Research Training
THRI provides a dynamic and supportive research environment for individuals wanting to undertake postgraduate research training to address the complex health issues facing our local communities and beyond.
THRI welcomes research candidates from a wide range of disciplines working across the health and wellbeing spectrum. THRI has a strong focus on community-engaged and partnership-driven research and particular expertise in research training in:
- chronic disease prevention (Stream lead: Assoc Prof Kate McBride),
- suicide epidemiology (Stream lead: Prof Andrew Page),
- eating disorders and body image (Stream lead: Prof Phillipa Hay) and
- inclusion health (Stream lead: Dr Elizabeth Conroy).
As an interdisciplinary research institute, academic supervisors can be drawn from across the University and have expertise in a range of methods including biostatistics and epidemiology, health economics, mixed methods approaches, program evaluations, arts-based qualitative approaches, and survey design.
For further information on postgraduate research opportunities with THRI, please see the ‘How to Apply’ (opens in a new window) and ‘Scholarships’ (opens in a new window) sections.
Contact the THRI HDR team: HDR-THRI@westernsydney.edu.au
THRI extends a warm welcome to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and others with an interest in Indigenous Health to consider postgraduate research with us.
We are proud to be learning and researching together on Dharawal Country (and also pay our respects to the Darug, Eora, and Wiradjuri peoples whose unceded lands WSU campuses are also situated on) and are committed to supporting research that centres First Nations voices, knowledges, and protocols to highlight the many Indigenous strengths that can address the health inequities experienced by Indigenous Australian peoples.
THRI provides support for HDR candidates to engage with communities throughout the research process, and encourages shared learning of First Nations standpoints and Knowledges in monthly HDR meetings. Additional scholarly support is provided by Western’s Indigenous Engagement and Education (opens in a new window) including the Indigenous Research Network and Indigenous Writing Retreats, Conference and Seminars and the nation leading Yarramundi Post Graduate Scholarship. (opens in a new window)
Curious? You can hear about the research of some of our current Indigenous HDR candidates here (opens in a new window)
PhD Scholarship: The Ngarala Project
THRI Investigators: Dr Elizabeth Conroy, (opens in a new window) Assoc Prof Brahm Marjadi, (opens in a new window) Prof Aunty Kerrie Doyle
SWSLHD Investigators: Kurt Simpson
Funded by: SWSLHD Drug Health Services
The Ngarala Project aims to address important gaps in our knowledge regarding the effective implementation of Indigenous models of care in mainstream alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment. The project is a collaboration with the Aboriginal Health Team at SWSLHD Drug Health Services. It will benchmark current processes and practices within Drug Health Services against an existing model of care with a focus on the Inpatient Withdrawal Management Unit and the Opioid Treatment Program. It will also explore the experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people accessing these services to understand the facilitators and barriers to treatment completion and implementation of trauma informed practice. It is hoped this project will also contribute to a deeper understanding of how an Aboriginal model of care can be realised across all DHS programs.
THRI is currently looking for a PhD candidate to work with the research team on this project. You can find more information about this opportunity here. (opens in a new window)
The Ngarala Project is guided by the Yerin Dilly Bag model which describes a process of nurturing, standing alongside, and holding up the community being researched. You can read about this model here. (opens in a new window)
If you would like to know more about this research project you can speak with any of the investigators via their links above.