1. Nominations close soon for the HRC's health research medals

A reminder that nominations for the Health Research Council of New Zealand's Te Tohu Rapuora, Liley and Beaven medals close at 1pm on Monday 1 May 2023. The medals will be presented at a Research Honours Aotearoa event held by the Royal Society Te Apārangi in the latter half of 2023. Nominations on behalf of others are welcomed, as are self-nominations.

Te Tohu Rapuora Medal

This medal will be awarded to an individual, research team, or community group, whose work has demonstrated leadership, excellence, and contribution to advancing Māori health and/or knowledge. The award consists of a medal and a cash prize of $5000. See the HRC website for more details about the eligibility criteria for this medal and how to submit a nomination.

Liley Medal

This medal recognises an individual or research team whose recent research has produced a significant breakthrough within the health and medical fields. See the HRC website for more details about the eligibility criteria for this medal and how to submit a nomination.

Beaven Medal

This medal recognises an individual or research team who are "champions in the community", demonstrating excellence in translational health research that has had high impact on clinical practice and patient health. See the HRC website for more details about the eligibility criteria for this medal and how to submit a nomination.

2. New HRC email address for contract management

The HRC has a new email address hrccontracts@hrc.govt.nz for all communication related to contract management, including:

establishing new contracts
requesting contract variations
contract reporting matters
requesting disbursement payments (e.g. fees).

Please note that all emails sent to dgong@hrc.govt.nz will be automatically forwarded to this new email address while our contract holders update their staff and systems.

3. Changes to user accounts for HRC Gateway

As of next week, if you have an HRC Gateway account, you'll need to sign in at least every 2 years to keep your account active. If you're a Research Office staff member, you'll need to sign in every 3 months to keep your elevated level of access.

If you're affected by this change, you'll receive a notification email stating that you must sign in to HRC Gateway and check/update your details within 1 month or your access will expire. If your access to HRC Gateway does expire, you'll need to sign up again to have your access enabled.

Please note that researchers are required to have a current HRC Gateway account to be listed on any future funding applications.

If you have any questions about your HRC Gateway account, you can email gateway@hrc.govt.nz

4. Research opportunity: Body image content and rangatahi

Netsafe and Te Mana Whakaatu – Classification Office have released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for research that explores young people's experiences and views about media content, online behaviour, and the potential impacts on body image and associated health and wellbeing issues. The RFP for this research is available on GETS. Submissions close 1pm on 1 May 2023.

Media content is a broad category encompassing everything from advertising to movies and games, to social media. This content may have positive or negative impacts in relation to body image. However, the key concern in relation to this RFP is content (and associated online behaviour) that promotes or encourages attitudes and behaviours relating to body image that may be harmful to young people’s mental or physical health and wellbeing.

The research should aim to address a gap in knowledge about these issues in Aotearoa, and to raise awareness and develop educational resources. Research findings may also inform the development of policy and regulatory responses to young people’s engagement with this content.

If you're interested in undertaking this research, check out the RFP on GETS. You can also email consultations@classificationoffice.govt.nz for a copy of the RFP document.
girl with smartphone

5. Recent health news

Toku Eyes startup receives backing from major international players in the optometry market - NZ Herald

Million-year-old viruses help fight cancer, say scientists - BBC

Cancer survivors may be at heightened risk of cardiovascular disease - The Guardian

About Update

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Update is a fortnightly e-newsletter about the health research sector, compiled and distributed by the Health Research Council of New Zealand. Short, topical items about health research funding, policy, activities, consultations, and publications are welcome. Please contact Suzy Botica, the HRC's senior communications advisor, for more details.

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