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Darling Downs Health hosted health professionals and researchers from across southern Queensland this week for a day of brainstorming and collaboration, with a focus on improving access to health services for rural communities.
Darling Downs Health Director of Research Dr Anna Tynan said the annual research symposium, led by the Queensland Rural Health Innovation and Research Collaborative (QRHIRC) was an opportunity to build stronger partnerships and to speed up the sharing of ideas.
“It also allows communities to be brought into the conversation to ensure research is meaningful and translated effectively,” said Dr Tynan.
She said organisers had been overwhelmed with the interest in this year’s event.
“We are hoping to build relationships, boost collaboration and facilitate translation of research activity into real world health improvements that are meaningful to our community,”
Darling Downs Health Director of Research Dr Anna Tynan
Dr Tanvir Kapoor, Medical Superintendent of Jandowae Hospital, was one of the event’s keynote speakers and discussed his work on Point of Care C Reactive Protein (CRP) testing.
CRP testing machines were installed at five Darling Downs Health facilities earlier this year, and Dr Kapoor said they had made a significant difference in the lives of rural patients by providing almost instantaneous test results for conditions such as sepsis and serious infections.
He said the research symposium would help drive innovation in rural areas by fostering collaboration among medical staff and the community.
“That’s how the best ideas come forward,” said Dr Kapoor.
“When you spread that innovation across the cluster, across many of those sites, you start having an impact on thousands of patients.”
A major highlight of the symposium is the Review Crew session, where attendees had the opportunity to pitch their research idea for the chance of $10,000 in funding for their project.
For more information about the 2025 QRHIRC Research Symposium, visit www.ddhirc.com.au/events.