Research project topics

Project overview

A large trial that took place in the Dak Lak province of Vietnam found that minority ethnic groups were more likely to be infected with hookworm (Necator americanus) than others. This project aims to understand what factors put different ethnic groups at different risk of hookworm and other soil-transmitted helminths (STH) infections. Within this main research question, we wish to explore sociodemographic factors (income, education, employment, housing, etc.), WaSH factors (access and use), awareness and knowledge of STH (including control and prevention methods, and control programs within the community), practices (including cultural and agricultural), and beliefs. This project will involve the analysis of qualitative data resulting from focus group discussions/in-depth interviews, and quantitative analysis from questionnaires and would, therefore, suit a student that has experience or has attended courses in this field, such as the Qualitative Research Methods course (PHCM9120).

Contact

For more information or expressions of interest, students should contact Dr. Marta Palmeirim (Research Fellow, NTD Research Group) and Professor Susana Vaz Nery(Head of the NTD Research Group at the Kirby Institute).

Project overview

Opioid Agonist Therapy (OAT) has a protective effect on the incidence of overdose and other acute harms. Despite these health benefits, Australian research has found that treatment cessation is high, with over half of all people who receive OAT disengaging from these services within twelve months. There is evidence that attrition is even higher among young people. This project aims to explore the barriers people with opioid dependence face when engaging with OAT. Using open-response and quantitative data collected in a NSW survey including 405 adults with opioid dependence, the student will model the barriers participants faced when considering engaging with OAT.

Proposed research activities for student project

Student project proposals can be developed to align with the 6 UoC or 12 UoC project time commitment, with consideration of the entry level research knowledge and skills of the student.

The ideal candidate

The project would suit a student that is keen to develop their survey analysis skills, in Stata or R, and apply them to a real-world scenario. This project will suit a student who has completed Foundations of Epidemiology PHCM9794 and/or Foundations of Biostatistics PHCM9795. Ideally the student will have some knowledge of health policy. Knowledge of alcohol and other drugs epidemiology is encouraged but not essential.

Contact person

For more information or expresses of interest for this project, students should contact Dr Chrianna Bharat (Postdoctoral Research Fellow, National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre) and Dr Michala Kowalski (Postdoctoral Research Fellow, National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre).

Project Overview

Since 2021, an integrated neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) control program has been in operation in Sanma, Shefa and Tafea provinces of Vanuatu that targeted skin NTDs (yaws and scabies) and soil-transmitted helminths (STHs). This project aims to collate and analyse all existing data sources for scabies across routine health facility reporting, reporting to the Ministry of Health, cases detected during mass drug administration (MDA) campaigns and cases detected through prevalence surveys linked to MDA campaigns. This project would suit a student who has completed the Regression Methods in Biostatistics course (PHCM9517) and/or the Epidemiological Methods course (PHCM9518) and keen to develop their epidemiological and biostatistics skills and apply them to a real-world scenario. Ideally the student will have some knowledge of scabies and NTDs, but this is not essential.

Contact

For more information or expressions of interest for this project, students should contact Dr Adam Bartlett (Senior Research Fellow, Neglected Tropical Diseases Research Group, Kirby Institute) and Professor Susana Vaz Nery (Head, Neglected Tropical Diseases Research Group, Kirby Institute).

Project Overview

This project aims to develop a clinically focused literature review on soil-transmitted helminths. The objective is to create a practical guide tailored to general clinicians, offering a concise overview of diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and management strategies for soil-transmitted helminth infections – it would be an update of the seminar article published in 2018 on the Lancet.

Proposed research activities for student project

The student will systematically search scientific databases for relevant information. This project will involve synthesizing data from published studies, reviews, and reports, making it ideal for a student interested in learning the critical skill of conducting literature reviews as well as interested in clinically oriented research and learning how to translate research findings into accessible guidance for healthcare providers. 

The ideal candidate

The project is best suited to a student who has experience or has attended courses on literature review methodologies, such as the Epidemiological Methods course (PHCM9518), and/or is keen to develop expertise in clinical research and knowledge translation.

Contact 

For more information or expressions of interest, students should contact Dr. Marta Palmeirim (Research Fellow, NTD Research Group; mpalmeirim@kirby.unsw.edu.au), Dr Adam Bartlett (Research Fellow, NTD Research Group; abartlett@kirby.unsw.edu.au) Professor Susana Vaz Nery (Head of the NTD Research Group at the Kirby Institute; snery@kirby.unsw.edu.au).

Project Overview

Advance care planning has been promoted as a beneficial means of people communicating important goals and values relating to current and future care and treatment, to inform clinical decision-making in case of situations in which the person is unable to make or communicate decisions about their care. While advance care planning has a range of documented benefits, community uptake (in the form of discussions with family or health professionals, or documentation in advance care directives) is low. The Enhanced Advance care planning and life Review Longitudinal Intervention (EARLI) project has provided a structured program of reminiscence-based life review and facilitated advance care planning, for people receiving home care packages, or managing chronic conditions in community settings. Analysis of data from two randomised controlled trials will be occurring during 2025. Using quantitative and qualitative data from facilitated advance care planning discussions, the student will deliver an evaluation of two structured conversation tools developed previously by Palliative Care Australia. This evaluation will describe the use of these tools in practice with diverse participant groups, enabling recommendations to inform ongoing development of these tools and their use in diverse community settings.

