School of Health and Human Sciences
Research projects and collaborations 2015
In 2015, staff of the School of Health and Human Sciences, Southern Cross University were
involved in a wide range of research projects and collaborations with international and local
partners. The School received over one million dollars in research funding.
* School of Health and Human Sciences researchers are listed in bold.
Project Title: Victorian Allied Health Workforce Research Program
Funding Body: Victorian Department of Health and Human Services
Total Grant: $455,785 (plus an additional $180,000 optional)
Investigators: Prof Susan Nancarrow, Dr Joanne Bradbury, Ms Gretchen Young, Ms Katy
O'Callaghan, Ms Kegan Barlow
Project Title: The Efficacy of a referral and physical activity program for survivors of prostate
cancer: the ENGAGE project (project continuing from 2011)
Funding Body: Australian Research Council (ARC Linkage) and the Prostate Cancer Foundation of
Australia
Total Grant: $350,000
Partner Institution/s: Deakin University, Southern Health, Eastern Health, Peter MacCallum Centre,
Victoria University, Epworth Healthcare, North Eastern Metropolitan Integrated Cancer Service,
YMCA Victoria
Investigators: Prof Trish Livingstone, Dr Melinda Craike, Prof Jo Salmon, Prof Mari Botti, Dr Caderyn
Gaskin, Dr Suzanne Broadbent, Dr Steve Fraser, Prof Kerry Courneya
Project Title: Applying a Montessori Model in Non‐Residential, Aged Care Respite Centres
Funding Body: Hastings District Respite Care (HDRC)
Total Grant: $100,000 (approximately)
Partner Institution/s: Hastings District Respite Care (HDRC)
Investigators: Dr James Donnelly
Project Title: Comparing intermittent to graded exercise and usual care in Chronic Fatigue
Syndrome (pilot study continuing from 2014)
Funding Body: Mason Trust and Wicking Foundation
Total Grant: $82,000
Investigators: Dr Suzanne Broadbent, Dr Rosanne Coutts
Project Title: PhD Scholarship exploring coordination development of pre‐elite athletes
Funding Body: Australian Institute of Sport
Total Grant: $57,750
Partner Institution/s: Australian Institute of Sport
Investigators: A/Prof Wendy Gilleard, Dr Alison Alcock
Project Title: Skills training workshops and online resources
Funding Body: Student Representative Council, Southern Cross University
Total Grant: $50,000
Partner Institution/s: Southern Cross Postgraduate Association, Inc.
Investigators: Mr Craig Wilson, Dr Justin Gaetano
Project Title: A preliminary investigation on the effects of intermittent exposure to hypoxia on
glucose homeostasis
Funding Body: Southern Cross University, Deputy Vice Chancellor of Research 2015 Seed Grant
Total Grant: $15,000
Investigators: Prof Shi Zhou, A/Prof Allan Davie, Dr Suzanne Broadbent, Ms Yun Wang
Project Title: Adverse events from complementary therapies: An update from the Natural
Therapies Workforce Survey
Funding Body: The Australian Traditional Medicine Society
Total Grant: $10,000
Partner Institution/s: The Australian Traditional Medicine Research Committee
Investigators: Dr Thomas Harris, A/Prof Sandra Grace, Mr Stephen Eddey
Project Title: Framework for ethical experiential learning in health
Funding Body: Southern Cross University, Deputy Vice Chancellor of Research 2015 Seed Grant
Total Grant: $9,800
Partner Institution/s: Charles Sturt University
Investigators: A/Prof Sandra Grace, A/Prof Ev Innes, Dr Narelle Patton, A/Prof Lynette Stockhausen
Project Title: Skin to skin breastfeeding
Funding Body: Southern Cross University, Deputy Vice Chancellor of Research 2015 Seed Grant
Total Grant: $8,000
Investigators: Prof Kathleen Fahy, Ms Carolyn Hastie
Project Title: Randomized controlled trial of intervention to promote the performance of daily
living tasks by children with neuro‐motor disorders: Pilot
Funding Body: Southern Cross University, Deputy Vice Chancellor of Research 2015 Seed Grant
Total Grant: $7,500
Partner Institution/s: Paediatric Therapy and Workshops, University of Sydney, University of
Melbourne
Investigators: A/Prof Michelle Donelly, Dr Kate Bain, Ms Suzanne Davis, Dr Chris Chapparo, Prof
Dinah Reddihough, Mr Robert Heard, Ms Sue Treacy, Ms Laura Burritt
