News & opinion

Asbestos is a word that strikes fear in the general public – and rightly so, as its use in mining and construction has led to thousands of deaths from lung disease and counts as one of the great public health disasters of the modern era. Not so many people...

The urgent need to close the gap across a range of health markers for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people can sometimes obscure the real progress already being made in specific areas. This is the case with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander smoking rates, argue the authors of a...

Media release: 7 November 2018. Research that is likely to have a real impact on health policy and practice is being celebrated in the inaugural Public Health Research & Practice Excellence Awards. “I’m delighted to present these awards, which recognise scientific excellence combined with real-world impact in papers published...

What are the genetic factors that make healthy, active ageing more or less likely? Researchers are hoping a groundbreaking new genetic database using blood samples from the Sax Institute’s 45 and Up Study will help unearth some of the answers. Now nearing completion, the Medical Genome Reference Bank (MGRB)...

Media release: 27 September 2018. Many thousands of young Australians are mixing alcohol with caffeine-laden energy drinks with little regard for the potential dangers, according to newly published research. Around 40% of young current drinkers reported drinking alcohol mixed with energy drinks (AmED) in the previous year, despite evidence...

Until recently, very little was known about the health of Aboriginal people who live in urban and large regional centres, who make up the majority of Aboriginal people in NSW. Closing the health and life expectancy gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians is an urgent national priority which requires...

Sax Institute hosts Knowledge Mobilisation conference as field moves “beyond the rhetoric” National and international experts gathered to share their research and experiences in the emerging knowledge mobilisation field at the Sax Institute’s inaugural conference earlier this month. The two-day Knowledge Mobilisation conference, held in Sydney, attracted 200 participants...

Greater transparency and clearer communication are needed when involving the public in health research, according to a new paper in the latest edition of the Sax Institute’s journal Public Health Research & Practice (PHRP). The paper describes consultations with patient and carer representatives from health consumer networks, and it...

The Sax Institute’s Research Action Awards recognise individuals whose research has made a significant impact on health policy, programs or service delivery. Up to three Awards will be granted and each winner will receive a certificate and prize of $5,000. Applications for the 2018 Awards are now open. Applications...

The Sax Institute has published an Evidence Check review focusing on interventions to support breastfeeding, which are among the key childbirth and postnatal interventions that have a beneficial impact on maternal and newborn outcomes. Babies who are not breastfed, and women who don’t breastfeed, are at an increased chance...