Events

Institute Upcoming Events

Strengthening community health research through group model building facilitation, 7 – 23 October 2025

Are you a health researcher engaging with local communities to address complex public health challenges? Join our interactive workshop—offered both in person and online—to build your capacity in facilitating group model building (GMB) processes that support collaborative systems thinking and community-led solutions.

What you’ll gain:

Systems thinking tools to co-create models with communities
Practical facilitation skills for participatory research and decision-making
Strategies to navigate complexity in public and community health contexts
A 12-month licence for STICKE, a collaborative modelling platform
Access to post-workshop drop-in sessions for continued support

IN-PERSON

Our in-person 2-day workshop will be held at Deakin University’s downtown campus in Melbourne’s Docklands on Monday 13 and Tuesday 14 October, from 10.30am to 5pm on day 1 and 9.30am to 3pm on day 2. Cost: $1250
Eventbrite in-person workshop registration

ONLINE

The online workshops will be 6 x 2-hour sessions, spread over 3 weeks. Each session will run from 3 to 5pm AEDT (5 to 7am GMT, 6 to 8am CET) on 7, 9, 14, 16, 21 and 23 October 2025. Cost: $1250
Eventbrite online workshops registration

IHT Research Accelerator Grant Information Session and Q&A, 2pm Tues 14 Oct 2025

The Institute is pleased to be launch the 2026 Research Accelerator Grants. Applications will open shortly and will close Tuesday November 11th, 5PM.

Updated application documents will be available shortly through the Members Portal via the following link.

This session will introduce the funding opportunity and will include a detailed overview of the scheme guidelines, eligibility requirements, and assessment criteria.

This will include practical guidance on developing a strong application, with tips on:

Structuring a clear and compelling research proposal
Writing for a diverse review audience (clarity, accessibility)
Common pitfalls to avoid in grant applications

The session is designed to be interactive, with time allocated for questions and discussion. The session will also be recorded and made available on the Members Portal.

Please see the calendar invite for more details.

IHT Impact Grant Information Session and Q&A, 2pm Wed 15 October 2025

The Institute is pleased to be launch the 2026 Impact Grants. Applications will open shortly and will close Tuesday November 11th, 5PM.

Updated application documents will be available shortly through the Members Portal via the following link.

These grants aim to support our members to evaluate the impact of their completed research program(s) / project (s) with funding parcels of up to $10,000 being made available to undertake activities in 2026.

We will also be hosting an information session followed by Q&A, on 15 October, 2-3pm via Zoom. This will also be recorded and made available after the session.

Please see the calendar invite for more information.

IHT Health Consumers Centre
Webinar 3: Authentic, Strengths-Based Engagement Practice, 12pm Wed 15 Oct 2025

About the series – Meaningful involvement of consumers and community in health and medical research

This interactive series will help you integrate best-practice consumer and community involvement into your research. The sessions will be co-presented with Lived Experience experts, featuring real-life stories, practical activities, and Q&A opportunities.

Webinar 3: Authentic, strengths-based consumer and community engagement practice

Join us online for the third session in this impactful series supporting IHT researchers to embed meaningful consumer and community engagement in health and medical research.
Time/date: Wednesday October 15, 12:00-1:00pm
Facilitators: Abdurrehman Nadeem (Senior Engagement Officer) and Tharindu Jayadeva (Lived Experience Expert).

We will explore how to move beyond tokenism and toward authentic, strengths-based engagement. The training content will include:

The evolving language and practice of engagement
Creating ‘safe enough’ spaces, both in person and online
Purposeful practice to reduce the impacts of power, privilege, and bias
Case studies of reciprocal partnerships with grassroots organisations
Overcoming funding barriers and navigating ethics processes

Eventbrite registration: IHT’s Health Consumers Centre: Webinar 3 Tickets, Wed, Oct 15, 2025 at 12:00 PM | Eventbrite

Webinar 4: Increasing Research Impact through Co-Design
Date: 5th November, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM – Register Here

Each webinar builds upon the previous and is designed to help you apply what you’ve learned to your research.

We’re looking forward to supporting your journey in leading impactful research, in partnership with the communities we are all here to serve.

