The Health Research Council of New Zealand (HRC) is a

Crown agency A crown agency was an administrative body of the British Empire, distinct from the Civil Service Commission of Great Britain or the government administration of the national entity in which it operated. These enterprises were overseen from 1833 ...

of the

New Zealand Government , background_color = #012169 , image = New Zealand Government wordmark.svg , image_size=250px , date_established = , country = New Zealand , leader_title = Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern , appointed = Governor-General , main_organ = , ...

. It is responsible for managing the government's investment in

health research Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...

for the public good. The HRC was established under the Health Research Council Act 1990. Since January 2016, HRC's board has been chaired by Dr

Lester Levy Lester Levy (born 1954) is a South African-born business leader, adjunct professor, and medical doctor based in Auckland, New Zealand. He chairs a number of large boards in New Zealand's largest city. Early life and education Levy grew up in a ...

. The Council's Chief Executive since February 2020 is Professor Sunny Collings. The statutory functions of the HRC include: * administering funds in relation to national health research policy * advising the

Minister of Health A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare and other social security services. Some governments have separate ministers for mental health. Coun ...

* supporting health research and those engaged in health research in New Zealand * undertaking consultation to establish priorities in health research * promoting and disseminating the results of health research. The Council awards the Liley Medal annually for recent research which has made an outstanding contribution to the health and medical sciences. The Council also awards the Beaven Medal annually for excellence in translational health research. Before the establishment of the HRC, medical research in New Zealand was mostly overseen by the Medical Research Council of New Zealand (MRCNZ; 1937–1990). Jim Hodge was the director of the MRCNZ from 1972 to 1991.

References

External links

Official HRC website
Funding bodies of New Zealand New Zealand Crown agents Medical and health organisations based in New Zealand 1990 establishments in New Zealand Government agencies established in 1990 {{NewZealand-gov-stub