15th July 2014
World First Global Collaboration in Wound Healing
Breaking news for Welsh Wound network members!
An international collaboration reaching across the world will link two national wound healing initiatives, enhancing the capabilities of both, driving innovation in the wound arena for the benefit of those suffering with acute and chronic wounds.
The Wound Management Innovation CRC, Australia, and the Welsh Wound Innovation Initiative, UK, have entered into an international collaboration agreement to leverage their respective strengths in both scientific and clinical research and also education, through an International Wound Management Research Collaboration (IWMRC).
The Welsh Wound Innovation Centre (WWIC) is a centre of excellence funded by the Welsh Government and focused on the prevention and treatment of acute and chronic wounds as well as ensuring that skin health is maintained. The WWIC is run by a team of wound healing researchers and clinicians and headed by Prof Keith Harding as the CEO and Medical Director. Prof.Harding said that “this is a significant step forward in improving our understanding and care for patients with wound problems which are a global challenge. By collaborating in this way we will not only exchange ideas and training but we will also capture comprehensive and accurate data across continents. This will be the first time that this has been possible in this clinical arena.”
The Wound Management Innovation CRC (WMI CRC) was established in Australia to address the challenge of wound management by integrated and collaborative research into innovative wound care tools, systems and technologies. CEO of the WMI CRC, Dr Ian Griffiths, said “We are delighted to have signed a collaboration which will build upon the already demonstrated strengths of both organisations. This world-first collaboration will initially focus on two important outcomes: an international post-graduate student exchange program and incorporating the Australian and Welsh Wound Registries to establish the International Registry of Wounds.”
The student exchange program is designed to increase collaboration between the Australian and global wound community. This is the only program in the world of its kind – it will allow the highest calibre higher degree students who have completed their studies to travel internationally and collaborate with the best wound care researchers and practitioners in the world.
The International Registry of Wounds incorporates an innovative and exciting technology that effortlessly collects essential wound information that will act as the cornerstone of understanding the statistics of chronic wounds.