Trisha Dunning Lecture, 12pm Wed 12 November 2025

To mark World Diabetes Day, and in collaboration with Diabetes Victoria and the ACBRD, we are pleased to welcome Professor Bodil Rasmussen as the keynote speaker for this year’s annual Trisha Dunning Lecture. We hope you can join us online for this inspirational lecture as she explores this year’s World Diabetes Day theme of diabetes and wellbeing. Further details and registration will be released shortly.

IHT All Members Day, Mon 1 December 2025, Deakin Downtown

We look forward to seeing you at our next All Members Day on Monday 1 December 2025 at Deakin Downtown.

More details will be released closer to the date. We hope to see you there!

IHT Morning Teas, Tues 9 Dec 2025 at Burwood and Wed 17 Dec 2025 at Waterfront, Geelong

We hold regular morning teas alternating between the Burwood and the Waterfront campuses – they’re a great opportunity to connect with other Institute members. Please feel welcome to invite your colleagues and RSVP through the calendar invite.

10.30am Tuesday 9 December at Burwood
10.30am Wednesday 17 December at Waterfront, Geelong

Keep your eye out for the invite to suit your location. Any questions, please email health-transformation@deakin.edu.au.

Upcoming Events

Deakin Researcher Development Academy Workshops and Webinars

The Researcher Development Academy (RDA) have curated several workshops and webinars that run across the campus network. They are available to all graduate researchers, graduate research supervisors and EMCRs. Here’s a selection of the many opportunities available:

Preparing for Confirmation of Candidature, 2.30pm Mon 13 October 2025 Find out more and register!
Applying for funding 2 – Presenting in an authentic way, 2pm Tues 14 October 2025 Find out more and register!
Research Doesn’t Write Itself, 10.30am Mon 20 October 2025 Find out more and register!
Designing Effective Academic Posters for Conferences, 2pm Tues 21 October 2025 Find out more and register!
Important changes to the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research, 11am Wed 12 November 2025 Find out more and register!
Managing Funding 1 – Meet the People Who Can Help, 2pm Wed 17 November 2025 Find out more and register!

Registration open for RDA 3-day writing retreat

If you’ve got writing goals to hit before the end of this year, the RDA 3-day writing retreat at Deakin Downtown might be what you need! This event is an excellent opportunity to get writing done in a supportive, collegial environment. Early registration for the retreat is now open and places are limited so act soon!

Dates/Times: Wed-Fri, 19-21 Nov 2025 | approx. 9:30am-4pm each day

Venue: Deakin Downtown, Melbourne

What is the writing retreat? The retreat is a chance to spend focused time on your writing goals, working alongside your research colleagues and minimising everyday distractions. The RDA academic team will be facilitating pomodoros (time-boxed sessions) where you can get work done across the 3 days, and there will be regular breaks interspersed for chatting with colleagues, going for a walk, grabbing a snack, or just getting away from the screen.

This event is part of Academic Writing Month (AcWriMo) in November – full AcWriMo program launched early October!

Please contact A/Prof Tseen Khoo with any questions – t.khoo@deakin.edu.au

Find more opportunities on the Researcher Development Academy page

Information Session: Applying for Science Meets Parliament 2026 – 11am Fri 10 October 2025

The Faculty will soon be seeking expressions of interest for EMCRs who are interested in attending the next Science Meets Parliament (SMP) event which will be taking place in Canberra March 2026. There will be a process in each Institute to select who will be supported to attend SMP2026. We will be holding an online information session on Friday 10 October 2025, from 11:00am to 12:30pm. At this session, several of the staff who attended SMP in 2025 will be discussing their experience of the event and how they prepared for it.

Science Meets Parliament features a comprehensive training program designed to strengthen relationships between federal Parliamentarians and professionals in health, science, and technology. Those attending need to have a research topic/idea/product to pitch to government.

Please see the calendar invite for more information.

Read more about Science Meets Parliament.

International Research Partnership Colloquium – Session 6, 5pm Tues 14 October 2025

Please join us for our next session of the Faculty of Health’s International Partnerships Colloquium series 2025 focusing on our partnership with Medical University of Graz. Associate Professor Debra Kerr and Dr Gerhilde Schüttengruber will share their research insights and answer your questions about their work.

Presentation 1 – Associate Professor Debra Kerr. The ReFrame Training Program: Effect on nurses’ quality of life, complaints and occupational violence and aggression.
Presentation 2 – Dr Gerhilde Schüttengruber. Attitudes of nurses about ageing.

