MacHSR Future Leaders Fellowship program
Health Services Research training fellowships for established front-line clinical staff.
The program will support a select cohort to address problems pertinent to their health services. Each Fellow will be released from clinical duties for one day per week for 12 months, on a flexible basis and with no detriment to salary, to upskill in HSR knowledge and work with an expert academic supervisor to address their identified problem.
The application period for the 2023 cohort is now closed.
Introduction
The MacHSR Future Leaders Fellowship program is open to fully qualified clinicians (Doctors, Nurses, Allied Health professionals) who are keen to use Health Services Research (HSR) to explore an evidence-based solution to a practical healthcare problem pertinent to their health service and take steps towards becoming a leader of innovative care.
One Fellow will be appointed per MACH hospital, plus one GP. Successful Fellows will be released from clinical duties flexibly for one day per week over 12 months to work on an identified project. The fellowships are unfunded. Fellows will continue to be paid at the existing commitment by their health service with clinical back-fill costs covered by the health service employing the Fellow, MACH does not provide these funds. The University of Melbourne Department of General Practice will cover back-fill costs for the GP Fellow.
HSR training
Formal part-time HSR training will be offered to the Fellows during the first six months of appointment in the form of registration for the Introduction to Health Services Research subject delivered by the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne. Where Fellows do not have access to personal CME funding MACH will provide a scholarship to cover the course fee. The subject will provide Fellows with formal training in HSR methods, coupled with time to begin refining the problem of interest for an HSR approach to their project.
Mentoring and networking
Each Fellow will be matched with an expert academic mentor and invited to join regular cohort meetings.
Deliverables
The fellowship may result in a solution to the identified problem, or more likely, a pilot study or collaborative application for research grant funding to address the issue. On completion of the fellowship, the cohort will be supported by MACH to maintain regular interaction between themselves and the HSR experts with whom they have trained.
Executive support
The MacHSR Future Leaders Fellowship program has support from all MACH-affiliated health service CEOs. Each CEO has nominated a MacHSR lead for their health service.
Projects
Projects that address aspects of healthcare sustainability, or the healthcare of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds are strongly encouraged.
| Name | Position | |
|---|---|---|
| Director | Professor Harriet Hiscock | Consultant paediatrician, NHMRC Practitioner Fellow, inaugural Director of the Health Services Research Unit at The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne, Group Leader of the Health Services Research Group at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and Professorial Fellow at the University of Melbourne. |
| Co-Director | Professor Kim Dalziel | Principal Research Fellow (Health Economics) at the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, and Head of the Health Economics Group, Centre for Health Policy at the University of Melbourne. |
| Co-Director | Professor Jill Francis | Professor of Implementation Science in the School of Health Sciences at the University of Melbourne. Formerly Professor of Health Services Research at City University of London (serving as Associate Dean for Research 2013–2016 and Senior Strategic Research Adviser in 2019) and Professor of Health Psychology at the University of Aberdeen (2011–2013). |
| Co-Director | Associate Professor Kimberley Haines | Physiotherapy Research Lead and Senior Critical Care Physiotherapist, Western Health, and Honorary Clinical Associate Professor, University of Melbourne, Department of Critical Care |
| Co-Director | Dr Tuong Phan | Deputy Director, Deputy Head of Clinical Research, and Colorectal Lead, Department of Anaesthesia and Acute Pain Medicine, St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne |
| Co-Director | Dr Megan Robertson | Group Chief Research Officer at St Vincent’s Health Australia, Director of Research at St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne, and Senior Intensive Care Consultant at Epworth HealthCare (Richmond and Freemasons). |
| Co-Director | Professor Karin Thursky | Director of the National Centre for Antimicrobial Stewardship, Deputy Head of Infectious Diseases at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, and Director of the Guidance Group at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. |
| Co-Director | Professor Rochelle Wynne | Clinical Nurse Consultant, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Royal Melbourne Hospital. Editor in Chief, Contemporary Nurse Journal |
HSR is defined by the Health Services Research Association of Australia and New Zealand as:
“The study of the funding, organisation and delivery of health services and involves multidisciplinary perspectives. Outcomes are usually at the population level rather than the individual – this approach contrasts with clinical research which emphasises outcomes for individuals. The aim is to provide evidence to influence policy at all levels, in order to improve the health of the public. Health services research is not a scientific discipline of its own, but draws on and uses a wide range of methods from several disciplines, particularly economics, epidemiology, statistics and psychology. It also requires input from and an understanding of biology, medicine, nursing, and other clinical areas. Health services research seeks to answer questions like: What kind of health care should we have? How should services be provided? How should services be funded? Who should receive health care services?”
