Scientia Professor Henry Brodaty has made a key contribution to the future shape of Australia’s health and medical research, as a member of the McKeon Review.

The Strategic Review of Health and Medical Research, chaired by former Australian of the Year, Simon McKeon, focuses on maximising Australia’s capacity to produce world-class health and medical research from discovery through to translation.

The report outlines a 10-year strategy and recommends closer links between medical research and health service delivery and calls for Australia to commit between 3 - 4% of health expenditure on medical research.

Professor Brodaty was one of five panel members who produced the review. He is Scientia Professor of Ageing and Mental Health and Co-Director of the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA) at UNSW Medicine. In addition to his academic commitments, Professor Brodaty has clinical responsibilities as Director of Aged Care Psychiatry and Head of the Memory Disorders Clinic at Prince of Wales Hospital, and he is President-Elect of the International Psychogeriatric Association.

“[The Review] has found that Australia has one of the world’s best performing health systems,” says Health Minister Tanya Plibersek. “But we need new strategies and processes to drive improvements in healthcare delivery through a renewed and fully integrated health and medical research sector.

“The overarching vision of the report is embedding health and medical research into all aspects of the health system. This is because health services that conduct research deliver better outcomes for patients.”

Media contact: Susi Hamilton, UNSW Media, 0422 934 024