Health is a priority research area at ACU, and the Faculty of Health Sciences plays a key role in delivering research excellence in this field. The University has received top ERA scores (well above world standard) in four areas: human movement and sports science, nursing, public health and health services, and psychology.
The School of Allied Health focuses on research into social work, physiotherapy, speech pathology and occupational therapy with a focus on promoting health, wellbeing and social justice.
Our behavioural science researchers focus on the areas of psychology, sport science and disability, as well as the clinical applications of exercise and cognitive-motor interventions in health, chronic disease and rehabilitation.
The School of Nursing, Midwifery and Paramedicine has extensive research expertise across acute care, cardiovascular disease, neonatal care, acute stroke and palliative care. We have close ties to the Nursing Research Institute, a collaboration between ACU and St Vincent’s Health, Sydney.
The Nursing Research Institute (NRI) conducts multidisciplinary outcomes-focused healthcare research of high clinical relevance. The NRIs vision is to create a world-class centre in nursing health services research with our industry partners to improve the well-being, safety and quality of patient care and health service delivery.
Visit the instituteThe Healthy Brain and Mind Research Centre (HBMRC) aims to advance knowledge critical to improving mental health, participation and well-being. The HBMRC brings together three programs of research excellence in mental health, addiction neuroscience, and disability and development.
Visit the Research CentreThe Sports Performance, Recovery, Injury and New Technologies (SPRINT) Research Centre in the School of Behavioural and Health Sciences will advance knowledge in sports performance, recovery, and injury by developing new, and using established, research techniques.
Visit the Research CentreThis National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) funded project brings together a consortium of universities and industry partners to research a new model for healthy senior living and integrated school communities
Visit the research project
News
Australian Catholic University researchers are partnering with Nestlé Health Science on a start-up incubator to advance innovation in nutrition.
Event
The Master of Dietetic Practice Student-led Conference
News
Leading initiatives to safeguard a range of vulnerable road users has propelled Australian Catholic University psychology researcher Dr Joanne Bennett to one of the nat...
News
Professor Ester Cerin has been recognised with a prestigious Nobel Sustainability Trust award for her contributions to the Global Observatory of Healthy and Sustainable...
.jpg)
News
Exercise has the potential to be as effective as medicine in preventing and treating a range of disease.
News
ACU has taken out the top spot in Australia for research quality in the Times Higher Education 2026 World University Rankings.
News
Generations of students will benefit from the legacy left by the 2025 cohort of Australian Catholic University Student Veteran Impact Award recipients.
News
Australian Catholic University (ACU) has ranked number one in Australia for employer satisfaction, according to the latest QILT Employer Satisfaction Survey (ESS).
News
ACU Canberra’s new occupational therapy apartment has been officially opened.
News
A frank, youth-led discussion about perceptions of military service will form part of an Australian Catholic University study into young people's understanding of the A...
News
A raft of new scholarships is making international study more accessible, helping students from developing countries achieve their dream of study abroad and attracting ...
.png)
News
Where you live plays a powerful role in how your brain ages
News
ACU's Nicola Straiton is part of a global research team awarded a $25M Collaborative Research Accelerator Grant to tackle breast cancer.
News
Australian Catholic University Associate Professor Jonathon Weakley will explore performance, health and rehabilitation questions after winning a National Industry PhD ...
.jpg)
News
Resilience, athleticism, teamwork, humour and pride combined to propel Australian Catholic University to another successful performance at the Indigenous Nationals in P...
News
New publication identifies critical barriers that out-of-home care service providers face when supporting children with mental health issues.
News
Children who spend excessive time on screens are at greater risk of developing mood and behaviour problems, new ACU research has found.
News
Regular exercise changes the bacteria living in the gut which helps the body to fight illness and stay healthy.
.jpg)
News
Narcissism has become the armchair diagnosis of the decade, writes Megan Willis.
News
A new roadmap will support early and mid-career nursing and midwifery researchers, break barriers and drive healthcare innovation.
News
ACU and Skybox Health will develop software to align nursing education with digital health transformation.
