Research and grants program

• The RECOVER Injury Research Centre is based at the University of Queensland and has a strong focus on improving health outcomes following musculoskeletal injuries, understanding the recovery journey for people with compensable injuries, and investigating the implementation of technology-enabled health services.
• The Hopkins Centre is a joint initiative of Griffith University and the Metro South Hospital and Health Service, with multiple affiliate partners including MAIC. The Hopkins Centre aims to provide evidence-based research to support rehabilitation and care for people with life-long severe disabilities.
• The Jamieson Trauma Institute (JTI) is jointly funded by MAIC and the Metro North Hospital and Health Service. JTI provides research services in relation to all aspects of trauma care in Queensland.
• The Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety – Queensland (CARRS-Q) is a Queensland University of Technology-based research centre. CARRS-Q analyses behavioural patterns to develop countermeasures to prevent injury, and is committed to achieving real and long-term results by providing evidence-based information to policymakers, industry and the community.
• The University of the Sunshine Coast Road Safety Research Centre conducts research aimed at providing evidence for improving road safety in Queensland and Australia.

• The Queensland Brain Institute – MAIC Senior Research Fellow. The role of this Fellow is to develop an objective technique for assessing the extent of brain damage following a traumatic brain injury. Dr Fatima Nasrallah currently holds this position at QBI.
• The Queensland University of Technology Data Linkage Fellowship. This fellowship aims to establish a road crash injury database linking information from Queensland Police, MAIC, and Queensland Health to help inform road safety priorities and countermeasures. Dr Angela Watson holds this position at QUT.
• The Paediatric Chair in Rehabilitation. This is a joint research and clinical role between the Queensland Children’s Hospital and Child Health Research Centre at the University of Queensland focusing on traumatic brain injury and rehabilitation in paediatric patients. Associate Professor Karen Barlow holds this position.
• The Associate Professor Cliff Pollard AM Trauma Fellowship. Established at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital Trauma Service, this fellowship aims to develop and train clinicians to become experts in trauma care. The 2022 Fellow is Dr Caroline Venner.

We provide funding to a number of key projects. In relation to spinal cord damage, we support the Griffith University-led Spinal Injury Project, which investigates the potential to use nasal cells to create a nerve bridge to repair damage, and the BioSpine Project.

In relation to road safety and injury prevention, we support projects focusing on key priority areas as identified through CTP claims data:

• With young drivers remaining overrepresented in crashes resulting in a Queensland CTP claim, we continue to invest in projects to enhance young driver safety. At the forefront of this is our support for PCYC’s ‘Braking the Cycle’ learner driver mentor program which provides disadvantaged people with access to a suitable mentor and vehicle in which to obtain the 100 hours necessary to be eligible to obtain their driver’s licence. As at 31 December 2021, this award-winning program has helped over 3,400 people obtain their licence. This is a significant outcome and represents a proactive approach to reducing unlicensed driving and the associated higher crash risks.
• MAIC is also supporting the pilot of a model of this program adapted for First Peoples operating from the Napranum PCYC. This pilot commenced in 2021 and will run for two years, with the intention that learnings from this pilot can be considered within the context of potential expansion of this customised program to similar communities into the future.
• Brain injuries remain a focus area in terms of more significant injuries within the scheme. MAIC is contributing funding towards the PREDICT-TBI study being led by Dr Fatima Nasrallah the MAIC Senior Research Fellow from the Queensland Brain Institute. The focus of this research will be to develop an early assessment and prognostic model to predict a patient’s diagnosis and recovery following a moderate to severe traumatic brain injury. This model will be focused on combining blood-based molecular biomarkers, blood biospecimens, computer tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, clinical and patient data and artificial intelligence. Participants will be sourced from four Queensland hospitals.
• MAIC is also partnering with several stakeholders to pilot Intensive Care Units of the Future; a Queensland-led, patient-centred project being conducted involving Metro North Hospital and Health Service. This project will pilot the redesign of ICU environments and will be implemented at the Prince Charles Hospital with the aim of enabling best-practice care to optimise patient outcomes and experiences. With road trauma being a major contributor to ICU admissions, the success of the pilot has the potential to positively influence claimant recovery into the future.
• In collaboration with Emergency Medicine Foundation, MAIC has established the trauma care in regional, rural and remote Queensland special research grants program to empower frontline clinicians delivering emergency trauma care in regions across the state. While road trauma is one of the main causes of traumatic brain injury, the geographic spread of Queensland’s population poses challenges to delivering life-saving emergency care for time-critical injuries. Three grant rounds will provide clinicians with the opportunity to explore their ideas and develop an evidence-based program to stimulate improvements in the treatment of trauma patients. As part of this funding, dedicated support and expertise from experienced researchers will be provided to these clinicians. You can read more about the work of EMF via their annual report 2021-22 here.