When I began my PhD studying virtual care, its promise felt made for the people I had grown up watching struggle to access care. If care could travel through a screen or a phone line, then distance, transport, time off work, all the old barriers, might simply dissolve. My job was to ask the question: does virtual care actually deliver value, and crucially, for whom?
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of cancer that occurs in the liver. It has become the fastest-rising cause of cancer mortality in Australia, and detecting HCC early is very important. AusHSI PhD student, Inosha Alwis, is researching cost-effective, patient-centred HCC surveillance programs to help improve survival rates.
When I started at QUT, exploring opioid use after spinal cord injury, I thought I was signing up to learn new methods, generate outputs, and deepen my expertise. And while all of that has been true, it’s not what has stayed with me most. What I didn’t expect was how much a PhD would shape the kind of person and academic I want to become.
Despite the financial pressures my family has faced, I’ve been extraordinarily fortunate to pursue postgraduate study, and ultimately a PhD examining the financial burden of childhood cancer. My research focuses on the out-of-pocket costs families face, what makes financial aid schemes succeed or fail in practice, and what families actually value in financial support models.
My PhD project aims to develop a model of care that improves mental health service access for young people in rural and regional Queensland. Building on findings from The Bridging Study, I will analyse contextual factors affecting service delivery to inform co-construction of the care model in consultation with key stakeholders.
Opioids are widely prescribed for pain management, especially after injury or surgery. My study goes beyond merely describing prescribing patterns over time to investigate whether the timing and recurrence of health events are key drivers of long-term opioid use.
Clinical decision support systems (CDSSs) hold enormous promise for improving healthcare delivery. Yet, when introduced into the complex realities of busy hospitals, CDSSs often struggle to deliver in practice. My research uses implementation science frameworks to identify and inform the step-by-step processes needed for lasting adoption.
When it comes to health and medical research, doing the right thing is critical, especially when it impacts patient outcomes. Alexander Gibson's research focuses on identifying statistical and research practice issues in clinical prediction models to promote best practice.
Australia is globally recognised for its effective healthcare system. Yet, when it comes to dental care, the story isn’t quite as positive – especially for adults in regional and low-income communities. This imbalance raises a critical question that drives my research: How can we improve access to adult public dental services in regional Queensland by better supporting the people who provide these services?
AusHSI PhD student Nirmali Sivapragasam is interested in research exploring preventive healthcare services as a way of improving population health and reducing healthcare costs. By studying how lifestyle factors affect both health and costs over time, her research helps ensure that health interventions are evaluated fairly and accurately.
