Our History

Our Origins

In 2018, following the recruitment of the Director of Emergency Medicine Research at the Royal Hobart Hospital, a needs analysis for EM research in Tasmania took place and formed the basis for our strategic priorities. This process identified the need for a recognisable statewide research identity in order to serve two of these priorities.

Firstly, having a coordinated statewide approach to EM research was seen to be economical, efficient and provide more equitable opportunities.

Secondly, a statewide identity would act as a beacon to attract other researchers and care providers to form meaningful collaborations. The importance of this in research has always been obvious, the fact that the medicine that we practice in the Emergency Department is fundamentally based on partnerships in patient care provides further incentive to prioritise these relationships in research.

Of all these collaborations, the most significant is between health care and research itself. In our island state, organised as a ‘one health care, one university’ model, it was clear that for EM, partnering the University of Tasmania with the Tasmanian Health Service would provide the foundation required for TASER to succeed.

Our Ambition

The challenges of competing priorities in an already access-blocked, emotionally and physically exhausting clinical environment is obvious. Our strategy to build a research ecosystem that bridges the gap between clinical care and research will consider these aspects of care. Through TASER our ambition is to create a perpetual culture of rigorous enquiry to enhance patient care. By creating a clinical culture of critical thinking and pursuing truly meaningful research, TASER will have the impact to create compelling and swift incorporation into clinical practice.

As the beacon of EM research in Tasmania, TASER intends to establish itself as a driver for excellence in emergency care on the apple isle and a significant contributor to emergency medicine research globally.