News
A former Ukrainian medical student who fled to Australia in the first week of the war on Ukraine has graduated from her first university degree in Brisbane.
News
ACU's Jonathon Weakley joins Rugby Australia as the Head of Research and Innovation
News
Madeleine Fraser looks at why children are reluctant to divulge information about their day and how to encourage more details.
News
An ACU-sponsored ophthalmology training event in rural Nepal has helped primary health care professionals save the eyesight of people across the country.
News
Philosopher-turned nurse Professor Mark Lazenby will present a webinar offering a sustainable approach to burnout among nurses.
News
The first few weeks of the school year is a tough time for many kids. ACU's Madeleine Fraser offers tips on how to check they are ok.
News
ACU academics have won a prestigious government grant that will see them work with the best and brightest PhD candidates and industry partners to solve real-world chall...
News
Lack of green space and air pollution play a pivotal role in shaping cognitive health and can contribute to developing dementia.
News
New ACU research found time-restricted eating was as effective as the diet intervention to control blood glucose levels in people with type 2 diabetes.
News
Professor Tania Broadley has been appointed as Australian Catholic University’s new Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education).
News
ACU research shows a strong link between social media use and psychological distress in pregnant women.
News
ACU students and alumni have returned from successful campaigns at the Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics.
News
Australian Catholic University has launched twin apps to help veterans harness their strengths and thrive through higher education.
News
An upgraded platform with specially curated music playlists, videos and podcasts is delivering significant benefits in supporting aged care staff to manage dementia beh...
News
Joane Lampe came to ACU feeling worried about finding a job. Now, she's planning a career as a female leader in sport.
News
Student-led Constraint Induced Movement Therapy (CIMT) Boot Camps held at the ACU Health Clinic in Brisbane have empowered dozens of stroke survivors to rediscover thei...
News
Exercise can improve quality of life and reduce fatigue and pain in patients with metastatic breast cancer.
News
Excited about the Olympics but not the sleepless nights? Read our sleep experts Shona Halson and Carissa Gardiner's tips to conquer those late-night sessions.
News
Future students and their families can get a taste of life on campus at Australian Catholic University’s Open Days.
News
Professor James Franklin will explore how we can use abstract principles to navigate policy, law and ethics in this year's PM Glynn Lecture.
News
Graduating from Australian Catholic University to a school classroom would mean more precious hours out of the pool for Paris Olympics-bound Sienna Hearn.
News
Jayme Dreise, the son of our first Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander graduates, proudly graduates from ACU
News
Preventing child sexual abuse can be tackled in many ways. We are familiar with pre-employment screening and Working with Children Checks. But these steps alone are not...
News
Cassandra thought her master's degree would be a stressful experience. ACU showed her another side of postgraduate study.
News
Our $5 million state-of-the-art human metabolic chamber – the only one of its kind in the southern hemisphere – has opened on the Melbourne campus.
News
Since 2010, a vibrant partnership between ACU and Christ University (Deemed to be University) in India has been delivering a wealth of cross-cultural research, teaching...
News
If your research passion is in child wellbeing and prevention of abuse, neglect and maltreatment, the Institute of Child Protection Studies could supervise your studies...
News
"The ACU course has exceeded my expectations... the university is a welcoming place."
News
Before started his ACU degree, Dhravil completed the Foundation Studies course - and it prepared him for life at university.
News
ACU Canberra health students can now apply for cost of living and placement grants under a new ACT program to attract and retain students.
News
The highest achievers from the pool, football field, hockey pitch, athletics track and film stage were among a distinguished student cohort honoured at the 2023 Austral...
News
Creating, not just a pathway, but a home for ADF personnel at Australian Catholic University is the calling for Aaron Cornwall, who has won Veteran Employee of the Year...
News
"Students who graduate from ACU have a higher chance of being hired... if you get a chance to study there, it must be your top priority."
News
International graduate Roneil Bacang brings ACU’s caring and ethical culture into his work as a nurse.
