Professor Irene Blackberry has been appointed as Director of the Australian Institute for Primary Care & Ageing (AIPCA) at La Trobe University.
AIPCA is an established research and consultancy institute, which advances evidence-based, consumer-driven practice across primary health, community health and aged care.
In her new role, Professor Blackberry will provide strategic leadership across AIPCA’s research, consultancy and education activities, supporting the institute’s work with government, industry and communities to improve health and aged care systems.
“I am delighted to take on the role of Director of AIPCA and lead its next chapter,” Professor Blackberry said. “The institute has a strong history of applied, collaborative research that makes a real difference to health and wellbeing of older people, and I look forward to building on this work with colleagues and partners.”
Professor Blackberry is a globally recognised leader in health services research, implementation science and ageing. She established the Care Economy Research Institute (CERI) at La Trobe and has played a leading role in shaping the global care economy research agenda, including founding the Care Economy Collaborative Network and leading the successful $129 million Care Economy Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) bid.
Professor Blackberry’s research focuses on the co-design, evaluation and scaling of complex care models across primary care, community health, ageing and workforce development. She has attracted over $135 million of research funding, led more than 80 competitive research grants and authored over 200 peer-reviewed publications, with work informing policy and practice in Australia and internationally.
Since joining La Trobe University in 2014, she has also established the John Richards Centre for Rural Ageing Research at La Trobe Rural Health School in 2017. In taking up the AIPCA Director role, she will be stepping down as the Director of CERI but will continue her role of Director of Care Experience within the Care Economy CRC.
Professor Blackberry is a past president of the Australian Association of Gerontology (Victoria), serves on the editorial boards of several international journals and acts as an expert adviser to government and community organisations. She holds a bachelor’s degree and PhD in Medicine, as well as postgraduate qualifications in program and economic evaluation, and a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
