The Lions John Cockayne Memorial Fellowship Trust Fund

Learn more about the Lions John Cockayne Memorial Fellowship Trust Fund

About us

Origin

The Lions John Cockayne Memorial Fellowship Trust Fund was established in 1996 with donations from the Oakleigh Lions Club Elderly Peoples Home Inc. and Monash Health.

Aim

To advance and sponsor research activities (projects and travel) pertaining to the care and treatment of older people, through allocation of grants to research projects or travel originating within the Monash Health Aged, Rehabilitation and Community Service (inclusive of SACS Specialist Clinics, Monash at Home and Residential Care) as well as Monash Health Aged Persons’ Mental Health.

The Lions John Cockayne Memorial Fellowship Trust Fund Committee

Membership

• Dr Maddi Howard, Program Medical Director, General Medicine, Aged, Rehabilitation and Community and Committee Chair
• Ms Rosemary Barker, Lions Club Representative
• Dr Sumi Bhaskaran, Deputy Program Medical Director, General Medicine, Aged, Rehabilitation and Community & Consultant Geriatrician
• Dr Kate Bristow, Lions Club Representative
• Mr Anthony Burton, Business Manager, Monash Health
• Dr Janet Golder, Allied Health Research Fellow, Adult Inpatient Care.
• Dr Rosa Gualano, Monash Ageing Research Centre (MONARC) Manager (Administrator)
• Ms Jill Jukes, Operations Director / Director of Nursing, Kingston and Aged Care Services
• Dr Michelle Kaminski, Allied Health Research Lead
• Dr Sarah Milne, Clinical Research Lead, Physiotherapy and Exercise Physiology
• Ms Sue Viney, Community Representative
• Professor Barbara Workman, Community Representative.

Meetings

The Lions Trust Committee meets four times per year, usually near the end of February, May, August and November.

What we fund

The Lions Trust will primarily support research that seeks to improve health, wellbeing, independence and quality of life of older people.

In exceptional circumstances, the Trust may also consider research involving younger adults where the proposed study addresses conditions or syndromes that are characteristic of ageing or geriatric medicine and where the findings may have relevance to the practice of geriatric care.

Eligibility is restricted to funding staff whose research projects or travel originates within the Monash Health Aged, Rehabilitation and Community Service (inclusive of Specialist Clinics, Monash at Home and Residential Care) as well as Monash Health Aged Persons’ Mental Health.

Staff from all professions are eligible to apply for grants.  Senior medical staff can apply for research grants but not travel funding.

Application forms

Applications for research and travel grants are now open from Thursday 1 October to Friday 30 October, 5.00 pm. Outcomes will be announced in early December 2026.

Funding limits are $25K for research grants, of which up to $20K can be spent in the first year, with the final $5K released subject to adequate progress and reporting.

Conference grant limits are up to $2K for domestic and up to $5K for international travel.

Applicants need to complete the online form and upload the completed budget and approvals form (for conference grants) or the proposal, budget and approvals form (for research projects).

• Lions Trust Fund October 2026 Research Grant Application Form – Fill out form
• Lions Trust Fund October 2026 Conference Grant Application Form – Fill out form

The application forms can be previewed as a PDF:

• Lions Trust Fund October 2026 Research Grant Application Form (PDF)
• Lions Trust Fund October 2026 Conference Grant Application Form (PDF)

Staff seeking advice on planning a research project, or with questions about grants, can contact Dr Rosa Gualano, MONARC Manager and Dr Michelle Kaminski, Allied Health Research Adviser.

Nurses seeking specialist project advice can contact Professor Andrea Driscoll (Chair in Nursing, Centre for Quality and Patient Safety Research – Monash Health Partnership) at nursingmidwifery_research@monashhealth.org or andrea.driscoll@deakin.edu.au.

The Trust committee encourages applicants to do some general training in research skills, such as the short courses offered by the Monash Health Library – visit their Education and Training page to learn more.

