Welcome to our first newsletter for 2026.
We’ve had a great start to the year with Ian Skinner beginning as our new Research Director. He’s working one day a week, seconded from Charles Sturt University. Read more about Ian in our Researcher Profile and hear about our exciting new research program in his Rural Research Roundup.
I’m also delighted to share that Catherine Forbes has commenced with Western NSW Local Health District as our first NSW Regional Health Partners’ Rural Innovation and Research Coordinator. We are thrilled to welcome Catherine to the team and look forward to seeing how her role will strengthen research engagement and capability among rural clinicians in the district.
My congratulations to Dr Kasuni Akalanka and Dr Salma Arabi, both from Charles Sturt University, who have been awarded Emerging Leaders Fellowships for 2026. These competitive Fellowships are awarded by the Australian Health Research Alliance (AHRA)’s Women’s Health Research and Translation Network. AHRA is the peak body of Australia’s Research Translation Centres. A small number of these Fellowships are awarded each year to early or mid-career researchers working in women’s health and research translation. Through their Fellowship they receive mentoring and training as well as entry to the Women in Leadership Program run by Monash University. The program is designed to support women in health and medical sciences research to reach their full career potential.
Over the last couple of months, we have been advertising for people across our footprint to join our Consumer Advisory Committee. We’ve had some fabulous applications and will be holding our first meeting in April. We are looking for a couple more people to join the committee so please spread the word. We’d particularly love to hear from people living in rural and remote areas of the Upper Hunter, New England, Mid North Coast and Western NSW. Click here for more information.
On a sadder note, as Cath Johnson has been seconded to the roll out of the Single Digital Patient Record she is not able to continue as our Clinical Trials Network Coordinator. All is in good hands though with Jessica Aldcroft taking over the role. Jessica will continue to deliver monthly Community of Practice meetings and share the latest news and updates from NSW Health, including the clinical trials management system (CTMS). I sincerely thank Cath for her leadership of all things clinical trials for NSW Regional Health Partners for the past five years. Cath has done a phenomenal job and been a wonderful support to clinical trial coordinators across our footprint and beyond.
Speaking of clinical trials, I am working with the Sydney-based Research Translation Centres to expand Sydney Health Partners’ Trials without Tribulations conference to a state-wide event to be held later this year. I will provide more information as it’s available.
The next few months will see us hosting our inaugural Research Symposium, launching our revamped consumer register, Consumer Connect, and holding a face-to-face planning meeting with our Governing Board and Translation Committee. We will also have our second NSW Regional Health Partners’ Rural Innovation and Research Coordinator commencing in the Mid North Coast, helping to expand this exciting initiative across our footprint.
Cheers,
Lisa
Lisa McFayden
General Manager | NSW Regional Health Partners
Making Research Possible: Rural Innovation and Research Coordinators
Research has the ability to transform healthcare — but for clinicians and health workers in regional and rural NSW, finding the time, support, and expertise to turn a good idea into real change can feel out of reach. That’s exactly the gap the NSW Regional Health Partners (NSWRHP) Rural Innovation Support Program is designed to address.
Through funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), NSWRHP is embedding Rural Innovation and Research Coordinators (RIRCs) directly within Hunter New England, Mid North Coast, and Western NSW Local Health Districts.
All three coordinators will be in place shortly, and we’re excited about what this means for healthcare workers and communities across our region.
These aren’t distant advisors or academic consultants. The RIRCs are place-based, working inside the health services they support, alongside the clinicians and teams they serve. They bring expertise in health innovation, research design, implementation science, and change management, and they’re here to help turn local challenges into locally-led solutions.
Whether you’re a nurse with an idea to improve patient discharge processes, a clinician who’s noticed a gap in how a particular group is being served, or a team wanting to evaluate a new model of care, the RIRCs can help. Their support spans the full project and translation lifecycle — from shaping a research question and navigating ethics, through to data collection, analysis, and sharing your findings more widely. They can also help connect you with funding opportunities and link you to the right expertise when you need it.