News
ACU researchers will develop a program to enhance pedestrian safety among older adults, thanks to funding from the Australian Automobile Association (AAA).
News
More than 2000 health science students have completed an innovative, interprofessional, ward-based prac simulation across six of Australian Catholic University's campus...
News
Assoc. Prof. Valentina Lorenzetti has been awarded a place in a highly competitive program designed to increase representation of women leaders in STEM.
News
ACU medical researcher Dr Kim Loh has been awarded a highly competitive Australian Research Council (ARC) Future Fellowship.
News
Australian Catholic University (ACU) has welcomed the release of the Universities Accord Panel’s interim report today.
News
Leading UK sport science academic Professor Ben Jones joins ACU
News
If you love food and the science around it, studying and working in the field of nutrition science might be very appealing. It can be a smart move for your future, too,...
News
Ageing expert Jenneke Foottit says there is a lot we can do to help older people with loneliness and social isolation.
News
Australian Catholic University (ACU) in association with the Low Choy Family have established a memorial award to honour respected Professor of Physiotherapy Nancy Low ...
News
A partnership between Australian Catholic University and RSL Queensland will see the lives of veterans and their families transformed through education and opportunity.
News
A $6.9m grant will allow an ACU-led consortium to deliver a program that will empower, support and connect caregivers raising children with developmental concerns or di...
News
ACU Ballarat's mass casualty disaster exercise is the largest in the country with more than 300 people involved.
News
The interplay between older people’s wealth and health will be the focus of ACU's Aquero Lecture Series on Thursday 8 September.
News
ACU has partnered with the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide on a mapping project designed to improve the Commission’s understanding of the nature of th...
News
ACU continues to make its mark globally in world rankings.
News
Open Day season has started at ACU with seven of our campuses welcoming visitors.
News
Kookaburra Jacob Anderson is one of of seven current ACU students who will compete at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games in July
News
A number of ACU researchers have been recognised on international and national Research.com lists as top scientists in their fields.
News
ACU’s Allied Health Clinic has delivered hope, and a launchpad towards Commonwealth Games success, for Vanuatu’s women’s beach volleyball team.
News
Gerontology expert Laurie Buys joins ACU as it strengthens its commitment to deliver innovative research and a skilled workforce for the aged care sector.
News
Young Australians have the highest incidence of knee injury with five to 14-year-old girls recording the sharpest rise in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries, acc...
News
The world’s strongest person might not be who you think according to an ACU researcher who has challenged society to reimagine how strength is perceived.
News
Standardised testing for one of sport’s most prized commodities – speed – is a step closer thanks to a research partnership between Australian Catholic University and p...
News
Internationally-renowned health ethics expert Dr Brian Kane will launch Australian Catholic University’s Faculty of Health Sciences new lecture series, Aquero.
News
Slinger, a leading connected sports technology company, announced a successful test of its tennis app conducted at the SPRINT Research Centre at Australian Catholic Uni...
News
ACU and the Australian Embassy to the Holy See have signed a memorandum of understanding to offer ACU students a prestigious internship in Rome.
News
More than 4500 new students were welcomed to ACU’s seven campuses this week for vibrant Orientation Week festivities.
News
ACU psychologist Dr Michael Noetel has given a great deal of thought to why we donate, and how our goodwill can have the greatest impact.
News
ACU neuroscientist Valentina Lorenzetti has been awarded the prestigious 2022 Al & Val Rosenstrauss Fellowship.
News
Dr Evelyn Parr from the Mary MacKillop Institute for Health Research has been honoured for her research into chrono-nutrition.
News
Australian Catholic University will launch ACU Online, a fully online education portfolio, on 8 December 2021.
News
A valid, affordable and portable system capable of analysing running gait is the objective for an Australian Catholic University project that was among 15 recipients aw...
News
Students from Queensland's South Burnett have at least two pathways to careers in sport and exercise science after a visit from ACU.
News
Concussed athletes should commence moderate intensity exercise within two days of injury according to new Australian Catholic University research that challenges tradit...
