Research Projects
Researchers in the School of Health conduct world class research across a broad range of health topics with expertise across quantitative, qualitative and mix method approaches. We aim to develop and support a research culture that enhances collaboration with key stakeholders and results in strategic outputs. We welcome enquiries about our active research projects and potential students wanting to work with us.
A mobile phone messaging intervention to support people bereaved by suicide (2020-21)
This project will develop and evaluate an evidence-informed brief contact intervention comprising a series of text messages for people bereaved by suicide. Messages will be sent over a six-week period following the death of a loved one to suicide.
- Lead Investigator: Professor Myfanwy Maple (UNE)
- Co-Investigators: Professor Philip Batterham (ANU), A/Prof Navjot Bhullar (UNE), Amanda McAtamney (Everymind), Dr Katie McGill (HNELHD)
- Funding body: Suicide Prevention Research Fund
Aboriginal peoples Sovereignty and empowerment over health and wellbeing pre, during and beyond COVID-19
Aboriginal peoples Sovereignty and empowerment over health and wellbeing pre, during and beyond COVID-19 Safety
- Lead Investigator: Associate/Professor Leah East (UNE)
- Co-Investigators: Dr Shahid Islam (UNE), Dr. Karen Hazell Raine (UNE), A/Prof Stuart Wark (UNE), Mr R. Berwick
- Funding body: New England Institute of Healthcare Research
Allied Health Hubs in Schools: A scoping study (2020-21)
This study has two aims. First, to explore and understand the role of social workers in schools from the perspective of social work students on placement and members of the school community (teachers and wellbeing staff), and to examine the ways in which this role has been impacted by COVID-19. Second, to undertake a scoping study to explore the capacity of schools to expand their placements to include UNE students from other health-related disciplines and understand the needs of UNE health disciplines practicum requirements to determine if and where there is good fit.
- Lead Investigator: Professor Myfanwy Maple (UNE)
- Co-Investigators: A/Prof Jane Clark (UNE), Adjunct Jim White, Dr Kristy O’Neill, Mr Scott Gartshore (UNE)
- Funding body: Faculty of Medicine and Health, UNE
DV Alert Training evaluation
Evaluation of the online service delivery for the DV-Alert program, due to COVID-19.
- Lead Investigator: Dr Sarah Wayland (UNE)
- Funding body: Lifeline Australia
Enhancing social and emotional wellbeing healing through arts-based storytelling for Aboriginal communities of Northern Inland NSW.
The Bushfire Impact is a collaborative arts-based health promotion research project that aims to develop and evaluate the impact of an innovative arts-based storytelling mental health promotion intervention for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people affected by the 2019-20 Australian bushfires. The research team will engage with Aboriginal communities to build coping and resilience strategies to manage distress that may have arisen during or after the bushfires.
- Lead Investigator: Professor Kim Usher (UNE)
- Co-Investigators: Marriott, R., Saunders, V., A/Prof Navjot Bhullar (UNE)., Ranmuthugala, G. (UNE) & Professor Myfanwy Maple (UNE).
- Partners: Walhallow Aboriginal Health Corporation and Armajun Aboriginal Medical Service
- Funding body: Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) Bushfire Impact Research Grant.
Evaluation of Hospital to Recovery Program – Mid Coast Lifeline
Evaluation of the Hospital to recovery program for people with suicide attempting behaviours. Participant and facilitation reflections.
- Lead Investigator: Dr Sarah Wayland (UNE)
- Co-Investigators: Professor Myf Maple (UNE), Associate Professor Jen Smith-Merry (USYD)
- Funding body: Lifeline Australia
Evaluation of the Lifeline Eclipse Support Group (2016-ongoing)
A longitudinal mixed method evaluation of the Lifeline Eclipse group, a non-clinical psychoeducational group for people who have previously attempted suicide.
Safety Research projects cover a broad range of issues including safe practice across a range of contexts, public health priorities including health promotion, Indigenous health, health workforce capacity building including supporting clinical supervision and building clinical capacity, and interprofessional education and simulation. Evaluation protocol available:
- Lead Investigator: Professor Myfanwy Maple (UNE)
- Co-Investigators: Dr Sarah Wayland (UNE), A/Prof Navjot Bhullar (UNE), Ms Tania Pearce
- Funding body: Lifeline Research Foundation
Evaluation of the Lifeline Eclipse Support Group - Online Extension
- Funding body: NSW Ministry of Health
Evaluation of the Songlines Project (2019-2022)
The Songlines project aims to ‘unify ancient Aboriginal knowledge with contemporary neurological research and develop a culturally competent therapeutic approach to maintaining and improving cognitive wellness.’ The evaluation of Songlines focuses on individual experiences of the participating and simultaneously how the working group implemented the program using the Ngaa-bi-nya framework.
- Lead Investigator: Professor Myfanwy Maple (UNE)
- Co-Investigators: Dr Sarah Wayland (UNE)
- Funding body: Gunnedah Council
Exploring the decision-making process of hospice and palliative care among chronic ill patients and their family
This is the research project to explore the decision-making process of hospice and palliative care among chronic ill patients (including cancer, DM and CHF…) and their family.
