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 support the clinician-driven research pertaining to the health, care and treatment of elderly persons by Monash Health Aged and Rehabilitation Services, Community Rehabilitation, and staff from SACS Specialist Clinics, Residential Care and 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; Chair from July 2026.
• 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 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; Acting Chair until July 2026.

Meetings

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

What we fund

Lions Trust Fund conference grant applications are now closed.  Applicants will be advised of outcomes by early July.  It is likely that a further round of travel grants will be offered in late 2026 (dates TBC).

Lions Trust Fund Grants are small grants for eligible* staff to attend a conference, workshop or study tour to present their work and acquire new knowledge and skills. Applications will close on Friday 5th June at 5.00 pm.
* Eligibility for travel grants is restricted to Monash Health Aged & Rehabilitation Services, Aged Persons’ Mental Health, SACS Specialist Clinics, Aged Care and Community Rehabilitation nursing, allied health or junior medical staff.

The online application form requires:

1. completion of eligibility and demographic questions,
2. details of the proposed travel and
3. upload of quotes (or other supporting documents) and the separate Budgets and Approvals form.

Application forms

Conference grant applications are now closed; these forms are provided for reference.

Lions John Cockayne Memorial Fellowship Trust Fund 2026 Conference Grant application form: via Microsoft Forms.

You can preview this form as a PDF.

Budget and Approvals form: via Microsoft Word.

Research grant applications are expected to open around October 2026 (dates TBC). Staff seeking advice on planning a research project, or with questions about travel 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.

Research activities funded since 2012

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)
• (2014) The transition to residential aged care: Perceptions of newly admitted residents with dementia, their families and facility staff (Tanya Davidson)
• (2014) The clinical utility and clients’ perspectives of the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) when used in a subacute rehabilitation occupational therapy setting: A pilot study (Debbie Rose)
• (2013) Can family members help overcome the barriers to deprescribing psychotropic medications in aged residential facilities through their knowledge of residents’ medication histories? (Chris Plakiotis)
• (2013) The impact of the MAXCOG intervention: The views of client, supporters and counsellors (Bridget Regan)
• (2013) Social work in aged residential care (Michael Splawa-Neyman)
• (2013) Acceptance and commitment therapy: Evaluation of a novel approach to enhance the quality of life of aged care residents (Tanya Davidson & Daniel O’Connor)
• (2012) A longitudinal investigation of neurobehavioural change following stroke (Elissa O’Connell)
• (2012) Development and validation of a severity scale for foot deformity related to Charcots Neuropathy (Cylie Williams & Shan Bergin)
• (2012) Improved healing rates in diabetes related foot ulcers with low frequency ultrasolic debridement versus non-surgical sharps debridement – A randomised control trial (Lucia Michailidis)
• (2012) A pilot randomised controlled trial of the effect of balance training on walking confidence and balance in adults with cerebral palsy (Jennifer McGinley & Dina Pogrebnoy)
• (2012) The patient experience of rehabilitation aged care services: The untold story (Cathryn Keenan)
• (2012) Can the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) Full Form score be used as a nutritional outcome measure for subacute inpatients with a length of stay of one month or less? (Karen McDougall)

Travel fellowships

• 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 9^th 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)