Australian Institute of Sport and University of Canberra partner to offer world-first high performance health program

The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) and University of Canberra (UC) have joined forces to develop a unique academic program that will provide health professionals with the skills and insights to optimise elite human health and performance.

The world-first Master of Applied Clinical Epidemiology (MACE) course has been designed by industry leaders and targets those working in sport, defence and emergency services.

The MACE course will look to educate participants to better understand the health patterns associated with elite athletes and personnel in high performance environments such as defence and emergency services, effectively identifying risk factors and preventative health care.

AIS CEO Peter Conde said the ground-breaking program will enable National Sporting Organisations and the National Institute Network to plan and evaluate strategies to prevent athlete injury and illness through data analysis and research.

“The MACE course offers students the chance to tap into specialised content developed by the AIS and world-leading practitioners in health implementation programs,” Mr Conde said.

“The partnership strengthens ties between the two organisations and brings together subject matter experts from the AIS Athlete Availability program, with world-class UC academic resources.”

UCRISE Director and Professor of Sports Medicine Gordon Waddington said the initiative is a unique opportunity for participants to learn from industry leaders in sports medicine and preventative health, in an innovative and flexible environment.

“The MACE course offers advanced online learning and intensive hands-on experiences, including in core units such as Fundamentals for Performance Health and Implementing for Real-world Change,” Professor Waddington said.

“Students can expect excellent job prospects in sports medicine, athlete wellbeing and performance health, and during the course they will benefit from an exceptional learning environment. The UC postgraduate Health Services and Support study area is ranked number one nationally for student satisfaction and teaching quality.”

The Masters course will be available to personnel working in high performance organisations who hold an under-graduate degree in Applied Health, Medicine, or Exercise and Sports Medicine. The AIS will also offer a limited number of scholarships to eligible participants.

/Sport Australia Public Release. View in full here.