MSHS launches 5-year research strategy

In response to 12 months of staff feedback and extensive consultation, MSHS has designed a learning system that nurtures a collegial and collaborative research culture to enable transformative health and wellbeing research. The strategy, 'Enabling Transformative Health and Wellbeing Research Strategy 2025-2030', focuses on building mentoring into the School culture by connecting senior research leaders with graduate researchers and early and mid-career academics (EMCAs). The strategy aligns with the University’s Research Strategy aspiration to ‘foster a culture of belonging and boldness’, and the Faculty’s values of ‘innovate, collaborate and nurture’.  The strategy aims to connect all levels of research experience in a supportive system underpinned by a strong researcher mentoring program, seed funding grants and opportunities for professional development.

The launch event started with the Head of School, Prof Bruce Thompson, giving an inspiring introduction while sharing his personal motivations for research, the challenges faced by as a clinician transitioning into research later in their career, and what he’s learned from 30 years as a researcher.

This was followed by Director of Research, Prof Bang Bui, who spoke to the importance of developing a culture that inspires bold and transformative research, drawing from the strategy’s aspirations and Faculty values.

Next, the School’s inaugural research mentorship champion, Prof Sarah Wise, spoke on the importance of creating environments and opportunities for collaboration and connection.

Prof Fiona Dobson then gave an update on the EMCA project which seeks to understand the concerns of EMCAs in the School, a response to 2023 and 2024 staff satisfaction surveys. The chairs of the EMCA committee Dr Kelly Bowers and Dr Yeptain Leung introduced the new committee members and discussed events that will be on offer for EMCAs in coming months.

Prof Catherine Granger then introduced the newly created Graduate Researcher Representative Committee, chaired by Sera Ganearachchi. Finally, A/Prof Stephanie Filbay spoke to ‘Inspiration, innovation and impact: ACL Injury Management’, giving her personal story on becoming a researcher.

This was followed by a panel discussion on ‘Inspiration, innovation and impact: is it all just talk?’ facilitated by journalist Emily Rice. Panellists included Prof Natalie Hannan, Prof Mei Krishnasamy, and Dr Chris Waterworth, who shared their research journeys, the necessity of collaboration on complex healthcare issues and how they maintain motivation in a highly competitive grant space. Prof Krishnasamy noted that what keeps her going through rejection and disappointment is knowing the impact her research will have on people living with cancer; Dr Waterworth spoke of becoming an early career researcher after a long clinical career and challenged the image of the perfect researcher trajectory, noting we come to research from different pathways; and Prof Hannan talked about how life gets in the way of building a research track record, but challenges can generate unexpected insights and research paths or work.

The MSHS research strategy provides a framework for creating a future-facing research environment that fosters and enables transformative health and wellbeing research across the next five years.