News
A six-week internship with the Australian men’s rugby union team was a money-can't-buy experience for Curtis Reck who is nearing completion of a Bachelor of High Perfor...
News
Leading ACU neuroscientist Valentina Lorenzetti was one of 25 international expert researchers to develop a new global toolkit that can measure cannabis use.
News
Statement from Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Zlatko Skrbis on the safe return of international students to Victoria
News
Pitching and storytelling masterclass.
News
Digital marketing essentials. The five stories of social change and identifying your customer avatar.
Education experts at Australian Catholic University say teachers should bring back a sense of joy to student learning and extend lunch breaks when schools resume in Oct...
News
A telehealth exercise program for palliative cancer patients with the muscle wasting syndrome cachexia is improving their quality of life, physical function, and streng...
News
Children whose parents have mental illness are two to 13 times more likely to develop a mental illness themselves which is why prevention and early intervention is crit...
News
A new study from researchers at ACU’s School of Behavioural and Health Sciences will investigate how resistance training and other activities impact vascular function d...
News
When all else is equal the difference between Olympic gold and silver may come down to something as seemingly simple as what an athlete eats.
News
Standing up and moving for three minutes every half hour may lessen the health impacts of sitting too much, a new study shows.
News
The NSW Government’s COVID-19 TechVoucher program is now open for applications.
News
New findings from ILSTE research discusses Teaching Performance Assessments as cultural disruptors in Initial Teacher Education.
News
For the Australian Catholic University students and alumni elite athletes, indelible memories were carved into their minds as they contemplate what comes next in their ...
News
ACU's five Paralympians have returned home from Tokyo having unearthed previously undiscovered strengths.
News
Australian Catholic University (ACU) and the Order of Malta have signed a memorandum of understanding that details partnering on a range of life-changing engagement ini...
News
Staff and students on ACU's Brisbane campus will be able to borrow a human book in a scheme designed to increase understanding through human contact.
News
Meet Australian Catholic University alumnus Rob Howells, the ex-crane operator who is living proof you don't have to be a bookworm to be a scientist.
News
Sleep-deprived athletes risk poor performances, with almost three-quarters falling short of desired slumber targets by at least an hour, a new study has found.
News
ACU and Nudgee College have partnered on a research project aimed at better understanding and releasing the pressures on elite student athletes.
News
The ketogenic diet may turn elite Olympic athletes into fat-burning machines but new ACU research has found it does not improve endurance.
News
The Hon Justice Martin Daubney AM and Ms Virginia Bourke have been appointed to the positions of Chancellor and Pro-Chancellor of Australian Catholic University (ACU).
News
Leading ACU hamstring expert David Opar will be involved in a $4 million National Football League (NFL) funded study that will investigate the prevention and treatment...
News
The research team behind an innovative program tackling cardiovascular disease risk in children has been recognised with one of the Council of Academic Public Health In...
News
Four-time Paralympic swimmer Brenden Hall and Rio sevens rugby gold medallist Emma Tonegato are among 11 current and former students who will represent ACU in Japan at ...
News
Australian Catholic University’s Dr Grant Duthie, from the Sports Performance, Recovery, Injury and new Technologies Research Centre (SPRINT), is part of a team helping...
News
Eating isn’t cheating, according to an Australian Catholic University study that found inadequately fuelled cyclists could be sabotaging their most important rides.
News
Valentina Lorenzetti's work has led the top US federal health agency to announce a new standard dose of THC in cannabis research.
News
Green space around primary schools may improve students’ academic performance.
News
The long, hard path to a paramedicine degree from ACU is worth all the sacrifices for rower Rowena Meredith who has qualified for the Tokyo Olympic Games.
News
Head of the School of Philosophy Dr Richard Colledge writes on the importance of providing general education through systems such as ACU’s Core Curriculum.
News
ACU has awarded its highest honour, an honorary doctorate, to Marionne MacRitchie and a posthumous award to the Hon John Fahey AC, GCSG during graduation ceremonies in ...
News
Time-restricted eating could be a game changer for more than one million Australians with type 2 diabetes.
