Macquarie University and The Woolcock Institute for Medical Research have established a new primary affiliation to accelerate the scope and impact of sleep and respiratory research in Australia.

The Woolcock Insitute (the Woolcock), which brings together over 200 medical researchers, including scientists, engineers, epidemiologists and clinical professionals, will relocate to the Wallumattugal Campus in due course.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Medicine and Health) Professor Patrick McNeil said the partnership promises new collaborative opportunities in fields of research including respiratory and sleep medicine, the neurosciences and neurophysiology, dementia and neurodegenerative disorders, cancer and cardiology.

“Several of the Woolcock researchers already hold academic positions at Macquarie, and we are pleased to welcome new academic colleagues across Macquarie Medical School, the School of Psychological Sciences and the Department of Health Sciences,” said Professor McNeil.

“Both the Woolcock and MQ Health take an integrated, patient-centred approach to healthcare, starting from lab research to its translation into clinical practice, while providing research-enriched education for future leaders in healthcare.

“By partnering and co-locating with the Woolcock on campus, we are continuing to build on the strength of MQ Health’s transformative approach to healthcare. We anticipate building new cross-disciplinary research and treatments that will drive improvements for the community in all aspects of respiratory and sleep health.”