PhD scholarships awarded to grow the clinician researcher workforce
A total of $1.83 million has been awarded to 8 Western Australian health professionals to undertake Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) projects that aim to advance clinical practice and improve health outcomes for Western Australians.
The Future Health Research and Innovation (FHRI) Fund’s Clinician Researcher Training Program was designed to build the clinician researcher workforce by encouraging and supporting PhD studies. Pre-consultant medical and dental, allied health, nursing and midwifery professionals employed by eligible WA public health service providers, public-private partnership hospitals and private hospitals were eligible to apply.
Scholarship recipients receive a support package including stipend and project costs for up to 3.5 years full-time or equivalent part-time, with funding contributions from Western Australian universities, hospital research foundations and other partners. Recipients were assessed based on merit by an independent assessment panel.
The recipients are shown below:
FHRI Fund and RPH Research Foundation Clinician Researcher Training grant
| Recipient | Health Service Provider | Project Title | Responsible Entity | Clinical field |
| Reeham Abu-Rgeef |
East Metropolitan Health Service | Optimised Infliximab Maintenance in Inflammatory Bowel Disease – OPTIM-IBD Study | Curtin University | Allied Health |
| Benjamin Bowtell | East Metropolitan Health Service | Risk stratification and improved prognostic model of care for adults presenting to the emergency department with acute non-traumatic low back pain | University of Notre Dame Australia | Allied Health |
FHRI Fund and The Hospital Research Foundation Group Clinician Researcher Training grant
| Recipient | Health Service Provider | Project Title | Responsible Entity | Clinical field |
|
Danelia Craill |
South Metropolitan Health Service |
Breastfeeding initiation and outcomes after major postpartum haemorrhage or pre-eclampsia admission to the intensive care unit |
University of Western Australia | Nursing and midwifery |
| Lachlan O'Sullivan | North Metropolitan Health Service, WA Country Health Service | Rural medical vocational training to support future senior medical workforce development | Curtin University | Medical and dental |
| Zo Ee Wong | PathWest | Functional characterisation of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cells in haematological malignancies and transplantation | University of Western Australia | Allied Health |
FHRI Fund and Charlies Foundation Clinician Researcher Training grant
| Recipient | Health Service Provider | Project Title | Responsible Entity | Clinical field |
| Toni Heinemann | North Metropolitan Health Service |
Assessing the feasibility, acceptability and perceived utility of Artificial Intelligence (AI) enabled peer-support interventions for stroke survivors and carers during stroke rehabilitation |
Curtin University | Allied Health |
FHRI Fund and Fiona Stanley Hospital Clinician Researcher Training grant
| Recipient | Health Service Provider | Project Title | Responsible Entity | Clinical field |
| Charlotte Woollard | South Metropolitan Health Service | Development of Giant Cell Arteritis (GCA) and Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) Clinical Care Standards and Indicators | University of Notre Dame Australia | Medical and dental |
FHRI Fund and Heart & Vascular Research Institute, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital Clinician Researcher Training grant
| Recipient | Health Service provider | Project Title | Responsible Entity | Clinical field |
| Bichen Zhao |
East Metropolitan Health Service | Peripheral arterial vasa vasora: characterisation and imaging using micro computed tomography and links to mechanical strain and atherosclerosis | Curtin University | Medical and dental |