COVID-19 research

See how we're addressing the biggest health problem on our planet

At La Trobe, we are using our unique capabilities and expertise to develop research programs which will assist our community in recovering from this unique period in our lives. Our research is vital in our recovery and spans healthcare, industry and community assistance.

Research projects

At la Trobe we strive to ensure our cutting-edge research has practical and measurable outcomes for our communities. We are collaborating with industry, government and community groups in response to the COVID-19 crisis to ensure our research has an impact both locally and globally.

People with cancer typically have poor access to exercise rehab programs, despite research showing it can improve outcomes, including quality of life.  It’s critical to keep this vulnerable population healthy and out of hospital during the COVID-19 period.

This research will tell us how telerehab can be implemented for cancer survivors and will help set them up for healthy active lifestyles in the long term. Read more about this research project here.

This project has been funded by La Trobe, Medibank and Optus in partnership.

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Governments worldwide are using social distancing to contain the spread of COVID-19. This is causing significant challenges for hospitals. In this research, we will look at how virtual remote care technologies can be used in an effective and safe manner during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ideally these technologies will enable hospital patients to be discharged earlier, to safely recover at home. We’ll develop a framework for homebased virtual care, with input from clinicians and feedback from patients and families. Read more about this research project here.

This project has been funded by La Trobe, Medibank and Optus in partnership.

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Researchers at Orygen and La Trobe University have completed a rapid review of contemporary epidemic and pandemic research to assess the potential impact of COVID-19 on people with psychosis.

The review, published online ahead of print in Schizophrenia Researchfound an increase in the prevalence of psychosis as a result of COVID-19 would likely be associated with viral exposure, pre-existing vulnerability and psychosocial stress. The review also suggested that people with psychosis may present a major challenge and potential infection control risk to clinical teams working with them. Read more about this important research here.

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The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in changes to the working arrangements of millions of employees who are now based at home and may continue to work at home, in some capacity, for the foreseeable future. A rapid review undertaken by researchers at La Trobe University found a need for formalised working at home policies that consider a range of areas including work-home boundary setting, workload and technical support.

In a new project, researchers will assess and gather data on the mental and physical health impacts of working from home. The project will develop guidelines on how to protect and optimise employee health and wellbeing while working from home. Read more about this research project here.

This project has been funded by La Trobe, Medibank and Optus in partnership.

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This research will develop understanding of student wellbeing in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak and the disruption most students have experienced in their day to day lives. More specifically, we will:

  • Research the impact of the family wellbeing empowerment model used in the reflective communication subject for first year social work students on student mental health and wellbeing
  • Examine whether subject has the same impact when delivered through on-line rather than face to face workshops.

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