University of NSW School of Public Health and Community Medicine - HRH Knowledge Hub

Member profile

The Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) has established the Strategic Partnerships for Health Initiative that seeks to provide improved health knowledge and expertise to inform policy dialogue at national, regional and international levels by both AusAID and development partners, through the establishment of Knowledge Hubs in four key areas. The School of Public Health and Community Medicine at the University of New South Wales is committed to excellence in research, teaching and action to enhance health and health services. The following values underpin the work in Australia, in the Asia-Pacific region, and globally and in relation to health policy, research, teaching and practice:

  • Belief in health as a good and fundamental right for all;
  • Commitment to social justice, equity, diversity & multiculturalism;
  • Recognition of the valuable roles of different perspectives, disciplines and approaches to addressing emerging and existing problems; and
  • Commitment to providing a base for exploring, critiquing, and stimulating dialogue and accountability that will promote transformation of public health, health services and systems.

Main activities

The Human Resources for Health Knowledge Hub (HRH Hub@UNSW) is one of four Knowledge Hubs, funded by AusAID for a period of three years (2009-2011). The HRH Hub is based in the School of Community Medicine and Public Health at UNSW. The other three hubs are the Health Policy and Health Financing Hub based at the Nossal Institute for Global Health, University of Melbourne; the Health Information Systems Hub at the School of Public Health, University of Queensland; and the Woman and Children's Health Knowledge Hub (COMPASS), a partnership between the Burnet Institute, the Centre for International Child Health and the Menzies School of Health Research.

Links to the health workforce crisis

The goal of the HRH Hub is to establish itself as a leading centre for the synthesis, management, and dissemination of state of the art knowledge on HRH for all its partners, and potential beneficiaries. AusAID's work is driven by five core objectives:

  • To increase the critical, conceptual and strategic analysis of key HRH issues relevant to the Asia Pacific region that can be used to inform policy thinking and practical application at the national, regional and international levels;
  • To expand convening powers and engagement (e.g. communication, networks and partnerships) between the Hubs, Australian institutions and Asia-Pacific national, regional and international research, development partners and educational institutes;
  • To expand the capacity of Australian institutions and professionals and through them to Asia Pacific institutions and professionals to participate effectively in evidence informed policy making;
  • To effectively disseminate relevant and useful knowledge resources which aim to influence policy thinking at national, regional and international levels; and
  • Develop and maintain an effective organizational structure that supports and directs operational and administrative functions, which underpin Hub activities.

Call for knowledge information:

Alliance Members are invited to submit any relevant knowledge products such as documents, reports, tools, multimedia, links to specific project web sites by sending an email to ghwa@who.int. The Alliance Secretariat will publish relevant products on the Member's page.

Visit our Knowledge centre.