Senior Lecturer, Monash Rural Health, Monash University, Warragul
Research focus: Prevention and early intervention, grounded in a social justice framework and an understanding of the social and economic factors that influence mental health outcomes.
Dr Rochelle Hine is a recipient of a 2024 Early and Mid-Career Researcher Award for consumer and community involvement. This award recognises early and mid-career researchers for excellence in their field. Monash Partners spoke to Rochelle upon accepting this award.
Can you tell us about yourself, your research and career journey to date?
Research has been a core component of my career from the outset – some 25 years ago. As a social worker practicing in community and clinical mental health, I have embraced evidence-based practice, co-designing and evaluating interventions and pioneering creative participatory methods in partnership with rural communities, lived experience experts and industry stakeholders from across the health, community and education sectors. Although these endeavours didn’t always result in peer reviewed publications, they honed my skills in and appreciation for collaborative approaches to identify and address complex health and social problems, grounded in a social model of health framework that emphasises equity and social justice. I commenced an academic role at Monash Rural Health in 2020, having completed a PhD in 2017 examining identity and connectedness in the context of personal recovery, for rural women who experience health challenges.
Can you tell us about your achievements in the category of Consumer and Community Involvement?
These achievements were made possible through collaborative efforts and are not mine alone. Whenever we seek to create positive change to improve health and wellbeing outcomes it is imperative that we work with those who are the most significantly impacted, as they will have unique and invaluable knowledge and insights about their experiences as well as potential solutions. My achievements have come about from engaging with and listening to lived and living experience experts, and creating structures and pathways to amplify their voices. My role is to adapt, develop and apply participatory research methodologies that reduce power differentials, cultivate safe (enough) spaces for deep sharing and reflection, and facilitate opportunities for generating new knowledge through creative exploration. Achievements include tangibles such as research outputs and resources, tools and frameworks for health, education and community settings, and also outcomes such as new partnerships, expanded social and/or vocational opportunities for participants and the enrichment that comes from working together and seeing a shared goal or vision come to fruition.
Why is support of early and mid-career researchers so important?
The academic system is hierarchical and reproduces elitism, privileging those who have the social and economic resources to thrive in a competitive environment. There are many barriers to success, and these impact disproportionately on people who have traditionally been under-represented in academia. Supporting early and mid-career researchers – and especially those from under-represented backgrounds – is a way to level the playing field. EMCRs who are supported to lead their own research that aligns with their knowledge and passions, brings fresh perspectives, new approaches and innovative ways to share knowledge and power. This is important to critically analyse what topics we prioritise and whose perspectives we hear. Research outcomes and the benefits to humans and the ecosystem are enhanced by diversity and inclusion.
What kind of support was the most beneficial to you/or you felt you needed as an early and mid-career researcher and what did it mean to you?
Imposter syndrome is real! I found it helpful to receive positive feedback for my ideas which improved my confidence in those initial months. Having established/experienced researchers welcome and include me, and introduce me to their networks was very supportive and I am grateful as I’m still collaborating with many of the international researchers I met when I was completing my PhD.
On a practical level, I needed support in navigating the many dehumanising systems and processes we use in tertiary settings. Over the past few years I have been conscious of resisting the toxic over-working culture that permeates the research space. I believe it is important to cultivate a multifaceted identity beyond one’s research role, and to value time spent with family, community and engaging in rest and play. It is important to nurture oneself and seek out supportive relationships.
Conversations with peers have been validating in this regard, helping me to stay grounded and allocate the necessary time to build meaningful collaborative research projects that will make a difference. There have been times when I’ve felt that my research integrity has been jeopardised by externally enforced unrealistic deadlines. These experiences have demonstrated to me how I don’t want to work and have consolidated my commitment to undertake and lead projects that align with my values, regardless of whether they will advance my research metrics!
What are your future aspirations for your research/career?
I plan to continue to work in partnership with rural communities and other populations disadvantaged by regressive social and economic structures, to conduct research with meaningful translation opportunities that create systems change. I’ve found participatory qualitative methodologies to be apt for many of the research topics and questions that my work addresses and I intend to embrace and further develop innovative methods that enhance collaboration and ultimately improve health outcomes.