HSR can address (Academy Health, Washington 2013):
- Access and disparities
- Organisation, financing and delivery
- Health outcomes
- Clinician behaviour
- Patient behaviour
Example 1: Outreach care for cancer
There is a well-recognised geographical influence on cancer outcomes with patients from regional settings faring less well than those in metropolitan centres. Recognised contributors to the disparity include access to multidisciplinary care teams, availability, or accessibility of expertise and/or facilities, and opportunity to participate in clinical trials. The PeterMac has had success in piloting regional cancer care hubs, with patients offered the full range of therapy (including palliation), consultation, and clinical trial access through co-management and leadership by local practitioners. It is proposed to expand this service to more regional Victorian towns and to a wider range of cancers. The project is a joint initiative of the PeterMac and the Melbourne Medical School and will involve multi-disciplinary training, care provision, research, and evaluation with the overall aim of high quality and cost-effective cancer care for all patients, irrespective of postcode.
Example 2: Reducing GP referrals for urgent hospital care
Hospitals are facing increased demand on their outpatient and emergency department services with children aged 0-4 years the largest age group attending Victorian EDs. RCH piloted an integrated GP-paediatrician model of care in 5 GP practices (state government funded) to upskill GPs in the care of children via co-consults and case discussions with paediatricians. This successfully reduced GP referrals to hospital emergency departments and improved GP quality of care. Subsequently the team secured an NHMRC Partnership grant ($3M, 11 partners) to test the effectiveness of this integrated model of care in 22 general practices (122 GPs) in reducing GP referrals to hospitals across Victoria and NSW. If effective, this model will be a game changer for reducing the burden on public hospitals and could be readily translated to other healthcare areas.
See the problems being addressed by the 2022-2023 cohort here.
Eligible applicants must:
- Be a fully qualified Doctor (AHPRA registered and post-vocational training), Nurse (AHPRA registered) or Allied Health professional (AHPRA registered).
- Be employed at 0.3 FTE or over by a MACH-affiliated health service (vocational trainees are not eligible), or as a GP.
- Want to gain HSR expertise to share at the frontline.
- Have identified an important problem within their health service that aligns with the service strategic priorities, has significant unmet need, and could be addressed with an HSR solution.
- Show promise to become a leader in innovative care.
- Have written support from their manager to accompany their application (see application details below). For GP applicants, written support should be from the Head of Department of General Practice, University of Melbourne.
Prior research experience is desirable.
The deadline for applications is 9am, Monday 20th March 2023.
Interviews will be held during the last week of April/first week of May.
Fellowships will commence on 20th July 2023 with an orientation event.
Aim
The aims of the program are to develop HSR knowledge in exceptional clinicians, who will bring these skills to their front-line clinical work, deliver innovative care, and go on to be future leaders in HSR within their health service, and to address the identified problem. It’s not anticipated that the problem will necessarily be solved within the 12 months, it is more likely that a pilot project or grant application be developed during the fellowship.
Project
Applicants are required to identify a problem within their health service that could be addressed by an HSR solution, the internal shortlisting process by the CEO-nominated lead will ensure that this problem addresses an area of significant unmet need that aligns with service priorities, and that the applicant is an individual the hospital wishes to foster as a future leader in HSR at the front line of the health service. Together with a CV and letter of support from the relevant unit manager this problem will form the basis of the application. The Fellows will be provided with mentoring from an academic supervisor to work towards a solution to the identified problem, plus formal HSR training.
Clinical back-fill
The MacHSR fellowships are unfunded, and the hospitals (or Department of General Practice for the GP Fellow) will be required to arrange and fund back-fill for the one day per week time release for 12 months. If the application is successful, details of the time-release and back-fill will be finalised between the applicant, unit manager, and CEO-nominated MacHSR lead at the relevant health service.
