About Us

To better reflect the true scope of its current role and future intent of its increasingly ‘ecological’ focus on health - notably chronic disease prevention - as both an output and an input to a sustainable future, as of January 1, 2010, The Diabetes Unit changed its name to The Health and Sustainability Unit

The Health and Sustainability Unit (HSU) will still incorporate The Diabetes Unit and its functions but will increasingly turn its attention more discretely to health and sustainability - that complex interaction between the health of people and the health of the planet.

The Health and Sustainability Unit is dedicated to policy development and implementation; strategic planning for population health; health services research and development; chronic disease prevention and sustainability and health – particularly the influence of the way we live and manage our societies now on climate change and the unprecedented growth in obesity and chronic diseases.

Established at the Australian Health Policy Institute (now Menzies Centre for Health Policy) in 2005, The Health and Sustainability Unit is a new iteration and extension of its predecessor, the Australian Centre for Diabetes Strategies, which was located at the Prince of Wales Hospital, University of New South Wales. The Health and Sustainability Unit complements the Menzies Centre for Health Policy’s existing strengths by:

• maintaining an Oxford Health Alliance presence in the Asia-Pacific Region
• pursuing local and international activities in health services research and development, capacity building, and population health improvement
• contributing to the evidential and consensual basis on which policy for the prevention and care of diabetes and related chronic diseases is founded

The Health and Sustainability Unit contributes directly to The University of Sydney by leading the Institute for Sustainable Solutions Health Theme.

The Health and Sustainability Unit sees its role as a conduit between theory and practice, and works as a bridge between academia, the broader chronic disease community and the general population. It employs a pragmatic approach and is mindful of the diverse needs, perspectives and prevailing forces that impact on health across all levels of society.

Core program areas of The Health and Sustainability Unit are:

• The Evidence Base
• International Health
• Oxford Health Alliance – Asia-Pacific Centre
• Sustainability

The Director of The Health and Sustainability Unit is Associate Professor Ruth Colagiuri

2008 Annual Report