Key Priorities

Future-fit health systems

Australia’s health system has earned a reputation globally for quality and universality – but it faces growing pressures that demand bold, evidence-informed reform. Rising chronic disease, an ageing population, climate threats, and workforce constraints all point to one imperative: we must build a future-ready health system where research and innovation are not optional extras, but core functions.

To deliver care that is sustainable, high-quality and equitable, Australia must address:

Gaps between research and practice
Fragmented funding and governance arrangements
A workforce stretched thin by competing clinical and research demands
Limited pathways for embedding innovation and continuous improvement
The nexus between health and climate

The Academy is advocating for a new model, one in which research is seamlessly integrated into health system design and delivery. Our work includes:

Advancing policy that positions research and innovation as core health system functions
Strengthening the pipeline of health professionals engaged in research and innovation, including as clinician-researchers
Advising governments on innovation policy and reform initiatives

AAHMS

Focus Areas

A resilient, high-performing health system depends on research being embedded in practice, coordinated efforts to address health and medical challenges, and a clear view of emerging issues shaping the future of care.
The Academy’s focus areas guide our work to deepen understanding of what is needed today, identify gaps in knowledge and capability, and inform the actions required for a healthier tomorrow.

Research and innovation as core functions of the health system

Integrating Australia’s excellent health system and outstanding health and medical research sector is essential to elevating both, driving system efficiency, and ensuring that consumers benefit from cutting edge technologies and treatments. Our 2022 report on embedding research in the health system lays out the steps Australia must take if it is to realise this vision – including: developing a research-active health workforce, maximizing investments in research and innovation, enabling broad consumer involvement, and supporting health-academia-industry collaboration. The Academy’s focus on integrating research in the health system aims to make evidence generation and translation a routine, seamless part of delivering care.

Health impacts of Australian bushfires

Addressing Australia’s most pressing health and medical challenges requires coordinated national action that brings together world-class research, robust policy design and effective implementation across the health system. The Academy is dedicated to driving the progress needed to transform health outcomes across all Australian communities – whether this be strengthening prevention, building trust in evidence-based treatments, or providing rapid policy advice during public health emergencies.

PFAS: Forever Chemicals

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of almost 15,000 synthetic chemicals that are ubiquitously present in the environment– including in drinking water, the food supply, and household products. PFAS are often referred to as “forever chemicals”, able to persist in the environment for decades and build up in human and animal bodies over time.

Health impacts of climate change

The Academy’s work on the health impacts of climate change addresses the most urgent areas for action in Australia. Our aim is to increase understanding of the short, medium and long-term impacts on health, and identify gaps in this understanding – especially where they relate to the actions needed to support individual and community recovery.

Navigating the COVID19 pandemic

When COVID-19 emerged in early 2020, the Academy responded to the need for independent, expert advice to assist Australia in tackling the pandemic. Throughout the pandemic, our Fellows have shared expert advice and engaged with government, policymakers and the public to guide conversations about issues related to COVID-19.

Advancing prevention

How can Australians live healthier and happier for longer? The Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences (AAHMS) has released a report on actions that can help.

Innovation in Mental Health

What innovations have had the greatest impact on mental health prevention, treatment, and care in Australia – and what has the greatest potential to make a difference in the future? At the Health Horizons Forum: Innovation in Mental Health some of the nation’s top experts gathered in Sydney for a cross-sector roundtable discussion on innovation in the mental health, focusing on identifying new Australian innovations, how to foster future innovations, and strategies to overcome barriers to implementation.

Research Roadmap for Blood Cancer

Blood cancers are the third most commonly diagnosed type of cancer in Australia and the third-largest cause of cancer deaths. There are over 120 different types of blood cancer with little currently known about how or why many blood cancers develop. The Academy was pleased to join the Australian Academy of Science as a key partner in developing the 10-year Research Roadmap, which identifies priority areas for research activity and investment, and barriers and opportunities for research advancement and translation into clinical care.