Published on 7 March 2022

Early Career Clinical Research Fellowships at Western Health

These Fellowships have been made possible by a generous donation and are named in honour of Dr Arlene Wake, who served for many years as Western Health’s Chief Medical Officer and Executive and was instrumental in the genesis of the WCHRE and Western Health Chronic Disease Alliance. Arlene has remained a passionate supporter of Western Health, its staff and the people of the West, especially those afflicted by some of
Australia’s highest rates of chronic disease.

Fellowships will provide successful applicants with up to $75,000 per annum salary support for up to 2 years, to support protected research time. Funds will be awarded according to the applicant’s clinical classification (and relevant pay scale) and commensurate with the proposed fractional allocation devoted to their research (eg 0.6EFT).

Eligibility Criteria

  1.  Funding is open to all clinicians (including medical, nursing/midwifery and allied health) who are either current or prospective employees of Western Health.
  2. The applicant must intend to be enrolled in a higher research degree (including Masters, MD or PhD) over the duration of the Fellowship.
  3. Applicants must demonstrate a strong relationship with, and endorsement by, a proposed named primary supervisor who is a senior clinician at Western Health. Additional co-supervision, including by academic partners is encouraged.
  4. The research team and supervisors should have a proven track record in research.
  5. The research undertaken will be conducted and supervised at Western Health for the full 2 years of the fellowship
  6. Collaborative projects between departments, across disciplines and with academic and other partners are encouraged.
  7. A project should be proposed that addresses some aspect of chronic disease prevention and/or management, such as diabetes, chronic lung
    disease, cardiovascular disease, rheumatological conditions, renal disease, neurological conditions or multi-morbidity. Further priority will be given to projects that address areas highlighted in Western Health’s Research Strategic Plan such as research in culturally and linguistically diverse populations, evaluation of new models of care, integration with primary care and communities, cost-effectiveness
    and data-driven/digital healthcare.

Application Process

Application forms for Expression of Interest are available here, on the Western Health Foundation’s website under Fellowship and Grants.
Completed EOI forms should be sent to Bill.Karanatsios@wh.edu.au prior to the closing date of Sunday April 3 2022.

Applicants should also attach:

  1. A full CV
  2. A brief letter of support from the most relevant operational manager (eg unit head, divisional head) outlining their endorsement of the
    proposed research and providing clarity on how their unit will support the applicant, including opportunities to supplement their income with clinical EFT and how this will be balanced so that research time is protected should they be awarded the fellowship.

All EOIs will be reviewed and assessed by an expert Fellowship Review Panel against the eligibility criteria. Successful shortlisted “finalists” will be notified by Monday April 11 and asked to provide a full submission. The Review Panel will then rank these and award the top 2 applications for the 2022 round.

It is anticipated that at least two further Fellowships will be offered in a subsequent 2024 round.