Mid-career nursing and midwifery researchers from universities in Indonesia and Brunei are visiting La Trobe to participate in an advanced research skills intensive with the School of Nursing and Midwifery.
The visit is part of the Australia Awards Fellowship Program, funded by the Australian Government, and aims to build networks of influence and leadership by strengthening partnerships between Australian organisations and partner organisations in the region.
A group of 10 delegates are taking part in the three-week intensive at La Trobe’s Bundoora campus, which will include training in structured literature review methodologies, advanced qualitative research and mixed methods, proposal development and emerging research methodologies.
During the visit, each participant will also spend time with mentors in their field of expertise to conduct a structured review and develop a research proposal.
Professor Lisa McKenna, Dean of the School of Nursing and Midwifery, welcomed the delegation and said the visit would strengthen existing relationships and collaborative research with colleagues at key partner universities, Universitas Airlangga, Universitas Pelita Harapan, Universitas Hasanuddin, and Universitas ‘Aisyiyah Yogyakarta in Indonesia and Universiti Brunei Darussalam.
“Through our collaboration with nursing schools in Indonesia and Brunei, we identified a need for more advanced training in specific and emerging research methodologies. This intensive will allow us to share knowledge and increase the impact of research projects across our universities.”
“Nurses and midwives play a crucial role in in the health of their communities and strong research skills enable them to improve health outcomes in a variety of ways - from identifying health needs and appraising existing research through to implementing studies that evaluate interventions,” she says.
After the intensive, mentors and fellows will continue to work together via zoom to finish and submit their review for publication, finalise proposals and seek funding opportunities. It is expected that the Fellows will also go on to provide quality research mentoring for emerging researchers in their home countries, sharing the knowledge they have gained through the fellowship program.
“I look forward to seeing the outcomes of the intensive and continuing to collaborate with our colleagues at these close partner universities.”
Photograph caption (L to R): Dr Gulzar Malik, Dr Cesa Pratiwi, Dr Ferry Efendi, Dr Ni Gusti Ayu Eka, Dr Sharimawati Haji Sharbini, Dr Eka Mishbahatul, Dr Erfina Erfina, Professor Lisa McKenna, Dr Khadizah Abdul-Mumin, Dr Mamnu’ah Mamnu’ah, Dr Yakobus Siswadi, Dr Grace Houghty, Dr Sarena Haji Hashim.