News
A former soldier is helping other veterans find peace through university study.
News
Coaches may be rummaging through their Spotify playlists after Australian Catholic University research found - for the first time in team sport - that high-tempo music ...
News
Australian research, proven to improve children’s heart health and fitness, has been published by JAMA Pediatrics, the top-ranked paediatrics journal in the world.
News
Professor Suzanne Chambers AO has been appointed to the role of Executive Dean Health Sciences at Australian Catholic University (ACU).
News
A country as innovative as the USA doesn't expect to receive cutting-edge advice in slashing soft tissue injuries in its NFL from halfway across the world yet leading A...
News
A six-week exercise program of either high-intensity interval training (HIIT) or resistance training can build and maintain muscle mass and strength in middle-aged men,...
News
Australian Catholic University Professor Jim Sallis, has called for a heightened focus on exercise as a pandemic control after his research revealed physically inactive...
News
ACU collaborated with Catholic Health Australia to to review the lessons learned from the pandemic for health and aged care operators.
News
ACU aged care experts say the final report of the Royal Commission into Aged Care and Safety needs to be the tipping point required to ensure the needs of vulnerable ol...
News
ACU's Sports Performance Recovery Injury and New Technologies (SPRINT) Research Centre is helping elite footballers stay on the field.
News
An exciting partnership between Australian Catholic University and the Sacramento Kings will expose the NBA club to world leading researchers and timely advances in per...
News
The Melbourne Storm are more likely to win away from home than any of their opponents, according to a new study.
News
New world-leading physical benchmarks have been set for Australia’s men’s and women’s rugby union players who will be tested as part of an alliance with ACU’s Sports Pe...
News
Mental health nurses report staff shortages, unsustainable high workloads, acutely unwell patients, and verbal and physical aggression as top causes of work stress impa...
News
A new program launched by Australian Catholic University (ACU) and Metro North Hospital and Health Service is helping Australian seniors with lung disease get back to d...
News
ACU’s Institute of Child Protection Studies is part of a new Global Safeguarding Alliance (GSA) that will promote knowledge and worldwide exchange on safeguarding and t...
News
When it comes to metabolic health, it's not just what you eat, it's when you eat it. New ACU research has added to the growing body of evidence showing how time-restric...
News
Physiotherapists can play a central role in helping their patients quit smoking with a simple three-step intervention model, according to new ACU research from cardiore...
News
Carb loading in the week before a marathon is an old school approach and not the ideal way to prepare for an endurance event according to exercise physiologist Andy Kin...
News
There’s good news for more than one million Australians who have type 2 diabetes with new ACU research starting to tease apart how changing the time you eat might benef...
News
ACU clinical exercise physiologist Dr Phil Chapman supervised a simulation demonstrating how heat affects classroom learning for ABC series Big Weather (and how to surv...
News
Living within the strict confines of Queensland's biosecurity hub has not prevented NSW Swifts midcourter Tayla Fraser from meeting her Bachelor of Exercise and Sports ...
News
New ACU research is showing how busting a move via silent disco technology can boost the wellbeing of residential aged care residents with dementia.
News
It's been a tough year on the field for Alex Twal and Oliver Clark but the Wests Tigers duo have succeeded off it by completing degree at ACU.
News
Like so many Victorian teenagers, a young Tom Crameri just wanted to work for an AFL club.
News
Both elite and amateur athletes would get better performance bang for their buck using traditional carbohydrate drinks/sports foods rather than costly hydrogel drinks, ...
News
ACU students Shannon Chilman and Sam Parker have embarked on a unique prac assignment - an internship at V8 Supercars powerhouse the Red Bull Holden Racing Team.
News
Prac placement at a hospital in western Sydney has provided thrower Alex Hulley with a timely distraction to her disrupted mission to compete at the Tokyo Olympics.
News
A life-changing new program is giving young people of all abilities the confidence to develop an everlasting love of physical activity.
News
Ester Cerin, program leader of the Behaviour, Environment and Cognition Research Program at the Mary MacKillop Institute for Health Research (MMIHR) at ACU, has been aw...
