Reports

From a strategic review of the sector to discoveries and awards; there is much to report and a great deal to celebrate.

In 2011, the Institute is celebrating 85 years since the founding of the Baker Medical Research Institute. As we reflect on the achievements of the past with a sense of collegiate pride, we look forward to a dynamic future, in which health and medical research is embedded in the health reform process and where translation of that research into health and medical practice remains central to the goal of discovery.

The benefits of a comprehensive approach to good health, including the need for both healthy food choices and physical activity, has been a key area of focus during the launch of the The CSIRO and Baker IDI Diabetes Diet and Lifestyle Plan in early May.

In this edition of Baker IDI Perspectives we examine the link between food and health and the roles and responsibilities of government, healthcare agencies and individuals in regards to what we eat

Cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity remain the biggest health challenges facing our society today with diagnosis rising at a rate that threatens to significantly impair quality of life for millions of Australians.

Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute is well placed to tackle this challenge in a comprehensive way, based on our expertise in producing high-end research that informs preventative health strategies as well as our ability to translate research into clinical care.

In this edition of Perspectives, we examine the implementation of e-health and its’ potential impact on the Australian health sector following the recent introduction of individual healthcare identifiers for every Australian.

The National Preventative Health strategy highlights the need for urgent, comprehensive and sustained action
to address the rising incidence of preventable disease amongst Australians.

The year 2008 will always be remembered as auspicious in our history. The successful merger between the Baker Heart Research Institute and the International Diabetes Institute marked the beginning of a new era of collaboration and innovation with the establishment of Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute in July last year.

This edition of the Baker IDI perspectives includes the topics; "We are getting fatter as a nation", "It is indisputable we need to eat less and exercise more" and "McDonald's the internationally powerful and phenomenally successful fast-food chain".

New research initiatives planned for Baker IDI will change the face of diabetes and heart disease research and management. These new projects will allow our dedicated staff to push back the boundaries of knowledge in their fields, and provide support to research at every level. State-of-the-art facilities we are establishing include: Metabolomics, DNA Blood Profiling, Clinical Metabolism (Healthy Lifestyle Research Centre), Medicinal Chemistry, The Centre for Indigenous Vascular and Diabetes Research (Baker IDI @ Alice)

A report on the long-term consequences of Australia’s expanding waistline on cardiovascular disease.