Western Health Alliance
Victoria University’s strongest partnership in the health sector is with the major healthcare provider in Melbourne’s west, Western Health.
Western Health provides a range of clinical services, both in-person and online. Along with general practice clinics, they offer mental health and wellbeing services, emergency medicine, intensive care, and medical and surgical services.
VU's students and researchers benefit from the partnership, which is expanding to include the new Footscray Hospital across from our main campus.
About our alliance
VU and Western Health’s alliance optimises our joint expertise in health, research and education to benefit the west of Melbourne.
Through this alliance, VU students are able to work closely and learn first-hand from leading Western Health professionals. Importantly, they have access to workplace opportunities that enhance their knowledge and employability.
Research opportunities also form part of the alliance. Our students are offered opportunities to work with Western Health on groundbreaking health research linked to real-life outcomes for local patients.
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
This partnership addresses the following United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Benefits for students & courses
Western Health is VU’s main industry training partner nursing and midwifery work-integrated learning. Each year, almost 1,000 VU students complete over 110,000 hours of clinical placement at Western Health locations.
VU also works with Western Health on the development of industry-relevant courses, including a Graduate Plus program for newly graduated nursing and midwifery staff.
VU’s flexible study options and corporate training programs also allow Western Health staff to upskill in the workplace.
These joint education initiatives ensure both our students and Western Health staff are appropriately trained and qualified.
VU Stories
Research & projects
Our joint research projects with Western Health are a core element of the alliance.
The Western Centre for Health Research and Education (WCHRE) is an innovative and sustainable research, teaching and training and precinct based at the Western Health Sunshine Campus.
The Centre aims to make a major contribution to the future health of the Victorian community. Further, the work of the precinct will realise significant benefits for the social and economic development of Victoria based on excellence in research, developing a high calibre workforce and solid infrastructure support.
VU staff and students located within Western CHRE are primarily from research aligned to the Institute for Health & Sport.
Western CHRE also incorporates the Australian Institute for Musculoskeletal Science (AIMSS).
Working together, Western Health and Victoria University researchers produce practical research that supports the needs of the communities they serve. Understanding the local community informs more targeted research with a greater impact.
–Western Health Research Program Director, Bill Karanatsios
Other joint VU/Western Health projects conducted by the Institute for Health & Sport are within the following areas:
- exercise and disease
- nursing and midwifery
- bone and muscle research
- gait, rehabilitation and falls prevention
- cardiometabolic disease
- mental health.
