Early to Mid-Career Academics Association
Optimising the health and wellbeing of the community we serve
The School of Health Sciences Early to Mid-Career Academics Association (EMCAA) is established to facilitate inter-connectedness and collaboration between anyone who identifies as an early or mid-career academic within the Department of Nursing, Department of Audiology or Speech Pathology, Department of Optometry, Department of Physiotherapy or Department of Social Work.
EMCAA Structure
Co-Chairs
EMCAA has five co-chairs representing each of the Departments within the School of Health Sciences.
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Dr Michelle Hall
Senior Research Fellow, NHMRC Emerging Leader, Dame Kate Campbell Fellow | Research areas include osteoarthritis. exercise, biomechanics; meta-analyses, clinical trials
Email: halm@unimelb.edu.au
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Dr Gemma McKibbin
Research fellow | Specialises in interviews with children and young people about sensitive issues like child sexual abuse and family violence. Interested in research collaborations that benefit the health and social lives of children and young
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Dr Michelle Magee
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Dr Stephen McKeever
Lecturer | Scholarship of learning and teaching
Email: mckeever@unimelb.edu.au
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Dr Flora Hui
Research Fellow Industry Engagement
Email: huif@unimelb.edu.au
Steering Committee
The steering committee meets monthly to discuss how we provide opportunities to enhance collaboration between the five Departments within the School of Health Sciences.
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Dr Marlena Klaic
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Email: marlena.klaic@unimelb.edu.au
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Dr Belinda Lawford
Research Assistant | Areas of research include telehealth and implementation of health services to help improve the lives of those with chronic musculoskeletal pain (e.g. osteoarthritis)
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Dr Elaina Kefalianos
Senior Lecturer | Research areas include child communication development, stuttering, epidemiological studies, implementation science
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Dr Kade Paterson
NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow, Dame Kate Campbell Senior Research Fellow | Research includes lower limb biomechanics of walking and running, and the clinical and biomechanical effects of foot-based interventions for musculoskeletal conditions
Email: kade.paterson@unimelb.edu.au
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Dr Natalie Fini
Senior Lecturer, Post-Doctoral Researcher | Research areas include physical activity after neurological injury, stroke recovery and rehabilitation
Email: natalie.fini@unimelb.edu.au
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Dr Tandy Hastings-Ison
Lecturer in Physiotherapy
Email: tandyh@unimelb.edu.au
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Dr Thorlene Egerton
Senior Lecturer | Research focus is on design of models of health service delivery to implement evidence-based practice for osteoarthritis and other chronic conditions
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Dr Marianne Coleman
Orthoptist, Clinical Vision Research Fellow | Research areas include Digital Health, Childrens Vision, Public Eye Health, Eyecare across the Lifespan, Binocular Vision.
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Dr Kate Hayward
Senior Research Fellow | Research areas include the brain-behaviour nexus during rehabilitation after stroke
Email: kate.hayward@unimelb.edu.au
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Associate Professor Kristin Diemer
Associate Professor | kNOwVAWdata; safe, ethical and inclusive measurement of violence against women and children with a focus in Asia and the Pacific
Email: k.diemer@unimelb.edu.au
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Dr Rebecca Jarden
Lecturer | Research areas include nurse wellbeing and critical care
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Dr Mark Merolli
Physiotherapist, Senior Lecturer, Research Fellow | Digital Technologies
Email: merollim@unimelb.edu.au
EMCAA Secure Inaugural MDHS Diversity and Inclusion Grant
A research team comprised entirely of early and mid-career academics (EMCAs) who the SHS have been awarded $25,000 from the inaugural round of the Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences (MDHS) faculty’s Diversity and Inclusion grant program. The team will identify and prioritise challenges faced by early and mid-career academics to inform the development of the MDHS’s Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan.
The team is comprise entirely of EMCAA steering committee members including Dr Marianne Coleman, Dr Flora Hui, A/Prof Kristin Diemer, Dr Gemma McKibbin, Dr Michelle Hall, Dr Belinda Lawford, Dr Kate Hayward, Dr Rebecca Jarden and Dr Elaina Kefalianos.
‘The team is obviously ecstatic to have been awarded the grant. EMCAs represent a significant proportion of the academic workforce in the faculty, and we really want to make sure that their voices are heard in developing the new Action Plan’, said Dr Marianne Coleman.
‘I think the project being designed and led by EMCAs will benefit the research, allowing us to adopt a really systematic and participatory approach’ she said.
Pictured: Dr Marianne Coleman
The team will design and undertake a survey and prioritisation workshop involving EMCAs from across the MDHS faculty, with the aim of uncovering the diversity and inclusion issues needing the most attention. Previous faculty and University-level initiatives will also be evaluated during this process.
‘There are many areas and issues to explore, particularly given the impact that the pandemic has had on academic activities’ said Dr Coleman.
It is hoped the research will be published in a peer-review journal, and that the findings can be used to address issues beyond the faculty.
‘Much of the previous research on this topic in Australia has investigated broader academic sectors such as STEMM’, Dr Coleman said.
‘However, we know that diversity and inclusion issues can differ for clinical disciplines. We’re hoping to provide some more insight on this topic by focusing specifically on the Schools within MDHS, with the hope that it may also inform practices beyond the University’.
Resources
Some valuable resources for early and mid-career academics. If you know have any suggestions, please let us know via email.
Ready to Research
Connecting researchers with services and resources to help them undertake research
Research Gateway
Supporting grad researchers through to senior career researchers to access research support services.
Research Funding
Access funding support through internal and external grants and schemes.
Learning Management System Support
Information and support for the University's centrally-supported LMS.
Melbourne Entrepreneurial Centre
A gateway for discovering entrepreneurship opportunities available at the University of Melbourne. From degrees, to accelerator programs and public events, get ready to startup.
Melbourne Entrepreneurial Centre
Professional Development
Professional development programs are for university staff.
Diversity and Inclusion
Developmed by the Wellcome Trust, Anti-racist principles, guidance and toolkit.