Don’t forget SiREN is here to assist you with your evaluation and research activities. We can help you write funding applications, draft conference abstracts, plan and evaluate your program, and develop evaluation strategies such as writing surveys or running focus groups. Support is free but there are a few criteria we require you to meet. Start a conversation with the SiREN team by emailing siren@curtin.edu.au or phoning us on 9266 7819.

NEWS

Calls to approve HIV home testing kits on World AIDS Day: As World AIDS Day is marked on Friday, December 1, HIV researchers and advocacy groups want Australia to fast-track the approval of home testing kits as part of the effort to reduce the spread of the virus. Ms Corie Gray, Coordinator of the Community of Practice for Action on HIV and Mobility with SiREN spoke to SBS News about her recent research. 

Vale Neville Fazulla: Former Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations (AFAO) Director Neville Fazulla passed away on 11 December 2017. You may have known Neville from his decades of work with Anwernekenhe; PATSIN; as AFAO Director; or as a champion for HIV for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and positive people. Our thoughts are with Neville's family, friends and colleagues.   

Gonorrhoea rising in Australian heterosexuals: A number of news reports have highlighted recent surveillance data on rising rates of gonorrhoea in urban heterosexual populations around Australia. To read more about the Kirby Institute's Annual Surveillance Report on HIV, viral hepatitis and STIs in Australia 2017 please click here, or please click here for a summary of the statistics from MJA Insight. 

New resource - Yarnin' about Hep C: Hepatitis NSW has produced a new booklet about Hep C for Aboriginal People in NSW. You can download the booklet here. 

SiREN's Australiasian HIV Conference wrap-up: Members of the SiREN Team attended the 2017 Australasian Society for HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexual Health Medicine (ASHM) conference in Canberra in November. Read our summary of the conference here. 

AFAO welcomes Government commitment to community-led HIV response: AFAO has welcomed the Commonwealth Government’s commitment to a package of policies that will provide important support to the community-led HIV response. These include the 95-95-95 targets, putting PrEP on the PBS, ongoing support for national peak organisations and new funding for HIV research. Read more about this announcement here.

Survey - Young + Positive: Young + Positive is a study that aims to understand how young people (aged 18-29 years old) living with HIV relate to their own health, living with HIV, and to HIV supports and services. This national study is recruiting people aged 18-29, diagnosed with HIV and living in Australia to complete a survey, for more information please click here.

An HIV undetectable status means HIV cannot be transmitted: A community brief on U=U (Undetectable = Untransmissible) drafted by International Council of AIDS Service Organizations (ICASO), was launched at the annual ASHM conference. To read more about U=U please click here.

ASHM Research - healthcare workers living with a blood-borne virus - experiences of stigma and discrimination: Are you a health care provider living with a blood-borne virus? Or do you know someone who is? ASHM will be running a series of confidential 1-1 interviews and are looking for your experiences of being a health-care worker living with a blood-borne virus. Please contact: Jo Wallwork on 0409164 684 or mjosephinewallwork@gmail.com for more information. 
 
Survey - Australian Not-for-Profit Workforce Study: This is the largest ever research study on and for not-for-profit employees working at all levels. The survey can be found here and is open until December 22. 

CONFERENCES AND EVENTS

Abstracts open - SiREN Symposium 2018: The third biennial SiREN Symposium will bring together West Australian practitioners, clinicians, researchers and policy makers with an interest in sexual health and blood borne virus (SHBBV) issues. The Symposium will provide opportunities to:

  • Connect with others in the SHBBV sector;
  • Learn about the latest projects and research; and
  • Build skills in research, evaluation and knowledge translation. 

Abstract submissions are now open and close February 28, 2018. For more information and for abstract submission details and forms, please visit the SiREN website. 

Save the date - Health Promotion Symposium Canberra 2018: Health Promotion goes to Canberra for a 2 day symposium - Thursday 23 and Friday 24 August 2018. Please keep an eye on the Australian Health Promotion Association website for updates. 

11th Australasian Viral Hepatitis Conference: The 11th Australasian Viral Hepatitis Conference has been confirmed for 13-15 August 2018 at the Adelaide Convention & Exhibition Centre, Adelaide, South Australia. The Australasian Viral Hepatitis Conference is the leading multidisciplinary Viral Hepatitis conference in Australasia. The conference will be an excellent platform to present the latest research on viral hepatitis and a great opportunity to network with your peers. For more information please click here.

Western Australian Drug and Alcohol Conference: Presented by the Mental Health Commission and the Western Australian Network of Alcohol and other Drug Agencies, held on the 20-21 March 2018 at the Novotel Langley Perth, Western Australia. This Conference will bring together international, national and local speakers to present on alcohol and other drug-related policy, prevention, harm reduction, criminal justice, research, prevention and treatment. For more information please click here. 

TRAINING

SHQ - Mooditj Leader Training: Mooditj Leader Training is a 4 day hands on course that builds your knowledge, skills and confidence to run Mooditj groups for young people. The next course will be held on 13-16 March 2018 at Sexual Health Quarters. For more information please email katrina.duncan@shq.org.au for a flyer.

SHQ - Nuts and Bolts of Sexual Health: Nuts and Bolts develops the core knowledge, attitudes and skills required to provide information and support for young people around respectful relationships and sexual health issues. It is designed for youth workers and others in the youth sector and the next course will be held on 26-28 March 2018. For more information please email katrina.duncan@shq.org.au for a flyer.

Curtin University Online Course: Planning, implementing and evaluating health promotion interventions: This flexible online course, from 12 March - 11 June 2018, aims to provide you with the skills needed to plan, implement and evaluate a health promotion program. It is suitable for those already working in the health sector, those wanting to move into the area and those wanting to incorporate health promotion principles into their role. For more information please click here.

Advanced Epidemiology Short-Course - Visiting Professor Matthew Fox, DSc: UWA and The WA Health Translation Network have invited Prof Matthew Fox, Professor of Epidemiology at Boston University, to conduct a short course for researchers, public health professionals, epidemiologists and clinicians from 26 February - 2 March 2018. For more detail please click here.

Advocacy Short Course: The Public Health Advocacy Institute of WA is facilitating a week-long Advocacy Short Course from 12-16 March 2018. The short course is skills-based and practical, incorporating theory and practice with keynotes and case studies. The course is suitable for a broad audience including practitioners, researchers and policy actors. No prior experience in advocacy is required. For more information please click here.  

GRANTS AND SCHOLARSHIPS

Telethon-Perth Children's Hospital Research Fund: The Department of Health and the Channel 7 Telethon Trust jointly established the Telethon-Perth Children's Hospital Research Fund (TPCHRF) to fund research projects that focus on the health of children and adolescents in WA. For more information please click here.