Please see the calendar invite for more information or click here

Deakin GenAI

Enabling Deakin staff, students and researchers to adopt principled approaches and build AI capabilities across our work, study, and research. Deakin needs AI-literate students and staff, who can engage with AI in principled ways. This space brings together resources for our community to explore and experiment with genAI. We’re here to support you in building capability, sparking discussion and embedding genAI into your work in a way that’s ethical, inclusive, and fit-for-purpose.

Deakin GenAI – GenAI Prompts, 11:00am – 11:45am 16 Oct 2025

GenAI can be a great tool in our research, work, study and learning toolkit. This technology can create study plans, design graphics for presentations, compose study focus music or coach you through exam question preparation. But in order to get the most out of it, we need make sure we’re putting good stuff in. In this session we’ll explore how to create effective prompts to help boost productivity, learning, and research. Register here

Deakin GenAI Hub | AI Learning Group, 11:00am – 12:00pm 23 Oct 2025

In this session, we will explore use cases of AI across Deakin Library. Register here

Deakin GenAI Hub | Communications with AI, 11:00am – 11:45am 6 Nov 2025

Explore how AI can help shape your communications by taking a principles-based approach, and experiment with some tools. Register here

LEVERAGE Global Forum, 21 Oct 2025. In person at Bristol, UK and online

Join Deakin Distinguished Professor Steve Allender speaking at the LEVERAGE Global Forum. The LEVERAGE Executive Group, the System Dynamics Society (SDS), the Open Modeling Foundation (OMF), the International Society of Systems Science (ISSS) and the International Network for Social Network Analysis (INSNA) invite you to the LEVERAGE Global Forum and Feedback Workshop.

Join us and hear from the presidents of four leading international scientific societies in systems science, leaders from the WHO, The Lancet and the World Obesity Federation, as well as leading experts and learners in commonly used systems methods from around the world to share diverse experiences in applying, writing, reviewing and advocating systems approaches in public health.

LEVERAGE aims to advance the development and application of systems science methods in public health by creating the 1st guidelines for writing and reporting the development, implementation and evaluation of health interventions and policies underpinned by commonly used systems approaches.

Please see the attached event programme for more information. Following invited talks and a panel discussion, we will present the drafted guidelines and welcome your feedback.

When: 21st October, British Summer Time 13:00 – 17:00 (welcome lunch for in-person participants starting at 12 midday)
Where: In-person participants: Bristol City Hall, Bristol, United Kingdom. Online participants: An online link will be shared later.
For Who: Experts, learners, users, publishers (journal editors), and research funders of System Dynamics, Agent‑Based Modeling, Social Network Analysis, or other systems‑oriented methods, who work in health research and policymaking. All academic backgrounds and health research topics are welcome.

How to register:
Please register your interest here. Because space is limited, especially for in-person participation, we strongly encourage early registration. All in‑person participants will receive lunch and refreshment.

After we receive your registration, we will confirm your place as quickly as possible! For any questions, reach out to Dr. Remco Peters (remco.peters@bristol.ac.uk) or the LEVERAGE project lead Dr. Bai Li (bai.li@bristol.ac.uk).

Workshop: Conducting Psychologically Safe Research, 9.30am Fri 24 October 2025

How can you conduct research that protects the wellbeing of everyone involved? Join the Institute for Safety, Compensation and Recovery Research (ISCRR) for this interactive workshop to explore how to design and deliver research that is both ethical and psychologically safe.

Half day workshop held at Monash College City Campus
9.30am – 12.30pm Fri 24 October 2025

You will learn practical strategies for:

Recognising and managing potential hazards in research
Applying trauma-informed principles
Embedding safety into research design and ethics
Creating a culture of care across disciplines

Through guided discussion and reflection, you will leave with tools you can apply immediately to make your research safer and more impactful.

Tickets: $250.50 per person (includes Trybooking fee). A tax invoice will be issued automatically with your purchase.