News
A three-day turnaround is sufficient for soccer players to rebound as football administrators around the globe race to compress fixtures to complete seasons disrupted b...
News
Staff in ACU's School of Nursing, Midwifery and Paramedicine celebrate International Nurses Day on Tuesday May 12th by giving a shout out for the profession of Nursing ...
News
ACU researcher Imre Kouw has received the British Nutrition Foundation's prestigious 2020 BNF Drummond Early Career Scientist Award which recognises early career excell...
News
Bigger, better and stronger is the silver lining by-product of COVID-19 isolation for Sydney Roosters winger Brydie Parker.
News
Separated or divorced parents normally grapple with countless issues, but the COVID-19 crisis means they face new difficulties negotiating shared care of children with ...
News
Seven new research centres will enhance ACU’s reputation in the arts, education, health, and theology and philosophy.
News
Potential Olympians will hit and field virtual balls as part of an innovative partnership between Australian Catholic University and Baseball Queensland.
News
It's no secret that being in nature is good for your health. Something as simple as a walk in the park can boost well-being and deliver benefits ranging from better sle...
News
ACU researcher Evelyn Parr will explore if delaying breakfast and consuming an early dinner – known as time-restricted eating – can improve the symptoms of lifestyle-re...
News
Older Australians who sneak exercise into the day with a regular morning workout significantly improve decision-making for the next eight hours of the day.
News
Research excellence at ACU has been further recognised by the Australian Research Council (ARC) for its significant impact in advancing health, education and social out...
News
Exercise is being teamed up with drug therapy to see if it can become a potent weapon against prostate cancer.
News
Michael Baker has been awarded a prestigious ESSA Fellowship recognising his contribution to the exercise and sport science industry, support and dedication to the asso...
News
ACU’s Jack Hickey has been awarded the prestigious 2018 Exercise & Sports Science Australia (ESSA) medal for his ground-breaking work in hamstring injury.
News
Performance recovery expert Dr Shona Halson hopes her recognition as one of Exercise and Sports Science Australia’s top female leaders in 2019 will inspire a new genera...
News
The size of the brain’s pleasure and reward processing sensors could be behind increased body fat in adolescents and obesity later in life, new research has found.
News
Inspired by maestros like Ballon d’Or winners Luka Modric and Lionel Messi, sport scientists are investigating whether they can measure and teach one of football’s grea...
News
Australian Catholic University’s Doseena Fergie and Bruce Kemp have received some of the nation’s highest honours in this year’s Australia Day awards.
News
Time-poor parents are creating a “backseat generation” of children who don’t walk to school even when they live close by.
News
Women who eat a diet filled with unhealthy junk food have higher rates of the hallmark Alzheimer’s protein beta-amyloid in their brains - putting them at greater risk o...
News
As tennis demands more from its players, an Australian Catholic University study has revealed it is women who pay a greater physical toll at the Australian Open.
News
ACU Senate has further renewed the contract for Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Greg Craven until December 2022, University Chancellor the Honourable John Fahey...
News
Quantifying belief, wrangling data and rapid rehabilitation were among the burning issues for improving athlete performance and wellbeing as leading minds in Olympic an...
News
Professor Sandy Middleton, Director of ACU’s Nursing Research Institute, was recently inducted as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing...
News
Imagine what it would be like to not have to worry about the financial side of university.
News
ACU researchers are trialling a program to address thoughts and behaviours about eating and weight before they develop into an eating disorder.
Learn about our range of research institutes, academies and collaborative centres specialising in areas other than health.
Learn moreThe Institute for Positive Psychology and Education addresses critical educational and psychosocial issues through positive psychology.
Visit the instituteThe Mary MacKillop Institute for Health Research collaborates with local and international partners to address critical public health issues.
Visit the institute
We're available 9am–5pm AEDT,
Monday to Friday
If you’ve got a question, our AskACU team has you covered. You can search FAQs, text us, email, live chat, call – whatever works for you.