Bulletin

Issue: October 2004

News

La Trobe PhD students win double award

In 2004, for the first time, the Sir Robert Menzies Memorial Foundation awarded two Research Scholarships in the Allied Health Sciences instead of one - and both went to La Trobe University. A total of 37 applications from PhD students all over Australia applied for the two scholarships which were won by La Trobe physiotherapy students, Ms Simone O'Shea and Ms Fiona Smithson.

'It is just a co-incidence that both went to students from La Trobe University. We examined each application on its merits,' said a spokesperson for the Sir Robert Menzies Foundation.

The research scholarships, valued at $25,000 per annum for each of two years, are open to graduates in any of the health sciences who have enrolled for a PhD in an Australian university and who have completed the first stage of their doctoral program.

The Foundation's final selection committee and assessors grade the applications in terms of topic, relevance and methodology. The de-identified applications from 37 candidates were sent out to the discipline assessors in physiotherapy, speech pathology, psychology, nursing, podiatry, human movement studies and occupational therapy. Reports from referees nominated by these candidates were also requested.

Ms O'Shea is investigating the role of strength training in cardiopulmonary rehabilitation under the supervision of Dr Nicholas Taylor, and Ms Smithson is investigating the classification of cerebral palsy gait, under the supervision of Professor Meg Morris.

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