- Lead Investigator: Dr. Shou-Yu Cindy Wang (UNE)
- Co-Investigators: Ms. Ju-Fen Liu
- Funding body: Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan (MOST107-2635-B-241-001)
Impact of COVID-19 on Indigenous Australians’ preventive health behaviours: A mixed methods study. NSW COVID-19 Round one grant.
The aim of the study is to measure and explore the current preventive behaviours and their barriers and enablers in Indigenous Australians residing in NSW from attending primary health care services. A sequential mixed methods study will be conducted in two phases:
Phase 1: database study of NSW Health linked data of preventive health indicators
Phase 2: qualitative study using a yarning storytelling approach.
- Lead Investigator: Professor Kim Usher (UNE)
- Co-Investigators:.A/Prof Navjot Bhullar (UNE) & Jackson, D., Sibbritt, D. & Peng, W,
- Partners: Walhallow Aboriginal Health Corporation and Armajun Aboriginal Medical Service
- Funding body: NSW COVID-19 Round one grant.
Improving social, economic and health outcomes for high-risk young people in remote communities: the development and implementation of a transdisciplinary research approach (2018-2021)
With an embedded co-creation design, this project utilises a interdisciplinary team, experienced service providers and end-users to develop scientifically rigorous tools for research that can be embedded within routine services for young people with multiple and complex needs in rural Australia.
- Lead Investigator: Professor Anthony Shakeshaft (UNSW)
- Co-Investigators: A/Prof Timothy Dobbins (UNSW), Professor Myfanwy Maple (UNE), Professor Christopher Doran (CQU), A/Prof Roxanne Bainbridge (CQU)
- Funding body: Australian Research Council DP170101867
Indigenous Young People’s Resilience and Wellbeing
Some Aboriginal youth in situations of adversity are prone to substance misuse, violence, injury, and negative health outcomes from risky behaviour which has significant impact; yet others are not. This mixed methods cohort study will resolve conceptual and definitional ambiguities around the concepts of resilience and wellbeing as they manifest in Aboriginal youth.
- Lead Investigator: This project is a collaboration between Murdoch University and UNE and is funded by an ARC grant.
- Co-Investigators: Marriot, R., Professor Kim Usher (UNE)., Jackson, D., Reid, C., Walker, R., Shepard, C., Hopkins, K., Heritage, B. & Strutt, C.
- Funding body: Australian Research Council
Intimate partner violence and the sexual and reproductive health outcomes of Australian women
Intimate partner violence and the sexual and reproductive health outcomes of Australian women.
- Lead Investigator: A/Prof Leah East (UNE)
- Co-Investigators: Prof M. Hutchinson, Prof D. Jackson, Dr Helena Menih, Dr Suzie Cosh (UNE)
- Funding body: New England Institute of Healthcare Research
KPMG Suicide Prevention National Trial evaluation.
Evaluation of the effectiveness of the suicide prevention trial and strategies to evaluate ways to reduce suicide.
- Lead Investigator: KPMG
- Co-Investigators: Dr Sarah Wayland (UNE), Lucia Navarello (UoM)
- Funding body: Commonwealth Department of Health
Personal and Professional Exposure to Suicide (2019-2021)
This project distinguishes the variables associated with risk following exposure to suicide, and when support will be most beneficial to reduce harms associated with exposure among military. Second, the effect of supplying postvention support from behavioural health and chaplains will be explored.
- Lead Investigator: Professor Julie Cerel (UKY)
- Co-Investigators: Dr Chris Flaherty (UKY), Dr Michael Singleton (UKY), Dr Chris Drapeau (VU), Professor Myfanwy Maple (UNE), Tim Olsen (KYARNG), Dr Melinda Moore (EKU), Dr Melissa Brown (CDC)
- Funding body: United States Military Suicide Research Consortium
StandBy Response Service NSW Post Suicide Support (2020-2022)
Provision of an evidence-based after suicide support across NSW, including ongoing evaluation and quality improvement.
- Lead Investigator: StandBy Response Service,
- Co-Investigators: Jesuit Social Services, Roses in the Ocean & Professor Myfanwy Maple (UNE)
- Funding body: NSW Ministry of Health
The use of eHealth in older people with chronic conditions within Hunter New England prior to and during COVID-19 Pandemic
Patient The overall aim of this project is to explore the usage of eHealth within the Hunter New England region of NSW and determine the access and availability prior to and during COVID-19. A mixed methods approach will be used to collect both quantitative and qualitative data in order to address the research aim and objectives.
- Lead Investigator: Dr Shahid Islam (UNE)
- Co-Investigators: A/Prof Godfrey Isouard (UNE), A/Prof Leah East (UNE), A/Prof Stuart Wark (UNE)
- Funding body: Faculty of Medicine and Health & New England Institute of Healthcare Research Collaborative Research Scheme
Therapeutic Consequences of the Commonwealth Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse Redress Scheme: Survivors’ Stories.
The project aims to develop an understanding of the emotional consequences for participants of the redress scheme, specifically whether it assisted them in their healing or recovery from the past trauma.
- Lead Investigator: Dr Jennifer Smith (UNE)
- Co-Investigators: Dr Rosslyn Aitchison, Professor Kim Usher (UNE)
- Funding body: 2019 Faculty of Medicine and Health (UNE) & New England Institute of Healthcare Research Collaborative Research Scheme