THE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE
Established in 1853, the University of Melbourne is a public-spirited institution that makes distinctive contributions to society in research, learning and teaching and engagement. It's consistently ranked among the leading universities in the world, with international rankings of world universities placing it as number 1 in Australia and number 32 in the world (Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2018).
Doherty Applied Microbial Genomics is funded by the Department of Microbiology and Immunology and is partnered with the Melbourne Dental School.
THE ROYAL MELBOURNE HOSPITAL
The Royal Melbourne Hospital (RMH) is the oldest hospital in Victoria, Australia, built just prior to the gold rush era that led to a boom in Melbourne's population. RMH City Campus first began as The Melbourne Hospital in 1848 and RMH Royal Park Campus as the Immigrants' Aid Society in 1853.
RMH is a privileged member of Melbourne's world-leading Parkville Precinct, and enjoys strong relationships with many of the city's major universities and research institutes.
AUSTIN HEALTH INFECTIOUS DISEASES DEPARTMENT
The Austin Health Infectious Diseases Department provides a full range of inpatient and outpatient infectious diseases services to Austin Health as well as to a number of regional hospitals in Victoria. It has close links with the Diagnostic Microbiology Department at Austin Health and works closely with the Communicable Diseases Unit, Department of Health, the Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory and the University of Melbourne.
The Austin Health Infectious Diseases Department is the co-ordinating centre for Hand Hygiene Australia and has a very active research program aimed at addressing clinically relevant infectious disease problems.
THE ALFRED DEPARTMENT OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
The Alfred Department of Infectious Diseases offers expertise in general infectious diseases (eg pneumonia, meningitis, urogenital infection, cellulitis), tuberculosis, respiratory infections, HIV/AIDS, sexually transmissible infections, and travel related infections. The unit also specialises in antibiotic usage, infection control, and HIV palliative and continuing care. The service incorporates the Statewide HIV/AIDS Service.
MELBOURNE SEXUAL HEALTH CENTRE (MSHC)
Melbourne Sexual Health Centre has been in operation since 1917. It is a principal centre for the training of medical undergraduates and medical and nursing postgraduates as well as other health professionals.
The Commonwealth and State Governments provide ongoing funding for continuing development of MSHC and the prevention of STIs and HIV infection. MSHC and The Alfred in particular work in close collaboration through the Alfred Health Network to ensure the provision of ongoing high quality STI and HIV/AIDS services across both sites.
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
The Victorian Department of Health develops and delivers policies, programs and services that support and enhance the wellbeing of all Victorians. DHHS takes a broad view of the causes of ill health, the drivers of good health, the social and economic context in which people live, and of the incidence and experience of vulnerability.
FOOD STANDARDS AUSTRALIA NEW ZEALAND (FSANZ)
Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) develops standards that regulate the use of ingredients, processing aids, colourings, additives, vitamins and minerals. The Code also covers the composition of some foods, e.g. dairy, meat and beverages as well as standards developed by new technologies such as genetically modified foods. FSANZ is also responsible for some labelling requirements for packaged and unpackaged food, e.g. specific mandatory warnings or advisory labels.
THE INSTITUTE OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND RESEARCH (ESR)
ESR is a government-owned Crown Research Institute that delivers world class knowledge, research and laboratory services to help New Zealand get the best out of its investment in science and innovation.
ESR provides the scientific expertise behind the decisions that safeguard people's health, protect New Zealand’s food-based economy and improve the safety of New Zealand’s freshwater and groundwater resources. The institute also provides the justice sector with expert forensic science.
OZFOODNET
OzFoodNet is part of a World Health Organization capacity building network – Global Foodborne Infections Network (GFN) that supports laboratory-based surveillance of foodborne diseases, by teaching epidemiologists and laboratory scientists to conduct surveillance for foodborne infections and investigate outbreaks.
OzFoodNet principally undertake surveillance and investigations of foodborne disease in Australia in conjunction with Australian health jurisdictions.
AUSTRALIAN GROUP ON ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE (AGAR)
The Australian Group on Antimicrobial Resistance (AGAR) started in 1985 and is a unique collaboration of clinicians and scientists from major microbiology laboratories around Australia. AGAR tests and gathers information on the level of antibiotic resistance in bacteria causing important and life threatening infections around Australia. The group currently involves 30 institutions including 4 private laboratories.
AGAR primarily focuses on bloodstream infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus spp., Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter spp.
MELBOURNE BIOINFORMATICS
Melbourne Bioinformatics evolved in 2017 from a seven-year project, the Victorian Life Sciences Computation Initiative (VLSCI) which was funded by the Victorian Government (2009-2016) and member institutions, hosted by the University of Melbourne.
This high-end facility has built a team of experts and complex system capacity to enhance life science computing, particularly in Melbourne’s biomedical precinct. Working to build Australia’s capacity in bioinformatics, Melbourne Bioinformatics has nodes of activity across all the major Australian states, focussed particularly on meeting the increasing demand for training and skills development in bioinformatics.
VICTORIAN INFECTIOUS DISEASES REFERENCE LABORATORY (VIDRL)
VIDRL is a leading Australian infectious diseases reference laboratory located in Melbourne, Victoria. VIDRL provides the Victorian Department of Health with virology and Mycobacteria public health reference laboratory services, including surveillance, outbreak investigations, reference testing and research. VIDRL also performs diagnostic testing, mainly in virology, for Victorian hospitals. VIDRL has national reference laboratory designations to the Commonwealth Department of Health for polio and enteroviruses, measles, viral haemorrhagic fevers and smallpox. VIDRL also has a strong commitment to international health programs through WHO now in its 47th year. VIDRL has WHO Collaborating Centre designations for Reference and Research on Influenza and Mycobacterium ulcerans together with WHO Regional Reference Laboratory designations for poliovirus, measles and hepatitis B, and is a WHO National Influenza Centre.