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.

CONFERENCES AND EVENTS

SiREN Symposium 2018 - Abstracts Open, Keynotes Announced: 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.
SiREN is now accepting abstract submissions for the Symposium, but please start thinking of ideas soon as abstracts close February 28, 2018.

Our invited keynote speakers have now been confirmed: 

  • Assoc. Professor James Ward, Head of Infectious Diseases Research Program- Aboriginal Health, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI).
  • Professor Margaret Hellard, Deputy Director (Programs), Burnet Institute. 
  • Professor Rebecca Guy, Program Head, Surveillance Evaluation & Research Program, Kirby Institute. 

For more information on speakers, and for abstract submission details and forms, please visit the SiREN Symposium website. 

National Condom Day: Taking place on Valentine’s Day, February 14, National Condom Day is an opportunity to promote healthy sexual relationships and remind people about the importance of getting and giving consent. For more information and access to National Condom Day resources, please click here.

WA Sexual Heath Week: Running from Monday, February 12, until Sunday, February 18, this event aims to promote the acceptability and negotiation of safe sex behaviours; decrease the prevalence of STIs and BBVs and their associated stigma; and provide sexual health information, education, and resources to young people. For more information, please visit the event website.

Abstracts Open - 11th Australasian Viral Hepatitis Conference (13-15 August 2018, Adelaide): The 11th Australasian Viral Hepatitis Conference will provide opportunities to hear presentations on the latest research, report on practice-based analyses, and to network with your peers. Submissions close April 1st. For more information, please visit the conference website.

TRAINING

YEP Workshop - 'You're Doing it Wrong' Sex, Education, and Disability: Held on January 30 at 3pm, this free workshop will explore the necessity and relevance of inclusive sex education. More details are available on the YEP website.

NVivio for Windows Training Workshop: This workshop will be run over two days, 30 and 31 January, and will equip attendees with the knowledge and skills necessary to use NVivo for Windows. Day one will cover the fundamentals of NVivo, while day two will explore additional features. One or two day registrations can be made at the event site.

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.

SECCA Sexuality and Disability Workshop: Targeted at people who live with and/or care for people who have a disability, This workshop will explore relationship and sexuality issues, and the rights and needs of people with disability. More information and registrations available on the SECCA website.

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.

GRANTS AND SCHOLARSHIPS

WA Sexual Health Week Grant: Small Grants will be made available to enable Health Promotion Officers, Public and Community Health Nurses, Aboriginal Health Workers and other relevant personnel at youth-oriented organisations in regional/remote WA to run a small project to coincide with WA Sexual Health Week. For further information, please contact Alicia King at the WA AIDS Council via email aking@waaids.com or telephone (08) 9482 0000.

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.

Raine Visiting Professor Awards: Opening in March, this award facilitates the visit of top, international scientists to WA. Awards are offered for both long- and short-term visits, with the expectation that short-term visits will be partially funded by the host institution. For more information, please visit the Raine Medical Research Foundation's website.

Healthway Grants and Scholarships: A number of Healthway grants and scholarships are currently open for submission. These grants include health promotion research scholarships, Aboriginal research scholarships, visiting research fellow scholarships, and intervention research grants. For more information, please visit the Healthway health promotion projects and research websites.

NEWS

Young + Positive Study - Open for Recruitment: This national study seeks to explore how young people living with HIV relate to their own health, living with HIV, and the supports and services that are available to them. People aged 18-29, who have been diagnosed with HIV and live in Australia are able to complete the online survey here. For more information, please visit the Young + Positive website.

Monash University Sex Worker Study - Open for Recruitment: This national study seeks to understand if and how stigma impacts mental health support for sex workers. Participants are eligible if they are currently, or have previously been, a sex worker and are over 18 years of age. Participants may go in the draw to win an eBay voucher worth $50(USD). To participate, please visit the survey website here. For more information please contact Dr Beatrice Alba (beatrice.alba@monash.edu).

New Health Promotion Resources for ATSI Populations: Developed by the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, these animations can be used to explain the basics of HIV testing and prevention, PrEP, and PEP. To view the animations and other resources, please visit the ATSI HIV website.

Latest Aboriginal Specific BBV Campaign: The campaign, run by WA Health's SHBBV program, will run during January through targeted channels. The campaign's tag line is: "Look after your blood: never share needles." The campaign video can be found on the Could I Have It website and posters can be ordered by calling 9388 4841 or emailing shbbvp.gvh@health.wa.gov.au.

Study Suggests Online STI Kits Double Uptake of Young People: A study conducted in the UK invited two groups of participants to undergo STI testing through either visiting a walk-in clinic or ordering a testing kit online. 27% of participants invited to the clinic underwent testing, where as 50% of those invited to order a testing kit online completed their testing. For the full article, please click here.