What has AusHSI achieved since its inception? As Founding Director, what do you consider to be its impact under your legacy?
AusHSI has made a significant impact to health services research, helping to change the way people think about health service delivery and influencing the system for the better.
We have consistently delivered the same important message that we can’t afford to waste dollars on unnecessary services. We need to gain the highest health benefits for patients from every healthcare dollar spent. In doing so, we need to seek out better and lower-cost ways to deliver health services and translate these into improved practice.
Over the last few years with AusHSI and its excellent team I have been proud to oversee a number of initiatives.
First and foremost, we have funded and supported a large number of research projects and so have stimulated a core group of clinician-researchers to get more involved in health services research. This work has built significant capacity within the profession and I believe it is one of our core legacies.
Secondly, our training programs have had broad engagement and have instilled the same value proposition of cost-effectiveness, again supporting the culture change toward value-based care.
Thirdly, our Knowledge Translation workshops have also been tremendously successful. These workshops have made people think more carefully about how to put innovations into practice and the most appropriate framework to deliver them – asking attendees to consider how to implement and sustain better services in a complex health environment.
Finally, I am very proud of the new Graduate Certificate in Health Services Innovation which AusHSI has developed in partnership with the QUT School of Public Health and Social Work. Since last year 60 highly motivated clinician researchers have undertaken the course and their feedback has been excellent.
What do you envisage for AusHSI’s future? What would you like to see happen?
In terms of future direction, I think AusHSI needs to keep doing more of what it’s been doing – advancing new ideas and championing partnerships while delivering competitively funded research grants with hands-on consultancy services.
We have a really talented team of people and a strong trajectory that will continue to thrive with intelligent leadership. AusHSI’s new acting Academic Director, Steve McPhail brings an excellent combination of skills and credentials to AusHSI and has a lot to offer the organisation.
Moving forward, I would love to see further Government investment in AusHSI’s stimulus grant scheme. AusHSI has supported over 40 new research initiatives since its inception. These funding initiatives have been one of the best things we’ve delivered. All the projects have served to identify and champion simple, evidence -based innovations and improvements. They have demonstrated how improved health outcomes can be made alongside millions in savings.
After eight years with AusHSI, I am sad to leave – but also excited about the opportunities that lay ahead, including a new chapter for my family as we take on new challenges in Singapore. On a professional level, I look forward to continuing at Duke-NUS Medical School to support innovations and empower health professionals for better health services.
~Professor Nick Graves, April 2019~