MacHSR Future Leaders Fellowship program projects

These front-line clinicians are using Health Services Research (HSR) to solve practical care-delivery problems impacting their health services.

Throughout the program each Fellow upskills in HSR and is released from clinical duties for one day per week to apply this knowledge to their research project. Current and past MacHSR Fellows include clinicians from a range of disciplines across MACH-affiliated health services.

MacHSR program details

Explore the current and completed MacHSR projects in the table below

OrganisationNameRoleProject titleFellowship statusDownload final report (completed fellowships only)
Austin HealthElena GerstmanAllied Health Interdisciplinary PractitionerUsing data to identify complex patientsCompletePDF
Austin HealthPatrick HilleyClinical PharmacistInvestigating the use of novel virtual biologic clinics to help achieve values-based healthcare in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)CompletePDF
Austin HealthLuke McDonaldSenior ICU PhysiotherapistRecognising Advanced Practice Roles in Allied HealthCurrent
Austin HealthCharissa ZagaSenior Speech PathologistPrioritising patient communication to support equitable access to healthcareCompletePDF
Mercy HealthDr Annie ChiuPalliative Care Consultant
Optimising Telemedicine Use in Home-Based Palliative Care at Mercy Health: Delivering Sustainable, Scalable, and Responsive Care
Current
Austin HealthMel KotzeClinical Excellence Lead Aboriginal HealthImproving Access to Specialist Outpatient Care for First Nations Patients: Reducing Failure-to-Attend Through Culturally Safe Pathway RedesignCurrent
Mercy HealthUmesh BaskaranSenior Occupational Therapist and Advanced Hand Therapy PractitionerImproving patient flow through fracture clinicsCompletePDF
Mercy HealthDr Anne HarrisonPhysiotherapy Manager, Werribee Mercy HospitalIncreasing engagement with the patient/carer-activated escalation pathwayCompletePDF
Mercy HealthDr Amber KennedyObstetrician, Gynaecologist and Fertility SpecialistOptimising future fertility and pregnancy outcomes after caesarean section at the Mercy Hospital Women – Can a uterine niche be avoided?Current
Mercy HealthDr James LindstromConsultant Respiratory Physician and IntensivistDesign and evaluation of a coordinated diagnostic pathway for lung cancer in outer metropolitan MelbourneCurrent
Northern HealthEleanor JohnsonResearch Midwife and Lactation ConsultantPartnering with consumers to co-design comprehensive abortion care in Melbourne’s NorthCompletePDF
Northern HealthDr Karen KiangConsultant PaediatricianAnalysing the Environmental Impact of the Victorian Virtual Emergency Department (VVED)Current
Northern HealthKellie LeEarly Supported Discharge CoordinatorAn Evaluation of the Victorian Virtual Specialist Consults (VVSC) at Northern HealthCompletePDF
Northern HealthDr Sanjeevan MuruganandanRespiratory PhysicianTransforming malignant pleural effusion management: Innovative, digitally enabled models moving care from hospital to homeCompletePDF
Northern HealthDr Sing Chee TanDirector of Digital Clinical Innovation & ICU SpecialistDevelopment and Implementation of an AI-enabled Real-Time Early Warning System for Critical Care Resource OptimisationCurrent
Peter MacCallum Cancer CentreDr Harriet BeevorConsultant AnaesthetistRemote monitoring for patients discharged home after cancer surgery at Peter MacCallum Cancer CentreCurrent
Peter MacCallum Cancer CentreA/Prof Belinda CampbellDeputy Director of Radiation OncologyImproving equity of care across Australia for patients with cutaneous T-cell lymphomas (CTCL)CompletePDF
Peter MacCallum Cancer CentreDr Priscilla GatesNurse and Research FellowWeb-based screening and intervening for cancer-related cognitive impairment following chemotherapy for aggressive lymphoma: a randomised pilot trialCompletePDF
Peter MacCallum Cancer CentreA/Prof Anita SkandarajahBreast and Endocrine SurgeonRoutine Patient Reported Outcome Measures for women undergoing breast cancer surgery: setting up a PROMS platform to encompass patient-centred care, health service quality improvement and researchCompletePDF
Peter MacCallum Cancer CentreDr Mary Ann AndersonConsultant HaematologistSustainability of Quality Care in an Ever-Expanding Population of CLL and LGL PatientsCurrent
Royal Children's HospitalJen CordaSenior Respiratory PhysiotherapistCystic Fibrosis (CF) virtual care – remote monitoring and automated treatment plansCompletePDF
Royal Children's HospitalKathe HolmesClinical Nurse ConsultantStakeholder perspectives and developing consensus in integrating patient-reported outcome measures into routine clinical care for paediatric liver transplant patientsCompletePDF
Royal Children's HospitalTania RamosClinical Nurse ConsultantImproving Preoperative Fasting Practices: A nursing initiative to reduce adverse outcomes in children undergoing surgery and anaesthesiaCurrent
Royal Children's HospitalDr Karen McLeanPaediatrician and ResearcherImproving Pathway to Good Health clinical practices through clinician and consumer perspectivesCompletePDF