The kinds of projects already taking shape across the NSWRHP footprint offer a glimpse of what’s possible: exploring AI readiness in regional hospitals, improving care transitions for young people with Type 1 diabetes, supporting internationally trained nurses to thrive in rural settings, reducing ICU noise to improve patient recovery, and strengthening discharge planning for Aboriginal patients — to name just a few. These projects are grounded in real local needs, designed to deliver tangible results.
Importantly, the coordinators don’t work in isolation. They function as a network, collaborating across LHDs and with NSWRHP’s university and primary care partners to share what works and support projects that have the potential to benefit communities beyond a single district.
If you think an RIRC might be able to support your work, or you’re simply curious about what’s possible, we’d love to hear from you. Reach out to NSW Regional Health Partners to start the conversation.
Warm regards,
Ian
Ian Skinner
Research Director | NSW Regional Health Partners
Musculoskeletal Research in Practice Network
Our Musculoskeletal Research in Practice Network (RiPN) was established in 2020 to build a supportive research environment that would enable physiotherapists in Newcastle to become research active.
By the end of 2022, RiPN had 51 members working in private physiotherapy clinics, hospital physiotherapy departments, health insurance, and workers compensation.
Fast forward three years and RiPN has 450 members from 161 different workplaces. Membership has expanded to include orthopaedic surgeons, sports physicians, exercise physiologists, podiatrists and general practitioners, as well as nurse practitioners, dieticians, radiologists and psychologists.
Meet Ian Skinner – Research Director, NSWRHP
What excites you about your new role as NSWRHP’s Research Director?
It’s the potential impact of the role. NSWRHP has already achieved so much, and it is a privilege to build on the work of others and continue making a real difference across the footprint we cover. For me, the role is about ensuring that the great ideas and innovations that come from clinicians, healthcare providers, and researchers receive the support they need to change practice and improve the lives of people in our communities.
Can you share a game changer moment or an accomplishment you’re particularly proud of?
A truly game-changing moment was the birth of my daughter in October last year. She was born ten weeks early at John Hunter Hospital via a complex procedure known as an EXIT procedure. We were fortunate enough to experience the very best the health system has to offer — from the Royal Flying Doctor Service flying us down at 3am, to the incredible nurses and midwives, specialist ENT doctors, the care flight back to Port Macquarie, and the incredible care close to home, and the follow-up support from allied health and so many others. It was a profound reminder of the extraordinary lengths people will go to for those in their care. What the health system — and the people within it — can accomplish is truly remarkable.
Calling all regional and rural researchers and healthcare professionals!
We know good research leads to better outcomes and health services. To make sure this research addresses the needs of those living and working in regional and rural communities, it is important that you can have a say.
Here’s how you can help and get involved:
• Participate in developing research projects and grant applications: This will help ensure the real health needs of our communities are addressed. Support is available to help develop your ideas. For help or advice, please get in touch. To find an MRFF grant to support your work, go to the MRFF grant opportunities calendar.
• Nominate yourself to be a member of grant review panels: This will make sure the research that gets funded makes a significant impact on improving healthcare services and health outcomes in regional and rural locations. You can nominate here.
• Subscribe to the MRFF newsletter: This will keep you informed about new and upcoming grant opportunities. Subscribe here.
• Share your thoughts and ideas: By communicating your insights, we can better understand the support and investment required to address the needs of your regional and rural community.
If you would like more information or to discuss any of the above, please get in touch.
hnelhd-nswregionalhealthpartners@health.nsw.gov.au | nswregionalhealthpartners.org.au
James Fletcher Hospital, Wisteria Lodge, 72 Watt Street, Newcastle, NSW, 2300
We respectfully acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the traditional custodians of the land and recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and culture. We support action on climate change and advocate for research on how to protect and support the health of communities most vulnerable to climate change – those in regional and rural Australia.
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