Project Title: Research report on Minerama 2015
Funding Body: Funded in part by Glen Innes Severn Council (GISC)
Total Grant: $6,000
Partner Institution/s: Glen Innes Severn Council (GISC)
Investigators: Dr James Donnelly, Dr Arianne Reis (Business and Tourism/SCU)
Project Title: "Patient Perspectives": Understanding and engaging with patient preferences for
different approaches to health care delivery using social media
Funding Body: Southern Cross University, Deputy Vice Chancellor of Research 2015 Seed Grant
Total Grant: $5,000
Investigators: Dr Joanne Bradbury, Prof Susan Nancarrow, Dr Cathy Avila, Dr Frances Doran, A/Prof
John Stevens
Project Title: Enhancing the Professional Development of Occupational Therapy Supervisors ‐
Assessment Moderation
Funding Body: Southern Cross University Teaching and Learning Small Grant
Total Grant: $5,000
Investigators: Ms Maggie Scorey, Ms Margaret Neuss, Dr Keri Moore
Project Title: Practitioner‐only Products: A retrospective analysis of social media comments from
natural medicine practitioners
Funding Body: The Australian Traditional Medicine Society
Total Grant: $5,000
Partner Institution/s: The Australian Traditional Medicine Research Committee
Investigators: Ms Ann Vlass, A/Prof Sandra Grace, Mr Stephen Eddey, Dr Thomas Harris
Project Title: Attitudes of Australian GPs to chiropractic and osteopathy
Funding Body: Macquarie University
Total Grant: $5,000
Investigators: Dr Roger Engel, Dr Robyn Beirman, A/Prof Sandra Grace
Project Title: Promoting valid and time efficient assessment of student teamwork skills:
Validation of a short form of the TeamUP Rubric for use by any health disciplines
Funding Body: SCU Teaching and Learning Grant
Total Grant: $5,000
Investigators: Dr Jacqui Yoxall, Carolyn Hastie, Prof Kathleen Fahy, A/Prof Sandra Grace
Project Title: Midwifery decision‐making process when assisting women to maintain perineal
integrity during active second stage labour
Funding Body: NSW Mid North Coast Local Health District (MNCLHD) and Southern Cross University
Total Grant: $4,000
Partner Institution/s: MNCLHD Coffs Harbour Base Hospital (Maternity)
Investigators: Dr Elaine Jefford, Ms Frances Guy, Ms Belinda Newcombe
Project Title: Same‐day appointments for adults and seniors at Northern NSW GP clinics: how do
they measure up in terms of availability and costs?
Funding Body: Southern Cross University, Deputy Vice Chancellor of Research 2015 Seed Grant
Total Grant: $3,500
Partner Institution/s: North Coast Primary Health Network (NCPHN), University of Melbourne
Investigators: Prof Susan Nancarrow, Dr Cathy Avila, Dr Joanne Bradbury, Dr Frances Doran, Mr
Vahid Saberi, Professor Gary Freed
Project Title: Development of a National Fitness Survey
Funding Body: Southern Cross University, Deputy Vice Chancellor of Research 2015 Seed Grant
Total Grant: $3,400
Investigators: Dr Suzanne Broadbent, Prof Shi Zhou
Project Title: Increasing EEG Lab Capacity
Funding Body: Southern Cross University, Deputy Vice Chancellor of Research 2015 Seed Grant
Total Grant: $3,000 (partial funding)
Partner Institution/s: The Armidale School, Cogstate
Investigators: Dr James Donnelly, Dr Steve Provost, Dr Tara Kocek
Project Title: Enhancing Student Midwifery Clinical Reasoning Processes and Decision‐Making
Skills
Funding Body: Mid North Coast Local Health District
Total Grant: $3,000
Partner Institution/s: Hull University (UK), Buckinghamshire New University (UK), Australian College
of Midwives
Investigators: Dr Elaine Jefford, Prof Julie Jomeen, Prof Colin Martin
Project Title: The effects of six weeks training or recovery in a hypoxic chamber, on activity
states of HIF‐1α, key mRNA markers of adaptation, and physiological responses to an incremental
treadmill test in Thoroughbred horses (project continuing from 2014)
Partner Institution/s: Pulford Air and Gas, Tianjin University of Sport (China)
Investigators: A/Prof Allan Davie, Prof Shi Zhou, Prof Li Wen, Prof Yong Zhang, Mr Tom Fyfe
Project Title: Sex discrimination of point light walkers
Investigators: Mr Graeme Hacker, Dr Anna Brookes, Dr James Donnelly
Project Title: Speech Development
Investigators: Dr Debbie James
