About AIHI

The Australian Institute of Health Innovation (AIHI) is a research-intensive institute located at Macquarie University, Sydney. Proudly supported by the vibrant and rapidly growing Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, the Institute conducts world-class research to catalyse performance improvement in healthcare services and systems in Australia and internationally.

Reflecting the diverse and multidimensional nature of its research, AIHI attracts highly skilled professionals (e.g. clinicians, scientists, social scientists, psychologists, engineers, epidemiologists, informatics experts, economists, statisticians and analysts) in order to develop expert communities of practice, create multidisciplinary research teams and engage in synergistic networking and co-authorship with many partners.

Macquarie University’s cultural surveys of all departments and faculties have consistently found that AIHI is ranked very highly in terms of culture and support for students, early career researchers, academic and professional staff.

AIHI's major sources of funding are the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), Macquarie University, the Australian Research Council (ARC) discovery and linkage grants, and commissioned research and evaluations.

AIHI conducts world-class research with relevance to national and international research communities, governments, policymakers, providers of health services, managers, clinicians, patients and the community. Our work underpins healthcare reforms and systems improvement and provides new technologies, perspectives and evidence.

We invite you to enjoy our Annual Report showcasing recent work.

Meet our Board

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AIHI aims

AIHI conducts multidisciplinary research into health sector practices and organisation and management that directly enhances the delivery of high quality, safe, efficient and affordable healthcare. The emphasis is on translational research, and turning policy into practice.

We provide the research evidence to improve healthcare for communities around the world.

• Understanding the relationship between system complexity and system performance
• Evaluating the impact of an intervention(s) on health, workplace, and social outcomes
• Understanding behaviour as a basis for practice improvement
• Use of artificial intelligence as a technique to support evidence-based decision-making
• Designing models of care and ways of working which provide improved safety and quality
• Applying an economic lens to evaluations and policy development

Our background

Leaders in health system innovation

Healthcare reform and service innovation are the most pressing challenges to modern healthcare. Internationally, health systems struggle to keep up with demand, driven by modern technologies, changing consumer preferences and an ageing population, and hindered by a diminishing resources. Leading thinkers now see the radical reinvention of healthcare delivery, exploiting innovations in systems design and technology, as the only way of creating a health system that is sustainable and meets the needs and expectations of the community.

Centres of research excellence

AIHI was established in December 2007 under Founding Director Professor Jeffrey Braithwaite and joined Macquarie University's Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences in November 2014 (now the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences). The Institute brought together three well-established and successful research centres, with a fourth joining in January 2022.

AIHI is led by Professor Jeffrey Braithwaite, an internationally recognised health services and systems researcher. Directors alongside Professor Braithwaite are: Professor Johanna Westbrook, a leading informatics and patient safety researcher; Professor Enrico Coiera, a renowned informatics and AI expert; and Professor Henry Cutler, a prominent health economist.

AIHI comprises four independent, complementary and highly collaborative Macquarie University research centres, alongside three additional NHMRC-funded centres. Each centre takes a systems perspective to solve healthcare problems using innovative and wide-ranging research methods. The University centres are:

• Centre for Healthcare Resilience and Implementation Science (CHRIS)
• Centre for Health Systems and Safety Research (CHSSR)
• Centre for Health Informatics (CHI)
• Macquarie University Centre for the Health Economy (MUCHE)

AIHI’s leadership in translational health services research is further evidenced by the innovative work of three NHMRC-funded centres:

• NHMRC Partnership Centre for Health System Sustainability
• NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Digital Health
• NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Implementation Science in Oncology

Collaborative research

The Institute provides national and international leadership in developing innovative research-led solutions to healthcare systems by capitalising on the success of the existing Centres. It fashions linkages with external research agencies, policy bodies and healthcare provider organisations, creating a strong national capability in scholarly activities and forging sustainable relationships with international bodies and researchers.

Multidisciplinary staff and higher degree students

The Institute currently has almost 230 research staff, associates, national and international visiting professors and fellows, including up to 54 doctoral, masters or honours research students. It has experienced rapid growth and it is anticipated this will continue in the foreseeable future. The Institute is a multidisciplinary environment and operates with a philosophy of teamwork and mutual professional support and respect.

Translational research improving health systems

We create a strong, inclusive environment for excellent scholarship, research activities and output. This is the largest grouping of health services researchers in Australia and one of the largest in the world. Our aim is to provide a productive culture and first class environment for health systems research, addressing critical issues arising in current health systems that cannot effectively be addressed by single-focus research centres.

Research centres

The unique depth of AIHI comes from four independent but complementary centres of research:

1. Centre for Healthcare Resilience and Implementation Science (CHRIS)
2. Centre for Health Systems and Safety Research (CHSSR)
3. Centre for Health Informatics (CHI)
4. Macquarie University Centre for the Health Economy (MUCHE)

Taken individually, these centres are powerhouses of expert research endeavour. They also collaborate extensively. The success of this focussed but collaborative model has culminated in the addition of three more centres in 2017:

• NHMRC Partnership Centre for Health System Sustainability
• NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Digital Health
• NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Implementation Science in Oncology

Collaborators and partners

The Australian Institute of Health Innovation highly values all our collaborative relationships across a range of sectors including government, industry, health services and research institutions and with the community through clinical trials. We are proud to have collaborated with many organisations in Australia and overseas.

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