ICFHS researchers secure UNSW initiator grant for 2026

ICFHS researchers, led by Dr Braulio Valencia Arroyo, have been awarded a Global Research & Impact Program (GRIP) Initiator Grant to develop an international consensus on the definition, priorities, and needs of precision medicine in primary care.  Although applications such as pharmacogenetics and newborn screening are increasingly available in primary care for specific conditions and clinical needs, they have limited impact for many people who use primary care services, particularly those affected by common, multifactorial conditions. These conditions are shaped by complex interactions between genetic, acquired, behavioural, social, and environmental factors, requiring a broader model of precision medicine tailored to primary care and different to the current model used in rare diseases and oncology.

In partnership with Professor Johan Ärnlöv from Karolinska Institute and Dr Davide Bilardi from the University of Oxford, ICFHS researchers will lead a high-impact, internationally coordinated initiative to: 1) develop a world-first, consensus-driven framework aligned with the realities and needs of primary care; and 2) establish an international consortium to validate, test, and iteratively refine this framework to support scalable, system-wide implementation.  The project will position UNSW as a central node in an emerging international consortium and strengthen competitiveness for major national and international funding schemes. It will also catalyse deeper interdisciplinary collaboration across clinical, computational, and health systems research, reinforcing UNSW’s leadership in translational science and policy-relevant research with tangible global impact.