Funded research activities

Research projects

• 2026 – Stepping up value: an exploratory economic evaluation of an evidence-based foot triage pathway in emergency care (Michelle Kaminski, Podiatry).
• 2026 – Optimising Bowel Health in Subacute Rehabilitation: Evaluating Psyllium and Laxative Strategies to Prevent Constipation (Jenny Wei, Dietetics).
• 2026 – Rethinking Aged care Design to Increase Activity, Time outdoors and Exposure to natural light: The RADIATE study (Katrina Kenah, Physiotherapy).
• 2024 – The prevalence of vestibular dysfunction in older adults who fall: an exploratory study (Christine Cooper, Physiotherapy).
• 2024 – Effectiveness of telerehabilitation by video conferencing for patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD): a pilot study (Kantaro Ito, Physiotherapy).
• 2024 – Implementation of evidence-based strategies to improve amount of exercise and therapy time for patients on subacute units at Monash Health (Samantha Beder, Physiotherapy, funded for Implementing Improvement training).
• 2024 – Use of Physitrack and Physiapp in older adults (over 65 years – living within the community setting. (Sarah Newton, Exercise Physiology, funded for Implementing Improvement training).
• 2024 – Implementation of a transdisciplinary pressure injury risk assessment and management procedure and tool in an ambulatory setting (home and clinic). (Tamara Jackson, Physiotherapy, funded for Implementing Improvement training).
• 2022 – The prevalence of vitamins and minerals supplements prescribed on discharge and the prescribing patterns in subacute hospital settings – a cross sectional study (Shir Mei Goh).
• 2020 – Exploration of home assessment practices and influences on the clinical reasoning of occupational therapists in a large public health service (Susan Fone).
• 2020 – Exploring the translation of evidence into practice in balance exercise prescription using an interpretive description approach (Liz Dalla Santa).
• 2019 – Exploring the feasibility of tele-rehabilitation to increase the intensity of speech pathology intervention for home-based clients (Ricci Presser).
• 2018 –  Effectiveness of short-term psychological intervention for patients with mood changes after stroke (Peta Prindiville).
• 2018 – Does usual dietetic care across the continuum improve nutritional status, health related quality of life (HR-QoL – and clinical outcomes? (Lina Wang).
• 2016 – The efficacy of combined Telehealth/Webinar/Coaching (TWC – pathway for persistent pain patients (Marcus Bowler).
• 2016 – HOME- Putting the ME back into medication adherence at HOME- A novel approach (Jeremy Austin).
• 2015 – Efficacy of liquid sinemet in the management of complex motor fluctuations in advanced Parkinson’s disease (Chee Boon Sung).
• 2015 – Early aquatic physiotherapy following total hip or knee replacement – A pilot randomised controlled trial. Translation of scientific evidence into the public health care (Sarah Milne).

Travel fellowships

• 2026 – Australasian Society for Intellectual Disability conference (Bridget Vincent, Occupational Therapy).
• 2026 – World Hospital at Home Conference, February 2027 (Bonnie Fung, Pharmacy).
• 2026 – Diabetes Feet Australia (DFA – Conference (Courtney Nagle and Roy Lee, Podiatry).
• 2026 – World Federation of Occupational Therapists Congress (Julia Ostaszewskyj, Occupational Therapy).
• 2026 – World Falls Congress (Trinh Vo, Physiotherapy).
• 2024 – Attendance at the New Zealand Pain Society Conference (Sharryn Lydall-Smith).
• 2019 – Travel to the 9th Annual Meeting of the American Delirium Society Conference (Brianna Walpole).
• 2017 – World confederate of Physical Therapy Congress 2017, Cape Town, South Africa, 1-5 July 2017 (Mel Farlie).
• 2017 – Dysphagia Research Society Annual Meeting and Postgraduate Course, Portland, USA, 1-4 March 2017 (Gabrielle Writer).
• 2016 – Post-doctoral research fellowship in Dr Steven Kahn’s laboratory, Seattle, USA (Dr Thinn Thinn Khine).
• 2016 – Visit to the Te Pou o Te Whakaaro Nui Centre in New Zealand to learn about sensory modulation (Nicky Slocombe).
• 2016 – Level 1 Training in Acquired Brain Injury, NSW, Feb 2016 (Jill Douthie).
• 2016 – Level 1 Training in Acquired Brain Injury, NSW, Feb 2016 (Kate Reed).
• 2016 – International Dementia Conference, Sydney, June 2016 (Jessica Yamin).
• 2016 – The 4th AHLA International Health Literacy Conference, Vietnam, 7-9 Nov 2016 (Thanh Huynh).
• 2016 – Intensive Course in Dysphagia Diagnosis and Management, New Zealand, 31 Oct-12 Nov 2016 (Lucy Bertino).
• 2015 – Institute for Healthcare Improvement IHI and BMJ – International Forum on Quality & Safety in Healthcare 2015, London, UK (Fiona Sutherland and Sue Liersch).