Research Officer

Description:

Full Job Description

Alfred Health

Alfred Health is a leader in health care delivery, improvement, research and education. We are the main provider of health services to people living in the inner southeast suburbs of Melbourne, from ambulatory to inpatient and home and community-based services.

THE DEPARTMENT

Caulfield Pain Management and Research Centre (CPM&RC) is a multidisciplinary ambulatory service at Caulfield Hospital part of Alfred Health, providing specialist assessment and treatment for adults with chronic non-cancer related pain. The Centre assists patients reduce the impact of persistent pain by optimising pain treatments, improving function and promoting self-management. This is achieved by expert chronic pain medical care and allied health assessment including psychology, occupational therapy and physiotherapy, providing individualised and group treatment programmes. There is a focus on cognitive behavioural education, physical and functional restoration. The Centre also has links with The Alfred Hospital Acute Pain Service (in Anaesthesia), various specialist services treating chronic pain conditions, and Monash University Department of Anaesthesia & Perioperative Medicine.

The Centre researches chronic pain treatment outcomes,, psychosocial aspects of pain, pain and ageing, and novel therapies for pain. We participate in the ePPOC (electronic Persistent Pain Outcome Collaborative at University of Wollongong) for systematised outcome evaluation, benchmarking and collaborative research.

The Senior Research Fellow for CPM&RC will contribute to the Centre’s research output, and are expected to support strategic research in collaboration with the Medical Unit Head, our clinicians, and with the Head of Acute Pain Services in Anaesthesia.
THE ROLE

• Co-ordinating interaction between the clinical and research staff employed within and affiliated with CPM&RC
• Interpret our research on outcomes, and wider chronic pain research informing evidence based clinical practice for service improvement
• Management of ethics approval processes for new projects and repeated applications.
• Pursue funding for research projects for the Centre and assist with funding applications
• Provide support and training to Pain Clinic staff to engage in clinical pain research and publish research findings
• Producing and supporting clinicians to develop research skills, complete abstracts and posters and for conference presentations.
• Preparation of data and statistical analysis
• Attendance and presentation of research data at appropriate conferences and seminars
• Collaboration with suitable partners for larger research activities
• Publish research findings in appropriate journals
• Contribution to all reports for the Department of Health for relevant projects.

The position offers an opportunity to expand and develop clinical research activity and outputs through its strong clinical research development focus

The Department has linkages with Alfred Health Pain Services, Monash University Department of Anaesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, and ePPOC ( Electronic Persistent Pain Outcomes Collaboration) based at the University of Wollongong.

The successful applicant will be offered an adjunct appointment within The Department of Anaesthesia & Perioperative Medicine, Central Clinical School, of Monash University, headed by Professor Paul Myles. This will facilitate access to Monash University research support. The appointment will commensurate with the applicant’s qualifications and experience.

SKILLS

• PhD in a discipline related to health and social sciences.
• Tertiary Qualification in health science/ life sciences.
• GCPR