It is our pleasure to introduce the 2024 cohort of eight exceptional research-minded clinical health professionals from across the healthcare spectrum and embedded at MACH partner organisations.
The MACH-Track program will support them to combine postgraduate research training and clinical work on their journey towards becoming innovators in their fields.
Four years after establishing MACH-Track, Executive Director Professor Sir John Savill says he is enthusiastic about the future of innovative healthcare in Victoria.
“With each year, I’m continuingly impressed at the high standard of applicants received, and this fourth cohort is certainly no exception.”
MACH-Track was originally open to doctors undertaking vocational training in accredited hospital specialties, general practice and public health.
The program was expanded in 2022 to include nurses, midwives and physiotherapists to help ensure patient care can be improved across the healthcare system.
“This cohort is truly representative of the breadth of MACH-Track’s reach,” Professor Savill says.
“They will spark innovation across the healthcare landscape and help deliver our mission of a healthy future for all Australians.”
Honorary Associate Professor Laura Bignell, the inaugural MACH-Track Co-Director for Midwifery, says she is delighted to welcome the first midwife to the program.
“I’m thrilled we have our first midwife joining the 2024 MACH-Track cohort, who has the opportunity to bring research breakthroughs to the clinical frontline.
“It’s a testament to the reputation of the MACH program, which offers excellent support to health professionals looking to combine a clinical and research career.
“Eleanor Johnson is an exceptional midwife, who has already done great things in the MacHSR Program, and I wish her and all the cohort every success as they begin their impressive research projects.”
Meet our 2024 MACH-Track candidates
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Dr Aliya Bryce
Doctor
Dr Bryce is an Advanced Trainee in General Medicine and Infectious Diseases at the Royal Melbourne Hospital.
She completed an undergraduate degree in immunology at the University of Glasgow and obtained her medical degree with distinction from Imperial College London.
Dr Bryce commenced Academic Foundation Training in Brighton, England, before continuing clinical training in New Zealand and Darwin.
Dr Bryce is interested in infectious diseases research, particularly optimising the management of serious bloodstream infections, prospective trial design and novel methods of infection prevention.
Through MACH-Track, Dr Bryce aims to get the most out of her PhD through networking with like-minded individuals and research leaders.
She hopes her research will support and optimise antimicrobial prescribing in the care of patients with S. aureus bloodstream infections and lead to better outcomes for these patients.
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Dr Kath Colman
Doctor
Dr Colman is a Paediatric Oncology Fellow at the Royal Children’s Hospital.
She completed a Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery (Honours) at Monash University in 2017, and a Bachelor of Medical Sciences (Honours) at Monash University, based at the University of Oxford in her penultimate year.
Dr Colman’s honours year ignited her passion for research and inspired her to question the way things are done in medicine to continuously optimise medical practice and ultimately improve outcomes for patients.
Her research interest is in paediatric haematopoietic stem cell transplantation for both malignant and non-malignant conditions.
Through MACH track, Dr Colman hopes to collaborate with and learn from inspiring researchers and clinician scientists in her field. She is excited to be gaining exposure to a broad range of disciplines, research questions and different ways of thinking.
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Ms Kate Emery
Physiotherapist
Ms Emery is a senior physiotherapist in ICU at Western Health, who provides early rehabilitation to critically ill patients.
A keen interest in research has seen her join the physiotherapy department research and quality portfolio, and develop a journal club for the cardiorespiratory team.
At Bond University, she completed her Bachelor of Exercise and Sport Science, before graduating from her Doctor of Physiotherapy with the Vice-Chancellor’s Dux award.
Ms Emery is interested in the care coordination for survivors of critical illness and improving the integration of care across the journey from ICU to primary care.
Through MACH-Track, Ms Emery is excited to develop the skills and knowledge to progress her clinical research career and inspire other allied health practitioners to consider a similar path.
