The Aged Care Department of Bankstown- Lidcombe Hospital, led by Professor Daniel Chan, has been actively involved in a range of research related to Parkinson's disease and vascular diseases including stroke. The main focus of the Department's Parkinson's disease research has been in the molecular aspect of the disease.

Collaborative studies looking at treatment of vascular dementia with China are also being developed with a pilot study underway at Bankstown showing promising results.

Research undertaken by the Unit has focused on multidisciplinary, clinically based research into geriatric syndromes, particularly the evaluation of cognition in culturally diverse populations. Other areas of interest include the evaluation and management of acutely unwell older people in the Emergency Department and inpatient settings, long-term outcomes of service provision, dementia care in culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities, advance care planning and end-of-life care.

The Arthritis Research Unit within the Rheumatology Department at Liverpool Hospital has three active research programs: inflammation basic science; clinical and health services research relevant to rheumatic and autoimmune diseases and medical education and evaluation research.

Braeside Liverpool Fairfield Rehabilitation Research Group (BLF RRG) has been very productive in outcome based rehabilitation research over the last three years, averaging 20 to 25 conference presentations and several published articles per year. 

The Collaboration for Cancer Outcomes Research and Evaluation (CCORE), established in 1999, is affiliated with the Cancer Therapy Centre, Liverpool Hospital and the Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research. The Liverpool Hospital Cancer Therapy Centre is a tertiary referral centre for the treatment of cancer patients in south western Sydney.

BACKGROUND

The overall aim of the research programme at the Department of Diabetes and Endocrinology at Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital is to investigate clinical aspects of diabetes management and diabetes education that may result in findings of benefit to those who have diabetes and those who suffer from its many complications. Of particular interest to the Department in this regard are the possible applications of computer technology to the assessment and management of diabetes by patients and the health professionals who care for them.

The Electron Microscopy Laboratory (EML) is primarily responsible for diagnostic examination of surgical specimens in Anatomical Pathology. Research activities include quantification of angiogenesis in prostate cancer, analysis of cell types involved in the pathogenesis of renal fibrosis and ultrastructural characterisation of brain neoplasms.

Since its establishment in late 2005 the Emergency Medicine Research Unit has (EMRU) undertaken numerous research and academic activities including participation in several multicentre clinical trials, completion of numerous internal research projects, invitations to join several major research bodies, invitations to speak at national conferences and supervision of medical students in their research activities. The Unit has been successful in applying for funding through the NHMRC, Emergency Care Institute and the US Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network to name a few.

Gastroenterology and Liver Services at Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital have a strong track record in the areas of radiofrequency ablation of Barrett’s oesophagus, endoscopic ultrasound, enteroscopy, confocal endomicroscopy, colorectal and pancreatic cancer and inflammatory bowel diseases management and research.

The busy clinical hepatitis service at Liverpool Hospital has formed the platform for significant clinical hepatitis research and the establishment of the Hepatitis Research Group (HRG) under the leadership of Associate Professor Miriam Levy.

The Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Research group is in its infancy being established following the employment of an IBD nurse in August 2011. The research group has been a member of the Australian and New Zealand IBD (ANZIBD) consortium since 2011 and is working in collaboration with eleven other IBD centres across New Zealand and Australia to accurately genotype and phenotype all IBD patients under our care.

Research at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Liverpool Hospital, is focused on multi-centre clinical trials coordinated via the Australia and New Zealand Intensive Care Society Clinical Trials Group (ANZICS CTG) as well as single-centre studies designed and performed within the unit. The collaboration with the ANZICS CTG over the last decade has resulted in several landmark studies that have been pivotal in defining best clinical practice in fluid resuscitation, renal replacement therapy, glucose control and sepsis management.

The Liverpool Renal Clinical Research Centre (LRCRC) was established in 1998 under the leadership of Associate Professors Michael Suranyi and Josephine Chow and continues to support an active clinical research program within Renal Services. The selected studies are supported by all the accredited nephrologists of South Western Sydney Local Health District. The Centre actively participates in a number of clinical trials, unit based research initiatives and projects, quality management projects and educational initiatives.

Clinician researchers in Neurology and Stroke at Liverpool and Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospitals are chief investigators in several competitively funded research projects based in South Western Sydney Clinical School and Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research.

The research team for SWSLHD Palliative Care services spans projects based in acute care, community based care and palliative care inpatient services. Its aim is to undertake research which directly informs the provision of care to those living with advanced life limiting illness and their families.

The major research interests of the Pancreatic Research Group include alcohol-induced pancreatic injury, pancreatic stellate cell biology, pancreatic fibrosis and tumour-stromal interactions in pancreatic cancer. The Pancreatic Research Group has been consistently supported by the NHMRC/DVA for over 25 years and has also received grant support from the Australian Research Council and the Cancer Council of New South Wales. The Group is internationally acknowledged as the leading research group in the field of alcoholic pancreatitis and pancreatic fibrogenesis.

In July 2011, Professor Afaf Girgis was appointed to develop and lead the Psycho-Oncology Research Group, under the umbrella of the Translational Cancer Research Unit, funded by the Cancer Institute NSW.

Researchers within the Department of Respiratory Medicine at Liverpool Hospital are working on a wide-range of problems in respiratory and sleep medicine and science including asthma, COPD, sleep disorders and tuberculosis. Research on tuberculosis has examined the outcomes of treatment for tuberculosis in NSW, the risk for tuberculosis among people with diabetes and with renal failure in Australia and the effectiveness of contact tracing in people exposed to patients with tuberculosis in south-western and western Sydney.

The Simpson Centre For Health Services Research (SCHSR) was established and funded in 1994 by the New South Wales Health Department to promote research into Health Systems.

The Centre’s fundamental goal is to innovate, develop, implement and evaluate health care systems. In addition, we conduct research to generate new knowledge about existing services and to influence policy and practice.

Research activities are conducted through the Whitlam Orthopaedic Research Centre (WORC) - part of the Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research. WORC has research expertise in multi-centre randomised controlled trials, in the fields of trauma surgery, joint replacement surgery and rehabilitation.

Although most of the WORC’s research activities relate to musculoskeletal conditions, they are also involved in research in other areas including outcome registries, methodological studies, surveys and systematic reviews.