The selection process will be led by the Director for MacHSR, Prof Harriet Hiscock. It will include shortlisting of applications by the CEO-nominated hospital leads and interview by the MacHSR Co-Director panel. The highly competitive program will welcome one Fellow per MACH hospital, plus one GP, in 2023.
Pre-application enquiries may be sent to Lauren Wallis ([email protected]).
Applications should be sent by 9am Monday 20th March 2023 to [email protected] and must include:
- Full CV, including brief details of any research projects undertaken, the applicant’s role in the research, and how findings were disseminated (report for supervisors, abstract presentation at meeting, publication etc).
- A maximum two-page proposal outlining the practical problem of interest pertinent to the health service and how it might be addressed by HSR.
- A letter of support from the Health Service divisional/operational/professional manager responsible to senior management for the clinician’s unit confirming that the applicant is well placed to develop an interest in HSR, has the potential to become a future leader of innovative care, has in principle support for one day per week time-release from clinical duties for 12 months if successful, and that the identified problem is important to address (please use letter of support template provided below).
- Cover email stating the employing organisation and department.
The MacHSR Future Leaders Fellowship program has support from all MACH-affiliated health service CEOs. Each CEO has nominated a MacHSR lead for their health service.
If the application is successful, details of the time-release will be finalised between the applicant, unit manager, and CEO-nominated MacHSR lead at the relevant health service.
This template is to be downloaded, completed by the relevant unit manager, and submitted by the applicant together with the remaining required documents.
The CEO-appointed lead for each hospital will shortlist applications, ensuring that the identified project is of significant unmet need and aligns with service priorities, and that the applicant has the potential to be a future leader within their health service.
| Organisation | Name | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Austin Health | Brit Gordon | Chief Allied Health Officer |
| Mercy Health | Professor Stephen Tong | Research Director |
| Northern Health | Wanda Stelmach | Chief Medical Officer |
| Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre | Andy Dimech | Chief Nursing Officer |
| Royal Children’s Hospital | Associate Professor Tom Connell | Chief of Medicine, Executive Director Medical Services and Clinical Governance, Chief Medical Officer |
| Royal Melbourne Hospital | Professor Jo Douglass | Director of Research |
| Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital | Dr Birinder Giddey | Executive Director Medical Services, Chief Medical Officer |
| Royal Women’s Hospital | Alison Smith | Chief Allied Health Officer, Director of Clinical Support Services |
| St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne | Dr Antony Tobin | Chief Medical Officer |
| University of Melbourne Department of General Practice | Professor Lena Sanci | Head of Department |
| Western Health | Associate Professor Harin Karunajeewa | Director of Clinical Research |
Is there a specified structure for the proposal document?
No. The maximum two-page proposal can be structured as appropriate for your problem/project. It should outline the identified problem, how it could be addressed, and the impact to the health service of addressing it. References may be included in addition to the two pages if required.
What are the shortlisting selection criteria?
Each hospital will shortlist up to two applicants to move forward to interview, based on the following criteria:
- Is the applicant someone the health service wants to foster as a future leader in HSR
- Is the identified ‘problem’ an area of significant unmet need
- Does the identified ‘problem’ align with service priorities
- Projects that address aspects of healthcare sustainability, or the healthcare of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds are strongly encouraged
The interview panel made up of MacHSR Co-Directors will assess candidates against the following criteria:
- Does the applicant have potential to become a future leader in HSR
- Could the identified ‘problem’ be addressed by a HSR solution
Is the fellowship assessed?
As part of the fellowship, Fellows are encouraged to undertake the Introduction to Health Services Research subject offered by the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health as assessed study. The remainder of the activity within the fellowship is not assessed but update and final reporting will be required.
Does the release from clinical duties need to be on a certain day of the week?
The program is designed to allow clinicians to be released from clinical duties at a time that minimises disruption to service delivery. MACH does not require the MacHSR Fellows to be available on a certain day, or the same day each week. The Introduction to Health Services Research subject runs during University of Melbourne Semester 2 (24th July-22nd October 2023) by dual delivery. For details on tutorial days etc. you are encouraged to consult the subject details or contact the subject organiser.