Royal Children's HospitalDr Casey NottageDirector Medical ServicesDeveloping and embedding an evaluation framework for health service partnerships Current
Royal Melbourne HospitalDr Megan AllenStaff Specialist AnaesthetistPatient experience of discharge after surgery with opioids from Royal Melbourne HospitalCompletePDF
Royal Melbourne HospitalDr Elyssia BourkeEmergency Physician and Clinician ResearcherDe-implementing unnecessary pelvic x-rays during the initial trauma assessment in the emergency departmentCompletePDF
Royal Melbourne HospitalDr Timothy ChittleboroughColorectal, General and Trauma SurgeonTackling the post-COVID waitlist headache at RMHCompletePDF
Royal Melbourne HospitalA/Prof Nico ClarkAddiction Medicine Service LeadHospital-based opportunities to progress the elimination of hepatitis C (HOPE-C)Current
Royal Melbourne HospitalDr Marcelle JaggaConsultant AnaesthetistRight patient, right pathway, right time: a pilot minimum dataset, triage, and early optimisation model for the Royal Melbourne Hospital pre-admission clinic  Current
Royal Melbourne HospitalJoseph CobbledickClinical Lead Physiotherapist, General MedicineRight Care, First Time: Decision support for Post-Discharge Pathways in General Medicine  Current
Royal Melbourne HospitalAnne TuddenhamClinical Nurse EducatorNurses’ Management of Acute Patient Deterioration Current
Royal Victorian Eye and Ear HospitalNichola BakerSenior AudiologistAlternate Models of Care for Ear Nose & Throat (ENT) Services, Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital Current
Royal Women's HospitalMandy DiasNurse Unit ManagerOptimising Vaginal Packing Protocols in Pelvic Floor SurgeryCurrent
Royal Women's HospitalRochelle LesterSenior Neonatal PhysiotherapistCoordinated follow up of infants exposed antenatally to alcohol and other drugsCompletePDF
Royal Women's HospitalOlivia ManosClinical Nurse ConsultantConversion of uncomplicated Major Benign Gynaecology overnight surgery to same-day-surgeryCompletePDF
Royal Women's HospitalClare McDonaldSocial WorkerUnderstanding access to advanced gestation abortion servicesCompletePDF
Royal Women's HospitalFreya Fleer-StoutAssociate Midwifery Unit ManagerVOICE: Values, Options, Information, Care and Empowerment – an informed decision-making tool for maternity care Current
St Vincent's HospitalJessica BattonSenior Neurosurgery PhysiotherapistFeasibility of Operationalising Meaningful Outcomes (FOMO) using prioritisation processes for equitable high-value care, and psychologically safe workloadsCurrent
St Vincent's HospitalJake McMahonCancer Nurse and Trial CoordinatorExploring the uptake of evidence-based strategies to manage and prevent pressure injuries in the cancer settingCompletePDF
St Vincent's HospitalLauren NicholsSenior Occupational TherapistSMOOTH: Systematic Measurement of Outcomes in Occupational Therapy Health Services – A co-design study for sustainable implementationCompletePDF
St Vincent's HospitalDr Christina TrambasChemical PathologistDefining the burden of artefactual troponin elevation on hospital resource management in the EDCompletePDF
St Vincent's Hospital MelbourneNishani BandaranayakeProsthetist and OrthotistProsthetic Rehab Triage Pathway (PRTP) following transfemoral amputation Current
University of Melbourne Department of General Practice and Primary CareDr Rim GhaliGeneral PractitionerPrimary care response to domestic violenceCurrent
University of Melbourne Department of General Practice and Primary CareDr Matthew SuenAcademic General PractitionerBuilding research capacity in general practice: Identifying strategies to integrate research into routine practiceCompletePDF
University of Melbourne Department of General Practice and Primary CareDr Anneliese WillemsGeneral Practitioner and Medical EducatorClinical practice patterns and learning behaviours of post-Fellowship vocationally registered Australian General Practitioners (GPs) in primary care dermatologyCurrent
Western HealthKylie FeelyICU Equipment NurseReducing financial and environmental costs in the ICU to accelerate Western Health towards a more sustainable health serviceCompletePDF
Western HealthJulia GhellerPhysiotherapistDe-implementation of gRip sOcks in-hosPital – The DROP studyCompletePDF
Western HealthCatherine GrantOperations Manager, Chronic and Complex Care DivisionCo-design of a pathway to integrate primary and hospital care for chronic and complex disease patientsCompletePDF
Western HealthLisa WangNurse PractitionerImpact of an integrated kidney supportive care (KSC) service on health-related quality of life of individuals with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD): a single centre prospective cohort studyCurrent
Western Health Dr Alicia QuachPaediatrician & Research Lead, Paediatric MedicineEnhancing GP support and community engagement for families and children with developmental and behavioural concerns, with targeted supports for culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) families in Melbourne's West.  Current

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