Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine

The Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine (AITHM), formerly the Australian Institute of Tropical Medicine is a tropical health and medical research institute based at James Cook University (JCU) in Townsville and Cairns, Queensland. AITHM was established at JCU in 2008.

AITHM's focus is on the health problems of most importance to tropical Australia and the tropics worldwide, particularly within Australia’s geographical region. This focus is reflective of JCU's strategic commitment to "Creating a brighter future for life in the tropics worldwide through graduates and discoveries that make a difference".[1] The current Director of AITHM is Professor Louis Schofield.

Overview

AITHM aims to contribute to better health for people in the tropics by developing new prevention, diagnosis and treatment options for diseases that are of importance in the tropical world. This is achieved through biomedical, molecular, genomic, epidemiological, entomological and health systems research that is undertaken within an integrated public health framework. Through its research and innovation, and in partnership with key organisations, AITHM aims to bridge the gap between cutting edge research, disease control methodology and scientific expertise; and health service, workforce and policy delivery relevant to tropical populations.

In early 2012, AITHM received a commitment of $42.12 million from the Queensland Government to build essential infrastructure and bolster key research projects.[2] This funding is expected to significantly enhance AITHM’s capacity to underpin Australia’s health security and biosecurity strategies with effective research. The funding is also intended to enhance research to improve health in rural, remote and tropical Australia, in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations, and across the tropics regionally and globally.

History

Anton Breinl, 1910

JCU has a long history in tropical health research, with an established focus on infectious diseases and the health of tropical populations through the Anton Breinl Centre. AITHM’s research builds on these strong epidemiological and public health foundations.

AITHM’s predecessor, The Australian Institute for Tropical Medicine, was established in Townsville in 1913 and was Australia's first medical research institute.[3] Before it was subsumed into the then Commonwealth Department of Health in 1921,[4] the Institute made a significant contribution to understandings about how Europeans could live in and adapt to tropical Australia.[5] The Institute's first director was Dr Anton Breinl, who had previously worked as a medical scientist at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.[5]

Research areas

AITHM’s key research areas include:

Tropical infectious disease

The Anton Breinl Centre and the Centre for Biosecurity and Tropical Infectious Diseases enhance the organisational capacity of these research areas.

Chronic disorders with high prevalence in the tropics

Development of diagnostics and therapeutics

Genetic diseases

Health services in tropical, regional, rural and remote communities

Location

AITHM is headquartered at the JCU campus in Townsville, with recently funded research infrastructure planned for Townsville, Cairns, and the Torres Strait.

Key positions

The inaugural Director of AITHM is Professor Louis Schofield.

References

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