Register here

Mental Health and Oral Health Symposium, 31 October 2025

Supported by Oral Health Victoria, the Mental Health and Oral Health Symposium explores the challenges faced by youth with severe mental illness and oral health. It brings together consumer advocates and experts from both fields to highlight how mental health practitioners can support recovery by promoting oral health through an interdisciplinary, evidence-based approach. Attendees will participate in a workshop to share ideas and collaborate on future initiatives, including research grant opportunities that involve consumer voices and lived experiences. The event is held alongside the Oral Health Victoria Public Oral Health Conference 2025. Sponsored by the Institute for Health Transformation, Deakin University.

Deakin University Media Training – The Conversation Editor talk, 12pm Mon 10 Nov 2025

Our next The Conversation Editor Talk is on 10 November at 12:00pm. This one hour zoom session is ideal for anyone keen to find out more about how to pitch and write for The Conversation.

The monthly audience of The Conversation Australia & New Zealand is around 8.3 million page views. A published article can also lead to conference invitations, research collaborations and follow up requests from media.

In the session, TC executive Editor Liz Minchin will cover:

why write for The Conversation?
what the editors are looking for
how to pitch an idea
what happens if you get accepted/rejected
writing tips for The Conversation’s non-academic readership

Registration link: https://deakin.zoom.us/meeting/register/o8JxJqIgQfWN8eXiyv5Rlw

Free workshop on monitoring corporate and market power, 9 and 10 December 2025

Join us for a deep dive into methods and data analysis related to monitoring corporate and market power.

This workshop will, over two days, discuss different methods for monitoring and measuring corporate and market power (via sectors/industries and markets), and the range of approaches for tracing corporate influences on policy and politics.

Day 1 will involve discussions and strategies involving both quantitative and qualitative methods, with discussions facilitated by leaders in the field. There will be spaces for the exchange of insights and ideas.
Day 2 will involve training in the uses of business analytics secondary data (e.g. Orbis) for measuring key indicators such as concentration, financialisation, common ownership and M&As.

Note, attendees require no statistical knowledge or experience (we use secondary data).

The workshop is also intended to better link various communities involved in corporate power in health, food, and climate change research with researchers active in the Global Political Economy. We seek to foster a community of practice for those working in or researching corporate power.

The final evening will invite participants to an informal get together.

PsychoSocial Aspects of Diabetes (PSAD) Annual Scientific Meeting, 17-19 February 2026

You’re invited to the next PsychoSocial Aspects of Diabetes (PSAD) Annual Scientific Meeting to be held in Deakin’s Waurn Ponds Estate, Geelong, Australia on 17-19 February 2026. The Australian Centre for Behavioural Research in Diabetes (ACBRD) are proud to be the local hosts for this annual international event.

About the PSAD
The international PSAD Group is a network of more than 200 members around the world. Most members are based in Europe (where the PSAD began), but our community extends to many other parts of the world, including USA, Canada, Australia, and South America. Members are united in their common interest in the psychosocial aspects of diabetes.

Important dates to note:

Registrations and abstract submissions will open on 1st September 2025.
Abstract submissions will close on 30th September 2025. We aim for a fast turnaround on abstract reviewing.
You will be notified of the outcome of your abstract submission in mid-late October.
Early bird registrations will close 30th November 2025.

Onsite accommodation is great value but limited – secure your place now!
For any enquiries please contact the PSAD Study Group at info@psadgroup.org.

Registration and Abstract submission

Recent Events

FoH Implementation Science Webinar 12: Links and slides

Thanks so much for joining our webinar Thinking opportunistically about answering implementation questions: how to undertake pilot implementation studies on Thursday 14th August 2025.

This follow-up email includes a pdf of the slides from the session, a resource guide, and a link to the webinar recording
https://deakin.au.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=bdc688f6-72c9-4a67-a145-b34b0046b81f

If you’d like to catch up on past sessions, you’ll find them on the FoH Research SharePoint site, KTEN Resources and Faculty Researcher Development Seminars. All above links will only work for Deakin staff. If you are external to Deakin and would like access to any recordings, please let me know and I will arrange access.

Addressing the common MRFF selection criteria workshop

In September, EMCR Committee hosted a successful ‘Addressing the common MRFF selection criteria’ workshop at Deakin Downtown facilitated by Dr Sharon Brennan-Olsen from The Grant Ed Group. The workshop provided valuable insights into grant writing and selection criteria, and provided opportunities for networking and collaboration.

Go back to the October 2025 Newsletter

Written by Michelle Jeavons

8 October, 2025