Consumer and Community Involvement Working Groups

Consumer and Community Involvement is a priority area for MACH. We are committed to supporting consumers, community members, researchers, and research organisations working in partnerships to improve the health and well-being of all Australians through health and medical research. In addition to ensuring consumer representation on MACH committees and networks, we also support our partner organisations with consumer recruitment and collaboration.

Consumer and Community Involvement (CCI) at MACH operates under best practice standards in line with the National Health and Medical Research Council’s statement on Consumer and Community Involvement.

  • Our collaboration with the other Research Translation Centres forms the national Australian Health Research Alliance (AHRA). As an Alliance, we are running a four-part national project which aims to increase Consumer and Community Involvement (CCI) capacity and inclusion across our partners.
  • By teaming with the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre (VCCC) on a Consumer Engagement in Research Community of Practice, we support consumer engagement managers and other professionals at MACH hospitals and research institutes.
  • We ensure consumer representation to MACH Themes and Networks so patients and carers are speaking directly to those who research and treat their disease.

MACH is a proud member of the Consumers Health Forum of Australia.

 

Contacts to support researchers looking to engage consumers are listed below. Please refer to your relevant organisation or contact your local research office for further information:

“When consumers are included as a valued part of the team, they provide a different way of looking at the research which benefits the researcher, the research organisation and, ultimately, the health consumer.

George Kiossoglou: Consumer Representative, WEHI and Melbourne Academic Centre for Health