Driving health research

We have been working with Medibank on health research projects – particularly in the area of injury prevention – for a number of years. This official partnership cements and signals a new phase of our research relationship and provides a formal pathway for future research.

Research to curb injury in women’s football

La Trobe sports injury researchers, led by Professor Kay Crossley, are working with Medibank, the AFL and other partners to reduce knee injury among female Australian football players.

With more women tackling contact sports, including Australian football and soccer, the rate of knee injury among players is also on the rise. An estimated five per cent of the 500,000 women playing Australian football are likely to sustain an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury each year.

Supported by a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Partnership grant, this project will evaluate the effectiveness of Prep-to-Play, a La Trobe-developed program aimed at curbing injury.

Discover more about the research

COVID-19 rapid response research

Our industry partners Medibank and Optus came together to offer funding for COVID-19 research projects with fast turnaround time and immediate impact. A total of $250,000 was awarded to three successful projects, which will all be completed by February 2021:

Projects that involved working with Medibank

Mental and physical impacts of working from home – awarded $100,000

Working from home is the ‘new normal’ for many. Led by Associate Professor Jodi Oakman, this project will gather data on the mental and physical impacts of working from home and develop guidelines on how to optimise employee health and wellbeing.

Telerehabilitation for cancer survivors – awarded $50,000

During COVID-19, it’s important to help vulnerable people in the community avoid hospital settings where possible. Led by Dr Amy Dennett, this project will evaluate telehealth physical rehabilitation techniques – including virtual group exercise, one-on-one coaching and an online information portal – for people living with cancer.

Virtual care technologies – awarded $100,000

Social distancing is challenging traditional healthcare pathways. Led by Professor Ani Desai and Professor James Boyd, this project will develop an evaluation framework for virtual care models, including remote monitoring for discharged patients or monitoring of aged care residents.