Nossal Institute to co-lead USD$39.5 million consortium

The Nossal Institute for Global Health, University of Melbourne and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health are leading a consortium to strengthen rehabilitation services for millions of people in low- and middle-income countries.

The consortium are implementing a program, Learning, Acting and Building for Rehabilitation in Health Systems (ReLAB-HS), with a USD$39.5 million grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Leahy War Victims Fund. The program presents an opportunity to provide access to high-quality sustainable services that are responsive to the growing need for physical rehabilitation.

A team from the University will help answer ReLAB-HS’s challenging questions about how to integrate rehabilitation and assistive technology (AT) into complex and dynamic health systems, and how this can be done equitably and inclusively.

The Institute’s team of researchers and practitioners will draw on its unique mix of research and implementation experience to re-think how rehabilitation and AT services are introduced and sustained, even in the most challenging contexts.

The consortium includes collaborators with expertise in rehabilitation and health systems: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Humanity and Inclusion, Miracle Feet, Physiopedia, and UCP Wheels for Humanity.

The program will focus on building local and international leadership, crafting and implementing local, demand-driven approaches and innovations, and working largely in communities and home settings, implementing real and relevant rehabilitation and policy solutions.

This project is expected to run until 2025.