AIHI Webinar Series - Understanding the impact of chronic disease and injury on academic performance

Understanding the impact of chronic disease and injury on academic performance

28 March 2023

12.00noon -  1pm

View recording on the AIHI YouTube channel

More than one million children in Australia experience a serious injury or have a long-term chronic health condition such as asthma, type 1 diabetes or epilepsy. Of these, more than 100,000 each year will spend time away from school, in hospital.

Associate Professor Rebecca Mitchell from the Australian Institute of Health Innovation will present evidence from a large body of research looking at the impact of injury or chronic illness on children’s academic performance.

Joining A/Prof Mitchell will be Barbara Ryan, CEO of Ronald McDonald House Charities Australia, to reflect on the value of this type of research to inform programs such as the Ronald McDonald Learning Program. This program assists and supports students who have suffered a serious illness or injury get back on track with their education and transition them back into the classroom.

Speakers:

Rebecca Mitchell is Associate Professor with the Australian Institute of Health Innovation at Macquarie University and leads the Health and Societal Outcomes research stream.  She is a psychologist and injury epidemiologist, and her research focuses on the conduct of large-scale epidemiological and mixed-methods research to guide improvements in health service delivery and health policy.

Barbara Ryan is the CEO of Ronald McDonald House Charities Australia, where she oversees the quality and growth of the charity’s programs, ensures continued brand strength and facilitates collaboration and best practice across the federated charity. She has worked in the health sector as a physiotherapist as well as in administration at both hospital and government levels. Barbara moved into the not-for-profit sector working for many years at the Royal Flying Doctor Service and then as CEO of a Division of General Practice

About AIHI

The Australian Institute of Health Innovation (AIHI) is an internationally recognised research-intensive centre within Macquarie University, Sydney. We collaborate widely, conducting high impact research into health services and systems to make a positive difference for patients, healthcare professionals and society.