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Avondale academic first nurse to receive national award
An Avondale University academic is the first nurse to receive a federal government award for excellence in health and medical research.
The presentation of the Commonwealth Health Minister’s Award recognises the outstanding achievement and potential of Brett Mitchell. His research tackles the looming threat of microbial resistance and generates evidence for practical approaches to prevent common healthcare-associated infections.
News of the award came in a phone call from National Health and Medical Research Council CEO Professor Anne Kelso. “That surprised me,” says Brett. “I’m humbled and privileged to receive it. I’m also pleased to see research around infection prevention is recognised by my peers as being important.”
Brett received the award from the federal Health and Aged Care Minister in a ceremony at Parliament House last night (July 26). “Infection control is a major health concern globally, particularly in the face of rising resistance to antimicrobial drugs,” says Mark Butler. “Professor Mitchell’s research is critical in finding ways to stop infection before it starts.” The minister congratulated Brett, adding his research “demonstrates the value of working with local health networks, hospitals and industry partners to find practical solutions to a growing health problem.”
The award provides $50,000 in addition to the $1.5 million Brett received as recipient of the NHMRC’s 2021 Peter Doherty Investigator Grant Award for Emerging Leadership.
It is a good investment as research into the prevention and control of infections not only saves money, but also lives. With one in 10 patients—or 165,000 people a year—acquiring an infection in an Australian hospital, the burden is significant. Despite the associated increase in morbidity, mortality and antimicrobial resistance—not to mention length of stay—strategies to prevent healthcare acquired infections are informed by low-quality evidence. So, Brett’s focus has been on increasing patient safety by finding better ways to reduce infections. “Making life a little bit better is not only good for the patient but also for the community because we can increase hospital capacity, freeing up beds for elective surgery.”
Brett completed his PhD at Australian Catholic University in 2013. He is a former Professor in Nursing at The University of Newcastle School of Nursing and Midwifery and is now Professor of Health Services Research and Nursing at Avondale University. “We’re proud of Brett’s nationally recognised contribution to the area of healthcare,” says Vice-Chancellor Professor Kevin Petrie. “The alignment with our Lifestyle Medicine and Health Research Centre ensures Avondale continues to make a significant impact in the area of wholistic health and education.”
The Commonwealth Health Minister’s Award for Excellence in Health and Medical Research is given annually to the top-ranked recipient of a NHMRC Investigator Grant in the Emerging Leadership Level 2 category in the previous year’s round.
The Investigator Grant is one of NHMRC’s flagship schemes and provides five-year funding security for high-performing researchers by providing a salary and a research support package. It is competitive with many high-quality applications received in each round.
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