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Dr Kristin Ferguson
Doctor
Dr Ferguson is a Neonatal Fellow at the Mercy Hospital for Women with a keen interest in neonatal respiratory medicine, particularly the prevention of bronchopulmonary dysplasia through the development of therapies to protect the lungs of extremely preterm infants.
She completed her Bachelor of Science at the University of Melbourne and then a Bachelor of Surgery/Bachelor of Medicine at Deakin University.
Dr Ferguson undertook her internship at Barwon Health and completed her Basic Paediatric training at The Royal Children’s Hospital, Monash Children’s Hospital and The Royal Women’s Hospital. In August 2023, she began Advanced Training (RACP) in Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine.
Dr Ferguson sees MACH-Track as an unparalleled opportunity to integrate her clinical training with her research career, while building the leadership skills and professional networks required to be at the forefront of neonatal research.
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Ms Eleanor Johnson
Midwife
Ms Johnson is a Research Midwife at Northern Health and Lactation Consultant at Western Health.
She completed her Bachelor of Nursing/Arts at Australian Catholic University, a Diploma of Midwifery at La Trobe University and a Master of Public Health at the University of Melbourne.
Over 10 years, Ms Johnson has worked in hospitals in Melbourne and the UK, and is interested in women’s health, sexual health and health services research (HSR).
Ms Johnson is pursuing her PhD training through MACH-Track having experienced a “supportive and empowering environment” in her MacHSR Fellowship.
She expects MACH-Track will provide the expertise to develop connections, grow her leadership potential, expand the use of co-design in priority areas and act as a resource person for others in the MACH network.
And most importantly, support her in translating research findings into practice and optimising patient care.
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Ms Nicole Kinnane
Nurse
Ms Kinnane is a Research Project Officer in Health Services Research and a Clinical Nurse Consultant in Gynae-oncology at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, as well as a Project Manager at the Australian Cancer Survivorship Centre.
As an experienced registered nurse, Ms Kinnane took up postgraduate studies in cancer nursing at the Royal Marsden Hospital in the ‘90s, followed by Graduate Diploma of Psycho-oncology (Hons) at the University of Melbourne in 2002.
She recently completed a Master of Philosophy (Hons) at the University of Melbourne in 2022.
Her career objective is to improve outcomes and experiences for cancer survivors through a dedicated nurse clinician-researcher role.
Ms Kinnane says MACH-Track offers “an invaluable opportunity” to be equipped with the knowledge and skills to build a program of impactful nurse-led, multidisciplinary and consumer-informed research to drive innovation and influence patient and system-level benefits.
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Dr Yeung-Ae Park
Doctor
Dr Park completed her Bachelor of Biomedicine and Doctor of Medicine with First Class Honours at the University of Melbourne.
She currently works as an Endocrinology Advanced Trainee at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, where she completed her Internship and Basic Physician Training and gained an interest in pituitary medicine.
Throughout her medical career, she has been passionate about advancing medical knowledge and providing evidence-based care for her patients. She has presented at more than ten national and international conferences during her clinical training.
Through MACH-Track, Dr Park hopes to contribute to research that improves the outcomes for patients with pituitary tumours and build a collaborative multidisciplinary network for her research.
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Dr Emily Thrower
Doctor
Dr Thrower is a General Practice Registrar with the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners.
Dr Thrower completed her tertiary education at the University of Melbourne, where she underwent a Bachelor of Science (Hons) and completed a Doctor of Medicine.
As a junior doctor, Dr Thrower worked across multiple Victorian hospitals, completing additional training in obstetrics and gynaecology, and paediatrics. She is particularly interested in LGBTQIA+ health, sexual health, women’s health and qualitative research.
She has been awarded a competitive Academic Registrar post at the University of Melbourne, where she aims to improve supports for same sex couples experiencing pregnancy loss.
Through MACH-Track, Dr Thrower aims to better integrate accessible healthcare in primary care for trans and gender-diverse people, and develop networks between primary care and tertiary centres to improve patient care.
