Emerging Researcher Fellowships

Susannah Anceschi

Senior Paediatric Dietitian

Study Title: Exploring combined non-pharmacological therapies for children with drug resistant epilepsy – Ketogenic Diet Therapy and Vagus Nerve Stimulation Therapy – A scoping review and a retrospective cohort study

This study addresses the significant burden of drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) in children, a condition affecting approximately 30% of paediatric epilepsy patients who do not respond to anti-seizure medications. While resective surgery is effective for some, many are ineligible, prompting the use of non-pharmacological treatments such as ketogenic diet therapy (KDT) and vagus nerve stimulation (VNS). Although both therapies are established and approved in Australia, there is limited data on their combined use. This project proposes a scoping review and a retrospective cohort study at Monash Children’s Hospital to explore current practices, patient demographics, and the clinical outcomes of combined or individual non-pharmacological therapies in children with DRE. By identifying patterns and evidence gaps, the study aims to optimize treatment pathways and support future research, ultimately aiming to improve patient care and reduce healthcare costs.

Alice Gutowski

Senior Medical Physicist

Study Title: Development of a Quality Control Program for CT Scanners in Lung Cancer Screening

This project focuses on improving lung cancer screening by creating a quality control (QC) program specifically for CT scanners used in detecting lung cancer through the screening program. While lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide and low-dose CT scans have been shown to improve patient outcomes through early detection, there limited guidance internationally, and currently no standardised guidelines in Australia to ensure these scans are consistently accurate and safe. The project will develop testing standards to ensure low radiation dose and high image quality, create a testing tool to measure image quality aspects specific to this area, and recommend how to implement these practices at Monash Health and beyond. The aim is to ensure that the equipment used in the screening program is consistent, accurate and capable of delivering high quality images, to help doctors find lung cancer early, improving outcomes for patients.

Seamus Heanue

Basic Physician Trainee

Study Title: Age and Sex Differences in the Circadian Distribution of Acute Coronary Syndrome: Impact on Clinical Outcomes

Acute coronary syndromes (ACS) remains the one of the foremost contributors to illness and death both in Australia and globally, accounting for a large share of annual hospitalisations and fatalities. ACS manifests differently in men and women, with women experiencing more ‘atypical’ symptoms such as interscapular or neck pain. This can subsequently lead to misdiagnosis, delayed recognition, and slower initiation of treatment. This diagnostic delay is most pronounced in younger women, who are often perceived to be at lower risk for ACS. Consequently, women of all ages face a higher likelihood of death or recurrent ACS within one year compared to men. ACS events exhibit a distinct bimodal circadian pattern, with a pronounced peak in the morning (8 am–12 pm). Both modifiable and non-modifiable factors such as age, sex, and medications influence this temporal distribution, yielding sex-specific variations in peak timing and amplitude. While some studies have linked the hour of symptom onset to clinical outcomes, findings remain inconclusive. Recognising that the timing of ACS onset may affect prognosis differently across sexes and age groups, this study seeks to map the circadian onset patterns of ACS in males and females throughout life. It will assess how ageing modulate these temporal trends, with the ultimate goal of improving risk stratification and timely intervention for all patient cohorts.

Christina Huynh

Podiatrist

Study Title: Does the use of Endurocide® antimicrobial and sporicidal curtains reduce the infection control risk when using low frequency ultrasonic debridement?

This research project will investigate if the use of antimicrobial and sporicidal curtains in an enclosed treatment area can reduce and contain aerosols released into the environment when podiatrist use low frequency ultrasonic debridement in wound care. This project will assist in ensuring cleaning protocols and PPE requirements are appropriate to ensure the safety of patients, health care professionals and the clinical environment.

Marianne Jovanovic

Pharmacist

Study Title: Validation of Entrustable Professional Activity Tools used in Clinical Pharmacy Assessments

The Monash Health Pharmacy Clinical Education Program aims to standardise clinical pharmacy training across our large multisite hospital network. Led by experienced pharmacy clinical educators, the program focusses on four key activities: documenting a best possible medication history, medication reconciliation on admission, medication reconciliation on discharge, and medication counselling. Learners are assessed using Entrustable Professional Activities (EPA) tools. EPAs are units of professional practice that can entrusted to an individual once they have demonstrated the necessary competency to perform the activity independently. EPAs are rapidly becoming a cornerstone of competency assessment across various professions. Despite this, there is limited evidence in the literature regarding the validation of workplace-based EPA tools. Validation is the systematic process of gathering evidence to ensure that an assessment tool produces decisions that are valid, reliable, and appropriate for its intended purpose.

In the context of a large and diverse pharmacy workforce, robust reliability is essential to ensure assessments are accurate and consistent, regardless of the clinical setting, patient complexity or assessor involved. This study aims to validate the four EPA tools used in assessing the core clinical pharmacy activities within the Pharmacy Clinical Education Program. The anticipated outcome of this study is to demonstrate the consistency and standardisation of the EPA tools by establishing their inter-rater reliability and generalisability.

Sophie Page

Dietitian

Study Title: LivR Well 2.0 – Nourishing a Hungry Liver

Within a home-based multidisciplinary program, this project will investigate the treatment and management of malnutrition, frailty and sarcopenia in adult patients with decompensated liver disease. This LivR Well program is an existing 28-day community-based program facilitated under the Hospital in The Home and Department of Gastroenterology at Monash Health. Nutrition is vital in supporting liver health and preventing complications in this vulnerable patient group. However, to date very few studies have investigated nutrition related outcomes, particularly in the outpatient setting. In LivR Well 2.0, we will investigate malnutrition, frailty and sarcopenia and secondary outcomes of liver recovery markers and patient quality of life.

Marianne Tomlin

Paediatric Allergy Specialist Dietitian

Study Title: Beyond Allergens: Unravelling the Complexities of Feeding Difficulties and Quality of Life in Paediatric Food Allergic Patients

The prevalence of food allergy is increasing, with emerging evidence that food allergy can lead to increased risk of feeding difficulties, nutritional deficiencies, poor growth and lower quality of life. However, limited research examined this association using validated screening tools.

This study will investigate the prevalence and characteristics of feeding difficulties of children across two phases; a retrospective review of data collected from children who have attended the Monash Children’s Hospital (MCH) Paediatric Allergy Feeding Clinic over the previous four years, and prospective observational survey of children who attend the MCH Allergy Clinic. Validated tools will be used to assess feeding behaviours and quality of life. The goal is to improve early identification and management of feeding difficulties in children with food allergies.