About CHETRE

The Centre for Health Equity Training, Research and Evaluation (CHETRE) provides widely-recognised leadership and expertise in health equity training, research and evaluation. Our mission is to ‘co-create intelligence for better health’.

CHETRE is a founding member centre of the Centre for Primary Health Care and Equity (CPHCE). CHETRE was established in 1998 to meet research and development needs in health equity within South Western Sydney as a joint unit between Population Health in the South Western Sydney Local Health District (SWSLHD) and the Faculty of Medicine and Health at UNSW Sydney. We form part of the management structure of both organisations, aligning our work with both organisations’ policy priorities and strategies.

CHETRE is based at the Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research and benefits from the connections to industry and community.

We develop, support and evaluate projects, programs and policies to reduce inequities in health through collaborations with our SWSLHD and Ingham partners. We also partner with local councils, other public sector agencies and communities.

Our streams

CHETRE’s work is structured across three streams:

  • The Decision Support stream assesses the impacts of environmental, social, economic and policy change (proposals) on health and health equity. The findings are framed in policy-relevant briefings and communications. Grounded in its international reputation in health impact assessment (HIA), the team supports local partners, other CPHCE research hubs, state, national and global health development through training and assessment.
  • The Locational Disadvantage stream engages with residents and groups in communities and neighbourhoods in our South Western Sydney service area. This is an area that experiences poorer health and other disadvantages due to complex social and economic challenges. This stream focuses on community development and partnership approaches to empower communities and consumers in order to promote resilience and more equitable health. The stream benefits from a long activist history and connections to the ACOSS-UNSW Poverty and Inequality Partnership.
  • The Indigenous Health stream builds on nearly twenty years of close connections with the Tharawal Aboriginal Corporation and the Aboriginal community in South Western Sydney. At the request of the community, and integrated in its Aboriginal-controlled governance structures, CHETRE has undertaken a unique longitudinal cohort study of the health of Aboriginal babies since the early 2000s through the Gudaga program (‘Gudaga’ is Tharawal for ‘healthy baby’). Work within this stream also extends into the social determinants of Indigenous health, health promotion and Health in All Policies for Indigenous equity. We currently partner with local and national colleagues to develop data sovereignty protocols that should govern the mantra ‘no research on us without us’.

Our partnerships

Partnerships are central to all our research and service development activities. Our core partnerships include state government agencies, local governments, community organisations and NGOs, and service providers within and outside the South Western Sydney Local Health District.

CHETRE supports and manages several key partnerships with colleagues from the public and social housing sector, urban planning, primary health care, justice, education and social development. These partnerships range in scale from regional, to statewide, national and international.

Contact South Western Sydney Local Health District

Location

CHETRE Liverpool
Ingham Institute
1 Campbell Street, Liverpool

Phone: +61 (2) 8738 9310
Fax: +61 (2) 8738 9350
 

Postal address

CHETRE Liverpool
Locked Bag 7103
Liverpool BC NSW 1871

South Western Sydney Local Health District - Liverpool Contact

Mary Knopp
Email: Mary.Knopp@health.nsw.gov.au