NEWS & RESOURCES

ARC Linkage Project - Reducing Health Disparities For Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Peoples. The SiREN team are pleased to welcome Dr Daniel Vujcich as the Project Coordinator. Daniel comes to Curtin University having worked as a senior policy officer in the Sexual Health and Blood-borne Virus Program at the WA Department of Health, and then as a coordinator of peer-based sexual health projects at the Aboriginal Health Council of Western Australia. Welcome Daniel!

$45 Million Federal Funding Boost For STIs and BBVs. The Federal Government has granted the greatest increase in funding to prevent, diagnose and treat STIs and BBVs in at least two decades, with a $45 million boost over four years. To find out more, read the media release from the Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations (AFAO).

HIV self test approved for sale in Australia. A new HIV self-testing device has been approved for sale in Australia. At this stage, it will only be available online.

New PrEP Campaign, GET PREP’D. AFAO recently launched a new national PrEP campaign for gay and other men (cis or trans) who have sex with men. Their first video has just gone live. The campaign advertising has also commenced on Facebook, Instagram and Grindr. More content to come.

Removing Barriers: Stigma And Discrimination. A new online learning tool for addressing stigma and discrimination in healthcare settings has been developed by the Australasian Society for HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexual Health Medicine (ASHM). It covers three main areas: understanding the barriers to diagnosis and treatment for people at risk of or with hepatitis B, hepatitis C or HIV, recognising barriers in your practise, and how to change current habits of how we provide services in this field.

Hepatitis C Treatment Awareness Cups. HepatitisWA have partnered with the Paper Cup Project to share and raise awareness about the new lifesaving hepatitis C treatment. The cups were designed by a local artist and will be distributed to sixteen cafes around Perth.

CONFERENCES

Public Health Prevention Conference 2019. The conference theme is ‘Smashing the Silos’. It will address the economics of prevention; and ask what is working, what needs to be strengthened and what are the biggest gaps in prevention systems. June 12-14, Melbourne.

Australian Viral Hepatitis Elimination Conference. This conference aims to build momentum towards elimination of viral hepatitis in Australasia. The conference will focus on increasing diagnosis/testing, improving models of care, treatment, paradigms, and reinfection strategies; as well as evaluate the status of the Australasian section in working towards the 2030 WHO elimination goals. Abstracts close April 7. August 5-6, Sydney.

2019 Australasian HIV&AIDS and Sexual Health Conferences. After nearly 10 years, Perth will again host these conferences. The Sexual Health Conference will be held from September 16-18 and the HIV&AIDS Conference will be held from the September 17-19. Be sure to save the date now! Abstracts and registrations will open extremely soon (website says March 2019, at time of print they had yet to open).

13th International Congress On AIDS In Asia & The Pacific. This conference will be co-located with the Australasian HIV&AIDS and Sexual Health Conferences. It will bring together leaders from the community, clinicians and funders. It will explore the theme 'Getting our act together - progress, barriers and opportunities for 2020 and beyond'. Abstracts and registrations will open extremely soon (website says March 2019, at time of print they had yet to open). Sept 18-21, Perth.

International Evaluation Conference. With the future-focused theme of 'Evaluation un-boxed', the Australian Evaluation Society (AES) encourage stories about opening up evaluation to end users, and drawing on the knowledge of communities and other disciplines to expand evaluation and ensure its ongoing relevance. September 16-18, Sydney.

TRAINING & SEMINARS

Free Abstract Writing Workshop. SiREN is hosting an abstract writing workshop to support you to develop your abstract writing skills and to submit an abstract for the Australasian Sexual Health Conference and Australasian HIV&AIDS Conference to be held in Perth in September. The workshop will be held in late April or early May. Exact date and venue to be confirmed. Please express your interest by emailing siren@curtin.edu.au.

Growing and Developing Healthy Relationships 2019: Supporting schools to deliver effective relationships & sexuality education. Curtin University. This one day symposium will showcase recent developments in school-based relationships and sexuality education. Keynote speakers include Dana Kerford, URSTRONG founder and friendship expert and Maree Crabbe. July 1, Curtin University.

Relationships and Sexuality Education in Schools Professional Development. Curtin University. This free 2-day workshop will assist you to plan, implement and assess effective relationships and sexuality education in school settings. September 26–27, Curtin University.

HIV PrEP Update For GPs And Practice Nurses. ASHM. This training will provide an update on strategies available for the prevention of HIV transmission, focusing on PrEP. April 11, Perth.

Using Evidence To Improve Organisational Performance - Roles For evaluative Thinking Workshop. AES. This workshop is designed for program managers and evaluators in the WA public sector. It will enable participants to enhance their understanding of the practice of evaluative thinking and its potential to improve organisational performance. April 30, Perth.

Curing hepatitis C in primary care training. ASHM. This hepatitis C update will focus on early diagnosis, management and treatment of hepatitis C in the context of new treatments. May 7, Perth.

Professional Development in Outcome Measurement. UWA Centre for Social Research. This two-day course will provide participants with a chance to develop a better understanding of outcome measurement and how to implement it in their organisation within an interactive learning environment. Scholarships are available. June 4-5 and September 19-20, Crawley.

Knowledge Translation Australia Online Course. Knowledge Translation Australia. This online course, specifically for researchers, will get you set up and functioning on social media. The goal of the program is to give you the necessary skills and guidance to save you time and make your efforts effective and measurable.

JOBS

Registered Nurse. WA AIDS Council. An exciting opportunity has come up to join the sexual health team at the M Clinic. The specific goal of this position is to provide HIV, STI and BBV testing, education, treatment, vaccination, referrals, clinical follow-up, support for GPs and undertake related administrative duties. Applications close April 12.

Senior Research and Evaluation Officer. Chronic Disease Prevention Directorate, Public and Aboriginal Health. In this position you will plan, manage and provide high-level advice regarding evaluation and related research pertaining to chronic disease prevention activities and projects. Applications close April 12.

Expression of Interest for Youth Advisory Group. Telethon Kids Institute. Are you a young person or do you know a young person who is Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander and LGBTIQ? If so, Telethon would love to hear from you! This is a paid opportunity to be a part of the Youth Advisory Committee and be actively involved in important research. EOIs close April 10.

GRANTS & SCHOLARSHIPS

Ideas Grants. The National Health and Medical Research Council Ideas Grant scheme aims to support innovative and creative research projects addressing a specific question in any area of health or medical research. Applications close May 8.

Youth Engagement Grants Program. Grants are available for local governments and community service organisations to implement projects that engage young people. Funding is available for one-off activities or initiatives with a duration of up to six months. Applications close June 30.

Sexual Health post-graduate scholarship. The Department of Health is offering two scholarships to assist post-graduate or honours degree students undertake applied research and evaluation of sexual health and/or blood-borne virus related projects commencing in 2020. Applications close October 30.