Ministers Research and Innovation Award - SA Health Awards 2020

WINNER: Design of an in-house COVID-19 Molecular Testing Platform

SA Pathology, Statewide Clinical Support Services, CALHN

Within days of the COVID-19 genome sequence being published and before it was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation, Mark Turra had designed primers for an in-house molecular testing platform. Mark’s vision and commitment to quality healthcare and continuous improvement have ensured South Australia’s ongoing ability to deliver a world-class response to the pandemic, benefiting the community and contributing to greater understanding of the disease globally.


FINALIST: Registry of Senior Australians (ROSA)

Aged & Extended Care Services, Acute and Urgent Care, The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, CALHN

The Registry of Senior Australians is Australia’s first prospective registry of aged care recipients. Each older person assessed by South Australia’s Aged Care Assessment Teams (ACATs) since August 2018 have been enrolled unless opting out. We now have a more complete picture of how older people navigate the linked aged care and healthcare sectors. Our research using historical national data has already made meaningful contributions towards improving the health outcomes for older people.


FINALIST: Revision Arthroplasty Translational Research Program

Orthopaedics and Trauma, Royal Adelaide Hospital, CALHN

Joint replacement failures are increasingly common, resulting in revision surgery. Outcomes of revision surgery are poor, with many patients suffering persistent limps and a loss of implant stability, leading to further surgery. Our research has led to improved revision outcomes. In the most complex revision hip replacements treated at the RAH, postoperative limp has decreased from 80% to 10% and re-revision for joint loosening has decreased from 17% to 0.