Welcome from the Executive Director
Welcome to the Melbourne Academic Centre for Health (MACH).
I am delighted to have started as Executive Director in July 2019. As you know, the MACH is one of ten Translational Centres of Excellence (seven Advanced Health Research and Translation Centres [AHRTCs] and three Centres for Innovation in Regional Health [CIRHs]) designated by the NHMRC across Australia.
MACH is a joint venture between 19 full partners, including 10 Victorian healthcare providers, 8 independent medical research institutes and the University of Melbourne, with La Trobe University as an affiliate member. Across this partnership, which has nearly 40,000 staff, around $7 billion is invested each year in health care, research and education.
The MACH partnership brings together health services, health scientists and healthcare consumers committed to translation of interdisciplinary research that will benefit patients and strengthen the economy. We address current health challenges by delivering precision care tailored to the needs of patients, developing world-leading research into tomorrow’s healthcare and nurturing future leaders of innovative care. We work collaboratively across our 19 partners, and with the broader medical and scientific community, Australian governments, industry partners and healthcare consumers to fulfil MACH’s potential to be Australia’s leading health transformation partnership.
MACH distinguishes itself by approaching the goal of enhanced patient outcomes from a system perspective. Rather than commence with an explicit focus on specific diseases, the projects within the MACH are relevant to all partners, who work collectively to identify systemic problems, from primary health care through to tertiary care. Once these issues have been identified, suitable solutions are proposed utilising the full research strength of MACH members.
This integrated approach allows for research to enable health system reform, ensuring that research translation and immediate positive patient care are at the forefront of the MACH’s principal outcomes.
MACH and its partners lead initiatives that deliver transformative and sustainable change to the health sector. We collaboratively pursue aligned funding opportunities, including the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF), to deliver on our organisational mission. We look forward to welcoming you to the MACH partnership.
Best wishes,
Professor Sir John Savill, BA, MBChB, PhD, FRCP, FRCPE, FRCSEd(Hon), FRCPCH(Hon), FASN, FRSE, F.MedSci, FAHMS, FRS
Executive Director, Melbourne Academic Centre for Health