Catch a glimpse inside the brand-new Barwon Health and Deakin offices with fit-for-purpose clinical research and trial spaces, including interview rooms and consultation rooms.
The Health Education & Research Building (HERB) Level 2 fit-out is now complete and ready for use! This exciting project is a collaboration between Barwon Health and Deakin University, resulting in a state-of-the-art facility for health education and research in Geelong CBD.
The new space will be home to 50 team members from Deakin University’s Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation (IMPACT).
Designed by Geelong Architects Cotter Reid, the final space beautifully balances the concepts of public vs private rooms, and vibrant vs sterile environments. This has been achieved with colour, texture, and spatial dynamics, resulting in a visually stunning and functional space.
The fit-out includes an open-plan workspace to enable IMPACT’s growing teams to have the space to expand and collaborate with their colleagues, especially after several years of working from home restrictions.
The importance of clinical trials
One of the most exciting features of this new space is the public-facing clinical trials hub. This space allows for research participants involved in clinical trials to enter the offices privately. This area includes clinical interview rooms and an important collection room for samples.
‘Offering cutting-edge interventions to the Geelong community is at the core of the new clinical trials hub. This space is so important as it enables participants to provide valuable clinical and biological information to assist in understanding the potential benefits of these new therapies,’ says IMPACT’s Associate Professor Olivia Dean.
‘Participants contribute to all aspects of research at IMPACT, and without them, we couldn’t do the important research we do right here in Geelong. I hope this space is an important hub for this critical work for many years to come.’
Meet the IMPACT TRIALS team
A/Prof. Dean currently leads the IMPACT TRIALS team which is looking for new treatments for mental and physical health conditions, and says this new clinical trials space is critical to their everyday work.
‘This space is so important to enable us to greet our clinical trials participants, we can collect samples and interview them in a comfortable environment,’
‘We are currently running over 20 clinical trials with hundreds of clinical trials participants who give their time and energy to helping find new treatments for mental health disorders or physical health problems.’ says A/Prof. Dean.