Proposed research activities for student project

Student project proposals can be developed to align with 6 UoC or 12 UoC project time commitment, with consideration of the entry level research knowledge and skills of the student.

The ideal candidate

The project would suit a student who has familiarity with organising, manipulating and visualising data in R (or other similar statistical software), and is interested in taking a mixed-methods approach in an applied program evaluation setting, to produce recommendations that will influence policy and practice. It woiuld be recommended that the student is enrolled in, or has completed, at least one of Foundations of Biostatistics (PHCM9795), Applied Research Methods for Public Health (PHCM9132) or Qualitative Research Methods (PHCM9120). All of these units would be relevant to this project. Ideally the student will have a working knowledge of clinical trials, and can integrate with an existing team of clinical researchers during a busy year that will see this trial come to completion.

Contact person

For more information or expressions of interest for this project, students should contact Dr Craig Sinclair (Senior Research Fellow, UNSW School of Psychology/Neuroscience Research Australia).

Project Overview

Advance care planning has been promoted as a beneficial means of people communicating important goals and values relating to current and future care and treatment, to inform clinical decision-making in case of situations in which the person is unable to make or communicate decisions about their care. While advance care planning has a range of documented benefits, community uptake (in the form of discussions with family or health professionals, or documentation in advance care directives) is low. The Enhanced Advance care planning and life Review Longitudinal Intervention (EARLI) project has provided a structured program of reminiscence-based life review and facilitated advance care planning, for people receiving home care packages, or managing chronic conditions in community settings. Analysis of data from two randomised controlled trials will be occurring during 2025. Using referrals data and pre-screening information from participants, along with qualitative information from participants and study sites, the student will identify factors influencing trial recruitment across different populations. Relevant factors may include cultural and linguistic diversity, geographic location and physical and cognitive frailty. Study findings will inform recommendations about how to maximise accessibility of similar programs delivered in community settings.

Proposed research activities for student project

Student project proposals can be developed to align with 6 UoC or 12 UoC project time commitment, with consideration of the entry level research knowledge and skills of the student.

The ideal candidate

The project would suit a student who has familiarity with organising, manipulating and visualising data in R (or other similar statistical software), and is interested in taking a mixed-methods approach to better understand barriers to accessibility and uptake of community-based programs. It woiuld be recommended that the student is enrolled in, or has completed,at least one of Foundations of Biostatistics (PHCM9795), Applied Research Methods for Public Health (PHCM9132) or Qualitative Research Methods (PHCM9120). All of these units would be relevant to this project. Ideally the student will have a working knowledge of clinical trials, and can integrate with an existing team of clinical researchers during a busy year that will see this trial come to completion.

Contact person

For more information or expressions of interest for this project, students should contact Dr Craig Sinclair (Senior Research Fellow, UNSW School of Psychology/Neuroscience Research Australia).

Project Overview

Trachoma is an infectious disease of poverty caused by the bacteriu Chlamydia trachomatis. Repeated infections can result in scarring, in-turned eyelashes (trichiasis) and blindness. Australia is on the threshold of eliminating trachoma as a public health problem (EPHP), however even once validation is achieved, surveillance activities will need to continue in areas of ongoing risk and to mitigate recrudescence. Current approaches rely on clinical diagnosis by trained graders, however new surveillance systems will need to be developed for a post-EPHP setting as incidence declines and clinical markers become less reliable as a disease detection mechanism. 

Proposed research activities

The student will undertake with a scoping review of published and grey literature to identify how surveillance has been undertaken in post-EPHP settings, including the use of biological tools (e.g. PCR and sero-surveillance). Based on these findings, the student will also assist with the development of a research tool for a qualitative study involving interviews with key informants from countries that have achieved EPHP and other relevant global experts, to ascertain the impacts, strengths and weaknesses of these approaches.

This project corresponds to 12 units of credit (PHCM9144 Research Project) or can be developed to align with other project time commitments in consultation with the supervisory team.

The ideal candidate

This project would suit a student who is keen to contribute to improvements in disease surveillance. Prior experience with literature reviews is helpful but not essential. This project would suit a student that has completed the Qualitative Research Methods course (PHCM9120) or who has similar experience. Ideally the student will have some knowledge of trachoma and neglected tropical diseases, but this is not essential.

