In response to a lack of clinical academic pathways across all health disciplines in Australia, Monash Partners has launched a program to support promising clinical academics embedded in healthcare, and train the next generation of clinician researchers.
The Monash Partners Strategic Translation and Research (MP STAR) Clinician Fellow Program responds to an identified need to strengthen and build the multi-disciplinary clinical academic workforce. It is designed to foster and embed research into practice and equip emerging and mid-career clinical academics with important skills, knowledge and experience that supports career progression toward future leadership roles.
The program provides fellowship funding, combined with protected research time, networking, mentoring and training to provide a pathway to combine research with clinical care.
The MP STAR recipients for 2023 are:
- Dr Emma Foster, Alfred Health
Emma is a Consultant Neurologist at The Alfred, and an Early Career Researcher at Central Clinical School, Monash University. She completed her Clinical Epilepsy Fellowship through The Alfred and The Royal Melbourne Hospital, and is co-head of The Alfred First Seizure Clinic. She is developing expertise in health economics and outcomes research, with the aim of improving healthcare delivery to people with first seizures and epilepsy.
“I am extremely grateful to receive a MP STAR Clinician Fellowship in its inaugural year. This Fellowship provides invaluable financial support to complement the world-class clinical and research environment available through Monash Partners. By supporting both my roles as a clinician and a researcher, MP STAR will empower me to develop a strong translational research program. I look forward to overseeing impactful research that will have real-world implications for healthcare over the course of my MP STAR candidature,” said Dr Foster.
- Dr Rebecca Goldstein, Monash Health
Rebecca is a consultant Endocrinologist at Monash Health and a postdoctoral researcher at Monash Centre for Health Research and Implementation (MCHRI) at Monash University. Her research interest is in pregnancy, diabetes and implementation. Her PhD (2021) examined obesity, gestational weight gain and healthy lifestyle in pregnancy.
“This fellowship gives me the opportunity to expand my research in the field of high-risk pregnancy, including women with diabetes and women at risk of cardiometabolic disease. I will identify women who will benefit most from risk reduction, explore metformin use in pregnancy, and lead implementation research on interventions for high risk women. I will combine this with my clinical work as an Endocrinologist in the Diabetes Service, taking a leadership role to embed research into healthcare for impact,” said Dr Goldstein.
Chair of Monash Partners and Academic Vice-President and Dean, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences of Monash University, Professor Christina Mitchell highlights how valuable clinical academics are to the research workforce.
“Clinical academics advance practice and improve care through their research. They are crucial for addressing the current challenges of our healthcare system and integral to the delivery and improvement of healthcare. Emerging evidence suggests that clinicians who undertake research achieve better patient outcomes. This program will recognise, inspire and build the clinical academic workforce of the future,” said Professor Mitchell.
Monash Partners looks forward to working with our new Fellows over the next two years through our MP STAR program.
For more information on the MP STAR program, CLICK HERE
