Projects
- Antenatal detection of vulnerable mother-infant relationship quality
- To Be Born Upon a Pandanus Mat – Yothuw gayatha dhäwal’ guyaŋa’ nharaw
- Evaluation of the clinical effects and cost-effectiveness of an evidence-based Taichi intervention for the fatigue-sleep disturbance-depression symptom cluster management in breast cancer survivors: A phase III Randomized Controlled Trial
Antenatal detection of vulnerable mother-infant relationship quality
Dr Karen Hazell Raine, PhD (2019), M. Mental Health, M. Counselling, Registered Nurse. She is an early career researcher with more than 30 years of real-world mental health experience which equips her with a high level of research translation capability.
Her experience spans clinical and strategic leadership, service development, interdisciplinary education, quality improvement, Policy, advanced practice in specialist perinatal-infant mental health, and application of attachment theory.
Karen’s Doctoral research was centred on antenatal prediction of postnatal mother-infant relationship quality. The hypothesis tested was that the personality characteristic, interpersonal sensitivity, might be a better indicator of subsequent mother-infant relationship quality perinatal psychosocial assessment and depression screening.
Dr Hazell Raine is on the supervisory panel for three CDU Higher Degree Research students. She is an associate PhD supervisor for a University of Queensland Doctoral research program in early childhood carer-child interactions.
Scholarship details
- Scholarship: $40,000 a year, for three years ($120,000). See the eligibility criteria and how to apply.
- Generous relocation allowances (flights, temporary accommodation on arrival)
- Location: Multiple locations including Darwin/Brisbane/Alice Springs/Sydney
- Start time: Between January 5 and March 31 in 2023
- APPLICATIONS CLOSED
Program details
More than 300,000 babies are born each year in Australia and given that perinatal mental health (depression) screening occurs both during pregnancy and the postpartum period, there are potentially 600,000+ occasions of screening in Australia each year. If screening can become more accurate in distinguishing transient low mood or distress from more serious maternal mental health problems, and identifying mother-infant relationships at risk, the opportunity for positive child development, optimal attachment pattern and family functioning can be targeted.
The prospective cohort study will explore antenatal detection of vulnerable mother-infant relationship quality in the context of maternal personality characteristics (interpersonal sensitivity) and mental health indices. Mother-infant relationship quality will be assessed through a standard observation protocol of videotaped mother-infant play.
The scholarship recipient will help to make an important contribution toward improved outcomes for vulnerable families, more appropriately targeted interventions for pregnant women, mothers and infants, and greater efficiency and cost savings for the health system.
To Be Born Upon a Pandanus Mat – Yothuw gayatha dhäwal’ guyaŋa’ nharaw
Dr Sarah Ireland is an early career researcher and lecturer at the Molly Wardaguga Research Centre. Dr Ireland is a qualitative researcher focusing on reproductive health, health literacy, collaborative First Nations research methodologies and anthropology. She is a registered nurse and midwife with extensive work delivering healthcare in collaboration with First Nations health practitioners and communities in remote areas of NT and WA.
Since her PhD was conferred in May 2016, Ireland has maintained registration as a nurse and midwife, undertaken university teaching and research roles.
Ireland has co-authored 11peer-review articles 6 editorials, 1 book chapter, 1 ministerial report and 8technical reports. Ireland has been cited214 times
Scholarship details
- Scholarship: $40,000 a year, for three years ($120,000). See the eligibility criteria and how to apply.
- Generous relocation allowances (flights, temporary accommodation on arrival)
- Location: Multiple locations including Darwin/Brisbane/Alice Springs/Sydney
- Start time: Between January 5 and March 31 in 2023
Program details
The study builds on the Caring for Mum on Countryproject and aims to establish and evaluate Australia’s ‘Birthing on Country’ very remote, demonstration site in Galiwin’ku, Elcho Island, Arnhem Land. We will redesign thehealth service to increase continuity and quality of maternity care as Yolŋu women move through services in Galiwin’ku, Nhulunbuy and Darwin.
We will increase Yolŋu engagement, governance, and control as we develop community reproductive health data reports to facilitate reproductive health literacy. The clinical efficacy, acceptability, cost-effectiveness, and cost-benefit of the very remote ‘Birthing on Country’ will be systematically evaluated.
The team will deliver a novel and strategic approach to healthservice redesign which we hypothesise will be a template for all remotefirst nations communities.
Evaluation of the clinical effects and cost-effectiveness of an evidence-based Taichi intervention for the fatigue-sleep disturbance-depression symptom cluster management in breast cancer survivors: A phase III Randomized Controlled Trial
Dr Alison Wang’s research interests include palliative care, symptom management, and integrative medicine for patients with cancer and chronic diseases.
Dr Wang, is an Early Career Researcher who has expertise in health interventional research and cancer clinical trials and success in adopting a similar research process to develop and test evidence-based interventions for symptom distress management in cancer survivors.
Dr Wang’s current projects include;
- A primary care clinician-led symptom management program for breast cancer survivor,
- Telehealth-based self-management intervention for improving cardiovascular health in breast cancer survivors.
- Improving success and retention of undergraduate nursing students from regional and remote areas in Australia.
Scholarship details
- Scholarship: $40,000 a year, for three years ($120,000). See the eligibility criteria and how to apply.
- Generous relocation allowances (flights, temporary accommodation on arrival)
- Location: Multiple locations including Darwin/Brisbane/Alice Springs/Sydney
- Start time: Between January 5 and March 31 in 2023
Project details
The fatigue-sleep disturbance-depression symptom cluster (FSDSC) is one of the most common and distressing symptom clusters affecting breast cancer survivors.
Due to the lack of tailored medications for FSDSC management, non-pharmacological interventions have drawn researchers’ attention.
However, the current cancer supportive care models in Australia including the NT do not adequately incorporate evidence-based non-pharmacological symptom management strategies that are designed to cope with breast cancer survivors’ multiple symptoms such as FSDSC.
The proposed project addresses a major issue of cancer supportive care in Australia particularly in the NT, as the development of cancer supportive care in the NT is still suboptimal.
This study will introduce a safe, feasible, acceptable, and effective non-pharmacological approach-Taichi, which can be integrated into existing care models and contribute to the development of cancer-supportive care models/programs to reduce the additional burden on the health system and breast cancer survivors.
