Project Summary
Through health record linkage, combining notifications of viral hepatitis diagnosis, liver cancer diagnoses, hospitalisations, and deaths, as well as records of services provided through the Medicare and Pharmaceutical Benefits programs, this project will develop an accurate picture of the burden of viral hepatitis in Victoria, and measure the impact of care and treatment at a population level as a cancer prevention strategy. By examining the current level of access to care, and measuring the effectiveness of treatment received in preventing liver cancer, this research will guide clinical and public health policy in this area and help address the increasing burden of liver cancer in Australia.
Objectives
To determine the burden of viral hepatitis and associated adverse outcomes in Victoria, and to examine the level of uptake and the effectiveness of clinical and population health interventions such as antiviral treatment and liver cancer surveillance on reducing the impact of these infections.
Investigators
WHO Collaborating Centre for Viral Hepatitis, VIDRL, The Doherty Institute
Principal Investigator: Prof Benjamin Cowie
Chief Investigators: Jennifer MacLachlan, Dr Nicole Allard, George Mnatzaganian
Communicable Diseases Epidemiology and Surveillance,
Department of Health and Human Services Victoria
Chief Investigator: Ms Stacey Rowe
Project contact
Jennifer MacLachlan | Senior Epidemiologist
t: 03 9342 9373 | e: jennifer.maclachlan@mh.org.au
Support
Competitive research funding from Royal Melbourne Hospital Home Lottery 2016 Project Grant