Contact persons

For more information or expressions of interest, students should contact Alison Jaworski (Senior Research Officer, NTD Research Group), Carleigh Cowling (Senior Surveillance Officer, NTD Research Group) and Professor Susana Vaz Nery (Head of the NTD Research Group at the Kirby Institute) 

Project overview

Allied health interventions such as reablement (or rehabilitation) for people with dementia are about maintaining function for as long as possible, regaining lost function, or even improving everyday function. This research seeks to explore what reablement is currently being offered to people living with dementia in Australia, including how reablement goals are constructed and what allied health interventions are delivered to address the reported goals. Greater understanding around real-world practice will inform efforts to promote broad implementation of evidence-informed reablement for Australians living with dementia.

Proposed research activities

A clinical audit of n=4 community aged care teams has been conducted. Each service provided data from n=5 clients with dementia (total n=20) who have completed a reablement program with their allied health team. The student will interrogate this data, analysing goal setting processes and the allied health interventions that were provided for people living with dementia. 

The project can be developed to align with a 12 or 18 UOC public health or health management research project, and will likely involve mixed qualitative and quantitative methods. Ethics approval has already been received for this project (SESLHD HREC: 2022_ETH02168).

The ideal candidate

This project would suit a student who is keen to develop practical skills in critically analysing real-world clinical data and who is interested in contributing to enhanced allied health practice with people living with dementia. Prior completion of Applied Research Methods for Public Health (PHCM9132) or Principals and Practice of Primary Health Care (PHCM9615), or a background in health or allied health would be helpful, but not essential.

Contact person

For more information, please contact Dr Claire O’Connor: claire.oconnor@unsw.edu.au

This project aims to summarise the evidence on WASH and skin NTDs, in order to identify current gaps in knowledge and to inform a One-Health-approach to skin NTDs initiatives. Specific objectives are: 1) identify the existing body of evidence on WASH and skin NTDs across the health, social and emotional domains; 2) ascertain the availability and strength of evidence on the relationship between WASH and skin NTDs; 3) provide recommendations on future action on WASH and skin NTDs as part of a One Health approach. 

This scoping review is part of a larger initiative led by WHO,  that is seeking support to conduct a series of scoping reviews examining the role of the One Health approach in the response to skin NTDs. The reviews will focus on disease ecology; psychosocial aspects; and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). Once completed, the scoping reviews will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. While each scoping review will be led by specific authors, there will be an opportunity to collaborate across all reviews to discuss methodology and exchange information. Opportunities will also be made to engage with, and present to, WHO teams and other members of the Skin NTD initiative. 

The project will suit best a student who has experience or has attended courses on literature review methodologies, such as the Epidemiological Methods course (PHCM9518), and/or is keen to develop their expertise in this field. 

For more information or expressions of interest, students should contact Professor Susana Vaz Nery (Head of the NTD Research Group at the Kirby Institute; snery@kirby.unsw.edu.au).

Project Overview

This project aims to summarise evidence on the impact of multidisciplinary team models involving pharmacists on health outcomes in primary care settings. The specific objectives are:

1. To identify existing evidence on multidisciplinary team models involving pharmacists and their effects on health outcomes in primary care.
2. To examine the characteristics and components of existing multidisciplinary team models involving pharmacists.
3. To assess the availability and strength of evidence regarding the relationship between these team models and health outcomes.

Proposed Research Activities for Student Project

The student will systematically search scientific databases for relevant information. This project involves synthesising data from published studies, including, but not limited to, conducting a meta-analysis. It is ideal for a student interested in developing critical skills in conducting literature reviews and data analysis.

The Ideal Candidate

The project is best suited to a student who has experience with or has attended courses on literature review methodologies, such as the Epidemiological Methods course (PHCM9518), and/or is keen to develop their expertise in this field. Ideally, the student will have completed Foundations of Biostatistics (PHCM9795), though this is not essential.

Contact

For more information or to express interest, students should contact Dr Jialing Lin (Research Fellow, International Centre for Future Health Systems) at jialing.lin@unsw.edu.au.

Project overview

This project aims to summarise evidence on the impact of multidisciplinary team models involving pharmacists on health outcomes in primary care settings. The specific objectives are:

1. identify existing evidence on multidisciplinary team models involving pharmacists and their effects on health outcomes in primary care;
2. examine the characteristics and components of existing multidisciplinary team models involving pharmacists;
3. assess the availability and strength of evidence regarding the relationship between multidisciplinary team models involving pharmacists and health outcomes.

Proposed research activities for student project

The student will systematically search scientific databases for relevant information. This project involves synthesising data from published studies, including but not limited to conducting a meta-analysis. It is ideal for a student interested in developing critical skills in conducting literature reviews and data analysis.

The ideal candidate

The project will suit best a student who has experience or has attended courses on literature review methodologies, such as the Epidemiological Methods course (PHCM9518), and/or is keen to develop their expertise in this field. Ideally, the student will have completed the Foundations of Biostatistics (PHCM9795), but this is not essential.

Contact

For more information or expressions of interest, students should contact Dr Jialing Lin (Research Fellow, International Centre for Future Health Systems; jialing.lin@unsw.edu.au).