Western Alliance is the first Australian academic health science centre to focus on regional health outcomes.

Academic health science centres are formal partnerships of universities and health care service providers to collaborate in research, clinical services, education and training. They work to ensure that evidence from research is translated into clinical practice, policy, administrative decision making and benefits for patients and communities.

Academic health science centres currently operate around the world, including in the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Singapore, Sweden and the Netherlands.

In Australia, academic health science centres are a relatively new phenomenon. In 2010, the National Health and Medical Research Council signalled an interest in encouraging stronger links between clinical care and translational research. A national review of health and medical research in Australia by the Department of Health and Ageing in 2013 recommended the establishment of integrated health research centres to synergise the efforts of hospital and community care networks, universities and research organisation.