Since 2014, Western Alliance has built a research presence across the Western Victorian health landscape, with activities to promote collaboration, build research capacity, and ultimately fund regionally focused health research. Feedback from Western Alliance health service members indicated that 'boots on the ground support', particularly in smaller health services, was critical to fostering engagement and driving both capacity building and health sector led research.
As a result, Research Translation Coordinator positions have been developed and employed across the western region of Victoria. These roles are embedded within health services, and among other things they provide technical support for conducting and translating research, assist with identifying and facilitating opportunities for collaboration and grant funding, and help to develop research capacity and capability across Western Alliance member organisations.
We encourage you to contact your local Research Translation Coordinator (RTC) to discuss how they can best support your research and research translation efforts.
Dr Michael Field is the Western Alliance Research Translation Coordinator for the Barwon/Colac region. Michael grew up on the Bellarine Peninsula and studied at Deakin University on Geelong before moving to Adelaide where he attended medical school. Michael worked as a junior doctor in South Australia in both city and country settings then returned to Victoria taking up a position in population health research at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute at the Royal Children's Hospital.
Michael's research experience spans clinical trials, cross-sectional studies and cohorts, and his research interests include childhood allergy and addressing rural health outcome inequalities. He also maintains part-time clinical practice in surgical assisting.
Michael aims to build research capacity in the Barwon/Colac region through supporting clinical and administrative staff at Western Alliance partner sites in the region.
Alesha Sayner, Research Translation Coordinator – Grampians Alesha Sayner is the Western Alliance Research Translation Coordinator role for Grampians Health .
Alesha will be undertaking this role alongside her existing position at Grampians Health as Allied Health Research & Knowledge Translation Lead. Alesha is also a pelvic health physiotherapist and PhD candidate.
If you are from Grampians Health and want to get in touch with Alesha to discuss your research or translation ideas, you can do so .
Dr Ella Ottrey, Research Translation Coordinator – East Grampians and Maryborough Dr Ella Ottrey is the Western Alliance Research Translation Coordinator for the East Grampians and Maryborough region.
Ella grew up in Gippsland, before moving to Melbourne to train and work as a clinical dietitian. Ella's research career began eight years ago, completing honours and then a PhD, exploring mealtimes in hospital. In addition to her role with Western Alliance, Ella is a Postdoctoral Fellow with Monash Centre for Scholarship in Health Education.
Ella enjoys building research capacity and capability within the health services in her region. She provides support to people conducting research, by reviewing protocols or ethics applications, accessing statistical support, navigating the pathway to publication, and in linking health services with universities.
Jessie grew up in north east Victoria before moving to Melbourne to complete university. In 2018, Jessie moved to Hamilton to join the National Centre for Farmer Health, where she worked on numerous research projects aiming to improve the health, wellbeing and safety of farmers and their families. Since, she has completed her PhD exploring children's safety on farms. In addition to her role with Western Alliance, Jessie will continue as an Associate Research Fellow at the National Centre for Farmer Health. Jessie aims to assist in building research capacity within the health services in south west Victoria.
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