About the Diabetes CCRE
What is the Diabetes CCRE?
The Centre of Clinical Research Excellence in Clinical Science in Diabetes (Diabetes CCRE) commenced in 2007. Funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council, the CCRE seeks to encourage and promote clinical research in diabetes and its complications, with the ultimate goal of improving the treatment and prevention of this disease.
About Diabetes
Chief Investigators
Associate Investigators
Clinical Research Activities
Fostering New Research Programs
Training and Career Development
Diabetes affects more than one million Australians, is increasing in its prevalence and is a major burden on the health of the population. Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes are significant and growing health problems. Despite different root causes, their long-term complications are essentially identical. Type 2 diabetes is a particular health problem for Indigenous Australians and some migrant groups. It is also important as a health problem internationally, especially in countries that are in transition to a wealthier economy. Type 1 diabetes has special significance as a health problem because it frequently affects young people, carrying a high lifelong burden of disease and a high risk of major complications. The vascular complications of diabetes contribute significantly to the national burden of coronary heart disease, stroke, peripheral vascular disease with amputation, blindness and end-stage kidney disease, with devastating consequences at an individual level. The prevention of vascular complications in type 2 and type 1 diabetes is a major focus of the CCRE in Clinical Science in Diabetes.
The Diabetes CCRE brings together a group of investigators with a strong track record of clinical research in the field of diabetes, including the ability to recruit, train and mentor early career investigators. This group provides a comprehensive approach to clinical research in the field of diabetes including type 1 and type 2 diabetes and the complications associated with diabetes. Further information on Chief Investigators is available in our people pages.
The CCRE has a larger group of Associate Investigators who also have much to contribute to clinical research in diabetes. The predominant research expertise of the group is in Clinical Science, but there is also significant expertise in Basic Science and in Population Science and Health Services Research. Further information on Associate Investigators is available in our people pages.
The Chief Investigators of the Diabetes CCRE are involved in several longitudinal clinical epidemiology studies of diabetic vascular disease in large cohorts of type 1 and type 2 diabetic patients, which involve Fellows and Associate Investigators. Other projects in which the Chief and Associate Investigators are collaborating and involving students and postdoctoral fellows include: cross-sectional patient-focused clinical research studies of diabetic vascular disease, clinical observation and intervention studies in Indigenous populations with diabetes, clinical studies of patients with type 1 diabetes undergoing beta cell transplantation, and studies of translation of research findings into clinical practice for diabetes management.
For more information on established research programs supported by the Diabetes CCRE see Our Research.
Fostering new research programs
The Diabetes CCRE is committed to fostering new research projects and building research capacity through attracting PhD students and encouraging participation of clinicians in research projects. There is a particular focus on providing support to post-doctoral fellows to enable them to become independent researchers. The Diabetes CCRE is designed to support postdoctoral fellows so that they will be able to initiate new research projects and undertake pilot studies to support applications for competitive grant funding. Mentorship and guidance of PhD students, postdoctoral fellows and other clinicians is an important responsibility of all CIs.
Read more about our supported research projects.
Training and Career Development
A major goal of the Diabetes CCRE is to attract more clinicians into clinical research on diabetes and its complications, including Indigenous populations and other disadvantaged communities.
Making the transition from research degree completion to successful grant and fellowship applications is very difficult for practising clinicians and a significant part of the CCRE funding will be directed to enable postdoctoral fellows to develop their own research projects with mentoring, salary and infrastructure support. Currently, there is no program to support retention of highly qualified individuals after their PhD or MD completion and they find it very difficult to develop their own clinical research projects after they resume clinical practice. The CCRE-supported program is encouraging a cohort of clinical researchers to reach their research potential, rather than drift into full-time clinical practice. The Diabetes CCRE also has a mentorship scheme in place, where Chief Investigators and Associate Investigators provide career guidance and advice to the CCRE Fellows. For more information on the CCRE Fellowship scheme see CCRE Fellowship scheme.
The Diabetes CCRE is currently developing subjects in clinical diabetes research, to be incorporated into an articulated program of award courses in clinical research at Certificate level currently offered through The University of Melbourne's Customs and Consulting Programs. One of the goals of this program will be to develop a network of medical, nursing and nutrition graduates with research training who can participate in multi-centre clinical research studies in diabetes, led by the Diabetes CCRE. This program will also help to attract primary care clinicians to clinical diabetes.
For more information on our training and career development program see our supported research projects ,CCRE fellows and Clinical Research Training.