Events
CCLHD Research & Innovation Symposium
The CCLHD Research & Innovation Symposium will be held on the 30th and 31st March 2022. The symposium is a combination of education and training workshops and an opportunity for staff to present their Research and Quality Improvement projects through a variety of 15 minute oral presentations, 5 minute lightning talks and poster displays.
Please sign up to our mailing list to stay up to date with details regarding abstract submission and registration.
Central Coast Local Health District Research Office – mailing list
Grant Funding Awards and Opportunities
CCLHD grants
Caring for our Future Research Grants
The Caring for our Future Research Grants enable CCLHD staff and students to undertake research that will deliver long-term benefits to patients and the community.
The grants support projects that generate preliminary data in order to attract further larger funding grants in the future, such as the Translational Research Grants Scheme (TRGS), National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) grants or research fellowships.
Seven innovative projects have been awarded a Caring for our Future Research Grant in 2021, totalling $127,005 in funding.
Jacqui Jagger (Cancer Services) and Michael Swab (Pharmacy Department) are receiving a grant to pilot and evaluate a new model of care for eligible myeloma patients using self-administration of chemotherapy at home.
Jacqui Jagger said her research grant would help “give back a bit of control” to cancer patients.
“This grant will help us provide better support for cancer patients in a number of ways,” Jacqui said. “Firstly, by removing the need to make regular, sometimes twice a week, visits to hospital, it gives them more time to do the things they want to do. This also helps the patient’s family, who often have to provide transport.
“Myeloma is particularly difficult in that its chronic nature means people are more often on treatment than they are not. This grant will help keep a group of patients particularly susceptible to infections out of hospital, yet in active treatment from the comfort of their own home.
“It will also enable us to develop robust telehealth services that relieve some of the pressure on our Cancer Services teams, providing sustainable benefits to District staff and patients alike.”
Research into mental health support for First Nations pregnant women and mothers has also received a funding boost. Melissa Stephens (Ngiyang Aboriginal Pregnancy Child & Family Health Service) and Leanne Roberts (Women, Children and Families) have been granted funds to improve anxiety and depression screening for First Nations pregnant women and mothers of children up to six years old. The research will develop an improved and culturally appropriate tool that allows for a comprehensive mental health assessment of pregnant Aboriginal women and mothers.
Other recipients include:
- Jonathan Brinton and Dr Anne Purcell (Community Nursing Service) who receive funds to evaluate the impact of CCLHD Communication Nursing Service’s Specialist Wound Centre model of care, introduced in 2019, on improving wound healing rates and patient experiences, along with economic efficiencies.
- Cheryl Travers and Andrew Dixon (Public Health Unit) are awarded a grant to explore the factors that affect healthcare workers’ ability and willingness to work during natural disasters and extreme weather events.
- Dr Anna Schutz (Neurology Department) and Dr Karen Hutchinson (Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University) receive funding to assess the impact of a community-based multidisciplinary motor neurone disease (MND) clinic, established in February 2020 on the Central Coast, on improving quality of life and patient outcomes in a regional setting.
- Clare Linton (Podiatry Department), along with the University of Newcastle’s Professor Vivienne Chuter and Dr Sean Sadler, has been awarded a grant to help reduce the likelihood of people with diabetes developing ulcers or requiring amputation.
- Finally, Sim Galimam (Wyong Pharmacy Department) and Nicole Cerruto (Gosford Pharmacy Department) receive funds to investigate whether COVID has affected the way patients with respiratory infections are treated empirically with antimicrobials. The research will involve a retrospective observational study comparing two randomised cohorts of patients, one with COVID and another with influenza, and will help formulate guidelines for future antimicrobial use during respiratory illness outbreaks like coronaviruses.
Donations
For information about donations, please visit:
DonationsOther grants
Translational Research Grants Scheme (TRGS)
List of key websites for potential research grant opportunities
