Metro North Research is committed to developing integrated research career pathways that will allow us to retain, train and attract a world class research active workforce.  As part of this commitment, we are looking to implement programs such as the Pre-RHD (Research Higher Degree) Scholarships that will support and embed the Queensland Training for Research Active Clinicians (QTRAC) Pathway within Metro North.

We are very pleased to announce fifteen awardees for the inaugural round of the Metro North Health Pre-RHD Scholarships. These Scholarships will enable the recipients to further develop their research plan, methodology and supervision plans, with the goal of achieving enrolment in a Research Higher Degree (PhD or MPhil) by 31 December 2024.

Congratulations to the following recipients:

1. Mrs Sijimole Johnson (Clinical Nurse, Biala Alcohol & Drugs Unit, Roma Street Clinic)Research Topic / Area: Enabling and limiting factors impacting efforts to enhance the quality-of-care initiatives to improve the physical health of adults living with severe mental disorders.
2. Dr Justin Hunt (Principal House Officer, RBWH)
   Research Topic / Area: Orbital exenteration for cutaneous periorbital malignancies.
3. Ms Yashni Kander (Nurse Navigator, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Multicultural Health, RBWH)
   Research Topic / Area: Improving access to tertiary and quaternary health services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients by addressing their social, emotional and spiritual wellbeing.
4. Ms Janene Douglas (Clinical Nurse, Special Care Nursery, GSNU, RBWH)
   Research Topic / Area: Establishing best practice around neonatal capillary blood sampling procedures with scientists, health care workers and parents/carers to ensure the best outcomes for neonates.
5. Mrs Melanie Carter (Program Manager, Metro North Medicine Stream + Office of Chief Allied Health Practitioner) 
   Research Topic / Area: Addressing contextual barriers for implementation of extended scope allied health practitioner roles in Specialist Rheumatology outpatient services.
6. Miss Gloria Chui (Pharmacist, RBWH)
   Research Topic / Area: Cardiology – Transition of Care service for high-risk patients with cardiovascular disease.
7. Mrs Rajni Nair (Nurse Unit Manager, Hospital in the Home, COH)
   Research Topic / Area: Navigating the Shifting Paradigms of Hybrid Healthcare Landscape: A Comparative Analysis and Examination of Work Designs, Wellbeing and Performance within Hospital in the Home Service.
8. Ms Elena Bild (Psychologist, TPCH)
   Research Topic / Area: Co-design of a Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for Hypersomnolence Conditions (CBT-H) Program.
9. Miss Kirsten Sue See (Senior Physiotherapist, Brighton Brain Injury Service, COH)
   Research Topic / Area: Prolonged Disorders of Consciousness after traumatic brain injury in Australia – where are these clients and how are they being identified and managed?
10. Dr Nastaran Rafiei (Infectious Diseases Physician, Caboolture Hospital)
    Research Topic / Area: Central nervous system infections.
11. Dr Prashanti Marella (Staff Specialist, Intensive Care Medicine, Caboolture Hospital)
    Research Topic / Area: Institutional-free days after critical illness/ Intensive Care Medicine.
12. Miss Lauren Pearson (Senior Dietitian, Mental Health Services, QuEDS)
    Research Topic / Area: Measuring effectiveness of dietetic interventions in eating disorder recovery.
13. Miss Chloe Tannagan (Clinical Nurse Consultant, Perioperative Services, RBWH)
    Research Topic / Area: Portable nuclear magnetic resonance (pNMR) to track changes in mammographic density in breast cancer patients.
14. Ms Kim Hyam (Clinical Nurse Consultant Implementation Support Specialist, HEI)
    Research Topic / Area: How will the newly recruited Implementation Support Specialist develop capacity within the role to build capability of the Metro North Health’s diverse workforce to achieve service improvement initiatives?
15. Ms Melinda Nebauer (Nurse Practitioner, Emergency and Trauma Centre, RBWH)
    Research Topic / Area: Advanced practice nursing and nurse practitioner.

Regards,

Professor Steven Lane
Acting Executive Director Research