Monash University Handbook 2011

Introduction - Accident Research Centre

The Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC) is a world leader in injury prevention research and fosters scientific advancement of the field through its high quality postgraduate training program. One of the defining features of research at MUARC is that it reaches across traditional discipline boundaries.

MUARC’s research strength lies in its ability to identify and understand risk factors and scientifically evaluate intervention strategies for injury prevention in order to determine the viability and effectiveness of each initiative.

Through strong partnerships with government, industry and community groups, both national and international, and by providing expansive data collection and analysis, diverse technical expertise and independent evaluations and recommendations, MUARC has been able to influence and advance the development and implementation of policy and law enforcement strategies that are evidence-based and work to effectively reduce the burden of injury.

MUARC researchers represent a broad range of disciplines and it is this multi-disciplinary scientific approach that forms the backbone of MUARC’s research as it applies to all areas of injury prevention across a range of settings. Injury prevention research is a convergence of many disciplines including:

biomechanics
biostatistics
computer science
econometrics
education
engineering (varied disciplines)
epidemiology
health economics
human factors
industrial ergonomics
medicine
nursing
psychology
public health
statistics.

With specialists across these diverse research areas, MUARC is involved in every step of the injury prevention cycle from problem identification and analysis to program evaluation and community engagement. MUARC remains at the cutting edge of research in this area by following a simple formula based on four key ingredients, collaboration, independence, advocacy and education.

For more information about MUARC visit http://www.monash.edu.au/muarc.