Volunteering with PPDP

Why Volunteer with The PPDP Team?

If you are a university student looking to apply your tertiary skills and training to real world practice, or a community member looking for opportunities to upskill while giving back to the community, then volunteering with the PPDP team is the perfect opportunity for you.

By becoming a PPDP volunteer, You will

• Gain first-hand experience working within a clinical trial team.
• Be working with culturally and linguistically diverse communities.
• Be exposed to a world first, church-based and community led sustainable health programme designed to empower and equip the Pasifika community to take ownership of their health.

As a PPDP volunteer, you will also be exposed to additional volunteering opportunities on other similar research projects being conducted by Distinguished Professor David Simmons, Associate Professor Freya MacMillan, and Associate Professor Kate McBride.

Who should apply to be a Volunteer?

Anyone can apply to become a PPDP volunteer and all volunteers will receive the same training regardless of their skill levels upon entering the program. However, the research skills and clinical skills you will gain and develop as a PPDP volunteer will be highly relevant for both Local and International University students in Sydney who are studying health or research degrees, and are looking for hands on experience to apply their clinical and research training in areas such as Medicine, Nursing, Health Science, Public Health, and Epidemiology etc.

As PPDP is also a research study, University Students who are considering postgraduate research degrees like a PhD, Master of Research, B Psychology (Honours) etc, are encouraged to apply to become a PPDP volunteer. PPDP provides hands training on survey based and physical data collection in community based clinical research settings and will provide you real world research experience in preparation for your own prospective research studies.

Most Importantly PPDP is looking for volunteers of Pasifika heritage (e.g, Samoan, Tongan, Fijian, Cook Islander, Niuean) who are looking to give back to their community and support the PPDP team in delivering the program. At times, the PPDP team will require additional Language support during data collection sessions to ensure surveys are completed fully and accurately, and to ensure data collection procedures have been explained fully and accurately to the research participant in their language.

Roles and Responsibilities

• To work closely with the PPDP Field coordinator and Community Activators to facilitate maximum church engagement and participation during the PPDP Data Collection sessions with the Pasifika church communities of Greater-Western and South-Eastern Sydney.
• To follow Standard Operating procedures to set-up and calibrate research equipment including Blood pressure and Heart rate Monitors, HbA1c Analysers, Random Blood Glucometers, Weight Scales, Bioimpedance Monitors and Stadiometers.
• To assist PPDP team in collecting informed consent from research participants, completing clinical trial registration, and allocating participant ID numbers to maintain participant confidentiality.
• To collect anthropometric clinical trial research data (Height, Weight, Waist Circumference, Body-Fat%, Blood pressure, HbA1C and Random Blood Glucose measurements) and assist research participants with the completion of Health surveys in a culturally appropriate manner in community and church-based settings in accordance with approved research protocols, Standard Operating Procedures and Ethical guidelines.

What Documents do I need to Provide?

To become a volunteer on the PPDP programme, you will need to attend a PPDP Volunteer training session which are held approximately every 3 months. Before attending the training session, you will be required to provide the PPDP team with the following documentation.

• Resume / CV
• Working With Children Check
• NSW Police Check or a National Police Check
• Evidence of COVID-19 vaccination

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to be enrolled in university or have tertiary qualifications to become a PPDP volunteer?

No you do not. Although the volunteering opportunities are highly relevant for university students who are looking to upskill and gain research and clinical experience, the Volunteering opportunities are open to anybody.

How often do data collection sessions occur?

Data collection sessions can occur at any time throughout the year.

Due to my personal religious beliefs, I am not able to enter other churches or other places of worship, or engage in prayer outside my religion. Can I still be a PPDP Volunteer?

Yes, Our PPDP data collection sessions occur in many settinng such as community centres, residential homes, and recreational church halls on the church grounds. Therefore, you will have a variety of settings to experience and apply your skills as a PPDP volunteer. Furthermore, all our volunteers are respected and have the freedom to step away if the community is engaging in prayers or other religious customs.

How to become a PPDP volunteer

Please fill out the volunteering survey (opens in a new window) if you would like to become a PPDP volunteer.

If you would like to know more about PPDP please email ppdp@westernsydney.edu.au.

I would like to be a PPDP volunteer