About CHRISP

Purpose and history

In 2016 the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District and University of Wollongong established the CHRISP Research Partnership. In July 2020, the University of Wollongong's School of Medicine joined the partnership. The partnership aims to provide access to high-quality health data and build capacity for research and evaluation to benefit the Illawarra Shoalhaven populations by establishing the following:

• CHRISP – the research centre and team, established at the end of 2016
• The Illawarra Health Information Platform (IHIP) which is comprised of:
  • A non-identifiable databank with data sourced from the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District and potentially other sources
  • A health records linkage system
  • Research project datasets for release to clinicians and other researchers, following relevant approvals

CHRISP aims to support three streams of research, ISLHD priority-driven, investigator-driven and research capacity building. Criteria used to prioritise potential research projects include:

• Alignment with the priorities of the Local Health District
• The potential impact of findings and translation into policy and practice
• Capability and capacity building e.g. expertise, collaborations, evidence
• Strength, rigour and appropriateness of research design
• Resources required e.g. team time, funding, third party data
• Research output

Organisation and management

The Research Partnership is underpinned by a contract negotiated between the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District and the University of Wollongong.

The Executive Leads, listed below, report to the ISLHD Board six-monthly.

• Associate Professor Bruce Ashford for the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District - Clinical Director, Health and Medical Research
• Professor Kathy Eagar for the University of Wollongong – Director, Australian Health Services Research Institute

The CHRISP Executive Steering Committee is the peak governance body for the CHRISP Research Partnership and is responsible for strategic and executive management, including approval of all policies, processes and research projects.

The CHRISP Project Reference Group advised and reported to the CHRISP Executive Steering Committee on all data and research matters. The committee was part of Phase 1 (the establishment phase) and has now reached a natural conclusion.

The CHRISP Data Policy provides the overarching framework, principles and processes that govern all matters related to data, including data ownership, access, submission, linkage, storage, security, disposal, quality, reporting and publication.

Governance and policies

There are two key groups involved in the governance of CHRISP.

• The CHRISP Executive Steering Committee is a joint UOW and ISLHD group which oversees the CHRISP research team and the research partnership. The Committee is responsible for the strategic and executive management of the CHRISP research partnership, including all governance issues.
• The CHRISP Consultative Panel is an advisory panel responsible for providing project-specific expert advice on an as-needs basis, in three main areas: (a) clinical issues and research priorities; (b) data/information; and (c) community perspectives. The Consultative Panel (when appropriate) reports to the CHRISP Executive Steering Committee.

A set of policies and guidelines have been developed which detail the governance, approvals and processes under which the CHRISP team undertakes research and facilitates access to data for research. Three of these key documents are the CHRISP Data Policy, Prioritisation Policy and Authorship Guidelines. 

For further information, visit the Governance & policies page.

Centre for Health Research Illawarra Shoalhaven Population
c/o Australian Health Services Research Institute
Building 234 (iC Enterprise 1)
Innovation Campus
University of Wollongong
WOLLONGONG NSW 2522

Phone: (+61) 02 4221 5092
Fax: (+61) 02 4221 4679
Email: chrisp@uow.edu.au

Visiting CHRISP

• View an Interactive map of the Innovation Campus
• View information about travelling to Innovation Campus