August and September Highlights
- Congratulations to Professors Steve Allender, July Considine AO, Judy Currey, Andrea Driscoll and Trish Livingston on their Deakin Distinguished Professor achievement, the highest honour the University can bestow on a member of academic staff. The Deakin Distinguished Professor title recognises a professor’s significant and sustained contribution to Deakin.
- Congratulations to our latest graduates Dr Ralph Geerling, ACBRD; Dr Carolina Venegas Hargous, GLOBE; Dr Andrew Brown, GLOBE; and Dr Olivia Tierney, QPS.
L to R: Ralph Geerling; Steve Allender, Colin Bell, Carolina Venegas Hargous, Andrew Brown, Claudia Strugnell and Josh Hayward; and Olivia Tierney. - Deakin celebrated its 30th year working in, with and for India with a reception at Government House attended by Anna Peeters AM , Catherine Bennett, David Austin and Judy Currey.
- Deakin Distinguished Professor Julie Considine and Eastern Health colleagues have been awarded a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) grant of $1,469,063 titled ‘WaitLESS: Applying data driven evidence based principles to reduce waiting lists in specialist clinics
- Associate Professor Anna Ugalde, Associate Professor Skye Marshall, Hannah Jongebloed, Dr Rebecca Bergin, and Dr Anna Chapman, in collaboration with Deakin Rural Health collaborator Dr Hannah Beks and external collaborators from Cancer Council Australia have been awarded a Cancer Patient Support Program Grant from the Department of Health and Aged Care. This project has been funded for $495,000 to develop, disseminate and evaluate an Optimal Care Pathway for rural and remote Australians which will serve as a national framework for the delivery of best practice cancer care across rural and remote settings. Laura Sergeant has been appointed as project coordinator to support this work.
- Deakin Distinguished Professor Andrea Driscoll & IPAN (Institute of Physical Exercise and Nutrition) received an IPAN led NHRMC Cardiovascular Health Mission Grant for $1,000,000 titled: “Digital-enabled solutions to support healthcare delivery: Transforming outcomes for heart failure in Australia (SMART; Self-Management And Remote Technologies)”.
- Deakin Distinguished Professors Alison Hutchinson and Tracey Bucknall, Dr Sue Perlen and Dr Renee Fiolet were awarded a tender for $88,355 titled “Workforce Qualitative Analysis within Victorian Public Sector Residential Aged Care”
- An externally led NHMRC Partnership grant has been awarded to Deakin Distinguished Professor Tracey Bucknall and external collaborators for a study titled: “Comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) to improve perioperative Care for Older PeoplE (COPE). Total grant: $3,880,523, with NHMRC contribution: $1,497,853
- An externally led NHMRC Grant of $998,996 has been awarded to Deakin Distinguished Professor Tracey Bucknall and external collaborators for a project titled: “Optimised Infection Prevention and Control Study in Residential Aged Care Homes (OPTICS)
- Deakin Distinguished Professor Tracey Bucknall, Dr Guncag Ozavci, Honorary Professor Bernice Redley and other external collaborators were awarded an Alfred Research Foundation Grant of $340,439 for a project titled: COmmunicatioN between consumers and clinicians to improVE care and patient safetY at Alfred Health: CONVEY Study
- QPS and Associate Professor Anna Ugalde‘s Equitable Cancer Outcomes for Rural and Remote Australia (ECORRA) project welcome the following three new team members:
Helena Rodi
Helena Rodi is a Research Fellow with the ECORRA team and an experienced program manager, bringing a strong background in senior leadership, stakeholder engagement, and government-driven impact initiatives. Her extensive experience includes managing grants with Cancer Australia and holding key roles in government organisations.
As an Accredited Practicing Dietitian and oncology dietitian with over 14 years of experience in acute care, Helena combines clinical expertise with a higher degree in health services research. Her current research focuses on co-designing frameworks for the national evaluation of oncology guidelines in both research and practice.
Dr Charlene Wright
Dr. Wright will be contributing to the 5-year MRFF funded project “Equitable Cancer Outcomes for Rural and Remote Australia (ECORRA)” under the leadership of Project Manager Associate Professor Skye Marshall and Principal Investigator Associate Professor Anna Ugalde. The project aims to address disparities in cancer outcomes in rural and remote regions of Australia. Dr. Wright brings experience in qualitative research, mixed-methods, and systematic reviews. She combines a strong academic foundation with practical experience, positioning herself as both a strategic thinker and an effective implementer in the field of health and digital interventions.
Laura Sergeant
Laura is an experienced project coordinator with previous experience in the Cancer research space, working across National and International projects. She is currently working to deliver the newly funded Optimal Care Pathway (OCP) for those in Rural and Remote Australia with Cancer. Laura is passionate about providing a strong platform for projects to operate from, allowing research and project outcomes to shine. Recently completing a Masters of Global Health at UNSW, that was driven by an interest in health outcomes and inequality within developing settings. This new OCP work will bring together skills in project management, but also a strong desire to see reduced health inequalities in Australia.
Recent Conference Presentations
The ACBRD attend the #24ADC
Last month seven members of the ACBRD team went to Perth to take part in the 2024 Australasian Diabetes Congress (ADC). The ADC is the Annual Scientific Meeting organised by the Australian Diabetes Educators Association (ADEA) and Australian Diabetes Society (ADS). The conference is a great opportunity to hear about the latest diabetes research from national and international experts.
ACBRD staff and students contributed to five oral presentations and three posters across the 3-day (21-23 August) event.
Megan Dennis’ Research Exhibition: Nature in Perspective – Therapeutic horticulture in photographs
Held at the Box Hill Community Arts Centre Gallery, 20 – 25 August 2024, the group exhibition showcased multiple sets of photographic works by artists from local disability organisation Kevin Heinze GROW. Captured during a research collaboration with Deakin University PhD Candidate, Megan Dennis, this arts-based ‘photovoice’ component of the project invited participants to use photography to explore their perspectives and experiences of therapeutic horticulture in the Kevin Heinze GROW program.
These images are shared with the community to invite conversation about the purposeful use of nature and outdoor settings for health, wellbeing, and social connection, to understand first-hand experiences through the artists’ lens, and to reflect on the perspectives and narratives that emerge from the intersection of art and nature.
This exhibition forms part of a larger PhD research study supervised by Associate Professor Claire Henderson-Wilson, Dr Joanne Watson and Dr Justin Lawson, School of Health and Social Development, Deakin University.
View the online exhibition: https://www.natureinperspective.net/
The DHE team’s Global Perspectives: Highlights from our International Conference Adventures
Hear from our Deakin Health Economics team about their recent adventures abroad.
- Dr. Anita Lal presented at the Priorities Conference, Bangkok, Thailand
- Dr. Vicki Brown presented at the 31st European Congress on Obesity, Venice, Italy
- Anh Ho reflects on The International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research & European Health Economics Association conferences
Guncag Ozavci presented at ISQu2024, Istanbul
Guncag Ozavci was thrilled to have had the opportunity to present my current postdoctoral work at ISQu2024, as well as deliver a lightning talk on my PhD research! It was an inspiring experience to connect with so many brilliant minds dedicated to advancing healthcare quality and patient-centered services. The workshops and sessions on coproduction and stakeholder involvement have truly broadened my perspective, and I look forward to leveraging these insights in my ongoing work. Thank you to everyone who made this conference such a valuable and memorable experience!
Go back to the October 2024 Newsletter
