PhD Scholarship Opportunities with the AustralianLiving Evidence CollaborationJob No.: 663461Location: 553 St Kilda Road, MelbourneEmployment Type: Full-timeDuration: 3-year fixed-term appointmentRemuneration: The successful applicant will receive a Research Living Allowance, at current value of $35,013AUD per annum 2024 full-time rate (tax-free stipend), indexed plus allowances as per RTP stipend scholarship conditions at: . Domestic applicants will be prioritised, however, a tuition fee scholarship and Single Overseas Health Cover (OSHC) will be provided for a successful international awardee.The OpportunityThe (ALEC) is a world-first collaboration that is bringing together leading experts in evidence synthesis, guideline development and digital technologies to build a next generation system for delivering reliable, accessible, up-to-date evidence in health.We are based in the at Monash University, and run projects and do research that enables health decision-makers (consumers, health professionals, policymakers) to have access to the best available research evidence to support their decisions, whenever they need it.In 2024, ALEC is funding at least one PhD opportunity for an excellent student to join our team and help us learn how to do this better. We welcome expressions of interest from students with an excellent academic track record, strong written and verbal communication skills, and a passion for doing research with real impact. More information about admission requirements is available .We offer PhD students:
- Seriously lovely and supportive supervisors
- A fun, collaborative team
- Deep international networks
- Real-world implementation of your work
Project-specific PhD opportunities commencing in 2024 are available for the following research projects:Project 1 - Consumer focused research in
Living Evidence - withALEC has a program of work exploring consumer (patient) engagement in the development of
Living Evidence, and co-production of resources to support use of living guidelines by consumers. We are interested in research in areas such as:
- The nature and extent of consumer involvement in the development and dissemination of Australian clinical practice guidelines
- Barriers and facilitators of living guideline dissemination to patients: the guideline developer and evidence intermediary perspective
- The role of artificial intelligence in (living) guideline dissemination to consumers
- Piloting living guideline dissemination to patients using an ALEC guideline
Project 2 - Research integrity in living guidelines for pregnancy and postnatal care - withALEC is developing the (
Living Evidence for Australian Pregnancy and Postnatal care) guidelines. Like all guidelines, they rely on the integrity of the included research to ensure their recommendations are valid. Research integrity is increasingly recognised as a major challenge, with concerns including spin in research, selective reporting of results, and fabrication of results and studies. Research has identified high levels of potentially problematic studies in pregnancy.This project will explore the impact of research integrity on the LEAPP guidelines, and the feasibility of integrating research integrity checks into guideline development. This may include development and piloting of integrity assessment methods, and evaluation of the impact of removal of problematic research on guideline recommendations. Your work will have real-world impact on pregnancy and postnatal care in Australia and contribute to an emerging body of international research.Project 3 - What works for implementing
Living Evidence into policy? - withLiving evidence synthesis products such as living systematic reviews, living guidelines and
Living Evidence briefs have enormous potential to rapidly influence policy and practice. To accompany emerging methods in developing
Living Evidence syntheses, our team is exploring how
Living Evidence can be optimised to have an impact on policy and practice. Projects may involve literature reviews, undertaking mixed methods research projects, coding of qualitative data across a range of topics including pregnancy and postnatal care, climate health, stroke and more. This program of work is set within the benefits from extensive networks in
Living Evidence synthesis development and knowledge translation of both ALEC and Cochrane Australia.Project 4 - Evaluation of living guidelines - withALEC is pioneering the development of the platforms, processes and partnerships needed to synthesise large volumes of research to develop and disseminate reliable, accessible, up to date evidence in the form of clinical practice guidelines, and related clinical flowcharts and decision tools to health professionals and policymakers faster, more efficiently and more effectively (i.e.
Living Evidence) than traditional methods of evidence development. This
Living Evidence approach to the synthesis and dissemination of evidence-based guidance is world-leading and has been demonstrated to be feasible and effective in clinical topics including COVID-19, stroke, diabetes, pregnancy arthritis and kidney disease.We are committed to continuing to improve our
Living Evidence products and development process, and undertake ongoing evaluation activities across each of our living guidelines to determine their impact and improve their development. This includes work to; identify factors to inform design, development and implementation; identify opportunities to increase guideline awareness, use, dissemination, and implementation; and to demonstrate the changes that can be attributed to the specific guidelines for consumers, clinicians, decision makers and policy makers. Projects are likely to involve literature reviews and mixed-methods research.
Eligibility RequirementsThis opportunity is available to domestic students only. Candidates will need to fulfil the Monash University minimum requirements for admission to a PhD detailed here: .
How to ApplyFor general instructions on how to apply for roles at Monash, please refer to ' '.To express your interest in this PhD research opportunity, you will be asked to include the following information:
- 1-2 page cover letter outlining your research skills, experience, research topics of interest and why this PhD opportunity interests you
- A copy of your academic transcripts and details of grading scales
- A copy of your CV/resume, including details of two referees
- A copy of any publications you have authored/co-authored to date
EnquiriesFor questions about these areas of research, please contact the nominated primary supervisor, via the email address on the relevant Monash staff page.For other questions about research at ALEC, please contact:, Academic Director,
Australian Living Evidence Collaboration;
Closing DateMonday 8 April 2024, 11:55 pm AESTCOVID 19 vaccination is recommended for all persons attending a Monash University location. Staff located within a healthcare setting and students on placement in a healthcare setting must comply
with the COVID-19 vaccination direction of the host organisation.For the latest information on COVID-19 at Monash, please visit our .Supporting a diverse workforce
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