Community Council Scholarship in Knowledge Transfer and Indigenous Health

We are seeking a highly motivated person of Australian indigenous background to undertake a Master of Public Health (MPH) by research in the School of Population Health at The University of Western Australia.  The School is internationally recognised as a leader in research involving the health of communities as well the evaluation of health services at the population level.

This is an outstanding opportunity to undertake a MPH research degree in an area of crucial importance to closing the health divide between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians.  Knowledge transfer is about getting the new information that arises from research out into the hands of community groups, health service providers and government policy makers where it can bring about changes for the better.  It is well established that knowledge transfer in general often falls short of the ideal and, in the case of information relevant to indigenous communities, there are likely to be obstacles to knowledge transfer that are at least different if not substantially more difficult to overcome.

In this research the scholarship awardee will have the opportunity to examine the extent to which knowledge generated from indigenous health research relevant to Western Australia has been transferred into beneficial changes in policy and practice.  The scholar will explore the barriers that have stood in the way of evidence-based innovations in health services and will compare these with the obstacles commonly encountered to knowledge transfer for health services in general.

A supportive and multi-cultural supervision arrangement is available for the selected candidate, with one supervisor being an experienced academic of Australian indigenous background and the other a senior researcher with expertise in health services and policy research.  This initiative arose from a recommendation to the School of Population Health from its Community and Consumer Advisory Council, which includes representation of indigenous health interests.  The Council views the project as being of the highest priority and will provide a further source of support for the candidate.

Eligibility

Applicants must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident of Australia and have claim to an indigenous background in Australia.  They must have adequate public health knowledge through previous coursework training in public health or relevant professional experience; and must possess a bachelor’s degree with at least first or second class (level A) honours or equivalent.

Stipend

The total of value of the scholarship is $26,000pa (tax exempt) and $2,000 to cover supports, including travel, used directly by the candidate.

Applying

applicants should send their CV including contact details for two professional referees, academic record and a statement addressing why they are interested in this area of research to:

Dr David Preen
School of Population Health (M431)
The University of Western Australia
CRAWLEY  WA  6009

Closing date is 31 March 2010.

Further information

Dr David Preen
phone: (08) 6488 1307
email: david.preen@uwa.edu.au