Research Networks and Education

Research Leaders: Professor Caroline Crowther, Professor Jodie Dodd, Ms Philippa Middleton, E/Professor Jeffrey Robinson

The Research Networks and Education Division aims to provide high profile research opportunities by identifying research gaps and defining research questions of major importance in maternal and perinatal health.

Through the Cochrane Collaboration, researchers within ARCH continue to provide:

• Educational training workshops, Cochrane work-ins, and a mentoring program for individual review authors, as well as encouraging maternal and perinatal health professionals to become authors of systematic reviews
• A high-profile program of research training and support in maternal and perinatal health for students, early career researchers and health professionals, including the program with RANZCOG coordinated by Jodie Dodd and Rosalie Grivell.

Further funding was received from the NHMRC to continue the WOMBAT Collaboration (WOMen and Babies' Health and Wellbeing: Action Through Trials). Through the WOMBAT Collaboration ARCH continues to:

• Provide national and regional support for the design, initiation, recruitment, completion, publication and dissemination of results of perinatal clinical trials
• Provide high quality, multidisciplinary education and training in the management of clinical trials
• Facilitate high profile research opportunities by identification and dissemination of research questions
  needing trials arising from systematic reviews
• Identify further opportunities to form or join research networks (international and national) in maternal and perinatal health.

During 2009 ARCH, through the WOMBAT Collaboration, held a number of training workshops and produced a WOMBAT Trials Booklet (Australian randomised trials in maternal and perinatal health) and a WOMBAT Research Gaps handout (maternal and perinatal research gaps identified from Cochrane reviews) (www.wombatcollaboration.net).