Burnet Institute
| Motto | Medical research. Practical action. |
|---|---|
| Predecessor | Austin Research Institute (merged in 2002) |
| Formation | 1986 |
| Type | Nonprofit organisation |
| Purpose | Medical research, education and public health |
| Location |
|
Director and CEO | Professor Brendan Crabb |
Key people |
Dr Alan Ferris (1950–1970); Professor Ian Gust AO (1970–1990); Professor John Mills (1992–2002); Professor Steve Wesselingh (2002–2007); Professor Mark Hogarth(2007–2008) |
| Affiliations |
University of Melbourne Monash University |
Staff | approx. 450 |
| Website |
www |
Formerly called |
The Queen’s Memorial Infectious Disease Hospital, Fairfield Hospital; Macfarlane Burnet Centre for Medical Research; Macfarlane Burnet Institute for Medical Research and Public Health |
The Burnet Institute, an Australian not-for-profit, independent non-government organisation, aims to achieve better health for poor and vulnerable communities in Australia and overseas through medical research, education and public health.
As at 2011, the institute was home to more than 450 medical researchers, working across six main themes of infectious diseases, maternal and child health, sexual and reproductive health, alcohol and other drugs harm reduction, immunity, vaccines and immunisation, and the health of young people - all these are covered through four Centres: Virology, Immunology, International Health and Population Health.
With a head office located in Commercial Road, Prahran, Victoria, the institute delivers public health programs across four continents including Africa, Oceania, and Asia.
Current research
Burnet Institute has particular expertise in infectious diseases (especially HIV, hepatitis viruses, influenza and malaria) and in understanding the immune responses to these infections. Their work also focuses on sexual health, drug and alcohol use, both in risky behaviours associated with infectious diseases and as major health problems in their own right. Translating new knowledge into tangible and practical health outcomes is also a major focus of the Institute.
The Institute was founded in 1986 and celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2011. The Institute is named in honour of Sir Frank Macfarlane Burnet who received the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1960.