation of research findings.
AAMRI CEO Dr Saraid Billiards has been working Health, Ageing and Disability Minister, The Hon Mark Butler MP, his office and subsequently with Ms Rosemary Huxtable AO, who in November 2024 was appointed to develop the National Health and Medical Research Strategy.
Australian Health Journal spoke with Dr Billiards about the advocacy work of AAMRI, the reviews, reports, announcements and Phase 1 consultation period leading to the draft release. Consultation on the draft Strategy is open until 8 October 2025.
Source: Adapted from AAMRI release, NHMRC news story and Department of Health, Disability & Aged Care website.
-
Targeted National Lung Cancer Screening Program commences in 2025
In February 2025, Australian Health Journal spoke with Mark Brooke, Chief Executive Officer of Lung Foundation Australia, at the 10th Australian Lung Cancer Conference in Adelaide, on the upcoming commencement of the National Lung Cancer Screening Program (NLCSP)
-
Physiotherapy approach to jaw & facial pain ties with dental expertise
Darron Goralsky is the Founder, CEO and Clinical Director of Melbourne TMJ & Facial Pain Centre, one of Australia’s leading multidisciplinary clinics dedicated to the assessment and management of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) and craniofacial pain.
-
Gold Coast paediatric emergency nurse leads world’s largest study in securement
Brooke Charters is a dynamic Paediatric Emergency Nurse who works at the Gold Coast University Hospital in Queensland. Brooke’s research became the world’s largest study of its kind and in May 2024 the results of the study were published in JAMA Pediatrics. Her mission is to drive change and enhance the hospital experience for children globally.
