Medical Research Future Fund – Professor Alex Brown

Professor Alex Brown (Professor of Aboriginal Health, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute) talks about how the Medical Research Future Fund helps translate research findings into better health outcomes.

3:08

[Music plays and an image appears of a row of flags in front of the SAHMRI building and then the camera zooms out to show people walking past the SAHMRI building]

Professor Alex Brown: We know that chronic disease affects Aboriginal people more so than any other part of our community.

[Camera pans over the SAHMRI sign outside of the SAHMRI building and then the image changes to show Professor Alex Brown sitting talking to the camera and text appears: Professor Alex Brown, Professor of Aboriginal Health, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute]

We need to make sure that health care systems do their job with the right support, the right evidence and the right research to support their decisions.

[Camera pans over glass panels on the outside SAHMRI building then image changes to show Alex and a female walking through the inside of the building]

The South Australian Aboriginal Chronic Disease Consortium’s fundamental job is to take evidence from science and to deliver it to practical outcomes for Aboriginal people in South Australia.

[Image changes to show the room number of Alex’s office door and then the image changes to show Alex talking to the camera]

My name’s Alex Brown. I’m the Professor of Aboriginal Health here at the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute.

[Images move through of Alex talking on the phone while in a lift, the view from the SAHMRI building, and then Alex talking to the camera]

We’ve established the Aboriginal Chronic Disease Consortium here in South Australia on the back of significant research we’ve done over the last ten to 15 years,

[Images move through of a South Australian Aboriginal Chronic Disease banner and Alex and a group of people conversing in a boardroom]

really trying to understand what drives poor outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from chronic conditions.

[Camera zooms in on Alex listening at the table and then a female talking at the table and then the camera zooms out to show the whole board room table again]

The biggest challenge is just simply the enormity of the gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people.

[Image changes to show Alex talking to the camera]

We know that the life expectancy differential is at least ten years.

[Images move through to show Alex and a group of people conversing in a boardroom, Alex talking to the camera, and then a male and a female working at a computer]

We know that particularly at young age the chances of dying from a chronic condition is between five and ten times higher whether that be from say heart disease or diabetes.

[Image changes to show Alex talking to the camera then image changes to show Alex and a female sitting at a laptop looking at paperwork and talking]

We know that there’s significant barriers to access for Aboriginal people in the systems of care that we already have from primary care right through to tertiary services and rehabilitation after somebody has trouble with their health.

[Images move through to show an internal view looking down from the top to the bottom of the SAHMRI building, Alex talking, a meeting room sign, and then people conversing around a table]

The MRFF has provided resourcing for us to continue the work of the South Australian Aboriginal Chronic Disease Consortium.

[Images move through to show a male looking at paperwork, Alex talking to the camera, a male looking at a brochure and talking, and a group of people conversing around a boardroom table]

We have a plan in place and there are a range of projects we’re trying to deliver in translating policy into action.

[Camera zooms in on Alex at the boardroom table]

The MRFF has provided us with some funding to take that next step.

[Images move through of Alex talking to the group at the boardroom table, Alex talking to the camera, a close-up of Alex’s face, and the side of the SAHMRI building]

The value of the Medical Research Future Fund is it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity for researchers to think more deeply about how we can take research and make a difference in systems and services moving forward.

[Camera pans over the glass panels of the SAHMRI building, and then images move through of a row of flags outside the building, and the SAHMRI sign on the outside SAHMRI building]

It’s a great opportunity to translate research into real outcomes for the community.

[Image changes to show Alex talking to the camera]

The medical research is really important for all Australians for a whole raft of reasons.

[Camera pans over a framed SA Aboriginal Chronic Disease Consortium Statement of Commitment then image changes to show Alex and a female working at a laptop]

One is we know that medical research has a return on investment that’s significant.

[Image changes to show Alex and the female in conversation and then the image changes to show Alex talking to the camera]

Probably $7 for every dollar that is invested in medical research is brought back to the community.

[Images move through to show an Aboriginal flag, an internal view of the SAHMRI building from the ground floor, Alex talking to the camera, and then a male and a female working at a computer]

But fundamentally, our interest is in how we can use medical research to make a difference in the lives of people who are experiencing profound disadvantage.

[Image changes to show Alex and a group people conversing around a boardroom table and then the image changes to show Alex talking to the camera]

We’re now starting to build a workforce of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people engaged directly in research.

[Images move through to show Alex and a group people conversing around a boardroom table, a male and a female sitting filling out paperwork, and three females sitting and filling out paperwork]

We’re starting to train the next generation of Aboriginal researchers and we think the time is now, to invest to make sure that those benefits are realised.

[Camera zooms in on one of the females smiling, and then the image changes to show Alex talking to the camera, and then the camera zooms in on Alex’s face as he talks]

If only we understood that the way in which Aboriginal people understand the world can inform a better way for all Australians will we see the future that we all aspire to.

[Image changes to show Alex standing looking at the camera and the camera zooms in on Alex’s face and then the image changes to show a coloured blue, white and red hexagon pattern on the screen]

That’s our job and that’s what we’re hoping to live up with the support of the MRFF.

[Music plays and the Coat of Arms and text appears on a blue screen: Australian Government, Department of Health, Medical Research Future Fund]

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Professor Alex Brown (Professor of Aboriginal Health, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute) talks about how the Medical Research Future Fund helps translate research findings into better health outcomes.

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