Project Title: Communication, speech and language development of late pre‐term babies
Partner Institution/s: University of Adelaide
Investigators: Dr Debbie James, Dr Julia Pitcher
Project Title: Internalising and externalising problematic behaviour: The role of executive
functioning and social information processing
Partner Institution/s: Various schools in the Coffs Harbour region, Australian Catholic University,
Headminder Inc, New York (USA)
Investigators: Dr Tara Kocek, Dr James Donnelly, Dr Jeffrey Rogers (ACU), Dr Tony Yeigh
(Education/SCU)
Project Title: Primary care as a clinical placement from student nurses' perspective: A Kidney
Camp experience
Investigators: Dr Kolleen Miller‐Rosser, Ms June Colgrave, A/Prof Lynette Stockhausen
Project Title: Increasing Organ Donation Rates
Partner Institution/s: Coffs Harbour Base Hospital, Mid North Coast Local Health District
Investigators: Dr Gail Moloney, Dr Michael Sutherland (ICU and Organ donation specialist, CHBH),
Ms Anne Judd (Clinical Nurse Specialist Organ and Tissue Donation, MNCLHD)
Project Title: Right Kids, Right Time, Right Services: Developmental Surveillance in Early
Childhood Education Settings
Partner Institution/s: Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre, La Trobe University
Investigators: Ms Beth Mozolic‐Staunton, A/Prof Michelle Donelly, Dr Josephine Barbaro, Dr Jacqui
Yoxall
Project Title: Do time distortions occur during high level exercise?: The role of fitness and
exercise self‐efficacy
Partner Institution/s: Coffs Harbour Health Club (CHHC) (includes in‐kind support)
Investigators: Mr Jason Newcombe, Dr James Donnelly
Project Title: Symptoms of muscle dysmorphia, eating disorders, and body dysmorphic disorder
Partner Institution/s: Tianjin University of Sport (China)
Investigators: Dr Johanna Nieuwoudt, Prof Yahong Jin, Prof Shi Zhou
Project Title: Reliability of a viva examination of clinical reasoning
Partner Institution/s: Victoria University
Investigators: Mr Paul Orrock, Dr Brett Vaughan, A/Prof Sandra Grace, Mr Raymond Blaich
Project Title: Impaired practice effects following mild traumatic brain injury: An event‐related
potential investigation
Partner Institution/s: Australian Catholic University
Investigators: Dr Jeffrey Rogers, A.M. Fox, Dr James Donnelly
Project Title: The impact of parental responsiveness on their infants and toddlers' early
communication, speech and language development
Partner Institution/s: University of Adelaide
Investigators: Ms Melissa Saliba, Dr David Tivey, Dr Debbie James, Dr Melanie Attard
Project Title: Tobacco use among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander high school students:
Understanding 'the social' and the effects of indigeneity
Partner Institution/s: University of Technology Sydney, University of Sydney, NSW Department of
Education, Sydney Local Health District
Investigators: Ms Tarunna Sebastian, A/Prof Toni Schofield, A/Prof Michelle Donelly, Dr Craig
Anderson
Project Title: Avoiding compassion fatigue in healthcare providers
Partner Institution/s: Local Healthcare District hospitals; Baringa Private Hospital, Coffs Harbour
Investigators: Ms Jaeva Shelley, Dr James Donnelly
Project Title: Factors mediating dysphoric moods and help seeking behaviour among Australian
parents of children with autism
Investigators: Mr Matthew Snow, Dr James Donnelly
Project Title: Peer physical examination in first year osteopathy students
Partner Institution/s: Victoria University
Investigators: Dr Brett Vaughan, A/Prof Sandra Grace
Project Title: Australian osteopathy students' perceptions of interprofessional relationships
Partner Institution/s: Victoria University
Investigators: Dr Brett Vaughan, Dr Keri Moore, Dr Chris Macfarlane, A/Prof Sandra Grace
Project Title: Effects and molecular mechanisms of acute and intermittent exposure to hypoxia
environment and endurance exercise on glucose homeostasis and insulin resistance in obese mice
with Type 2 diabetes
Partner Institution/s: Tianjin University of Sport (China)
Investigators: Ms Yun Wang, Prof Shi Zhou, A/Prof Allan Davie, Prof Yong Zhang, Prof Li Wen, Mr
Xinhao Wang, Ms Youyu He
Project Title: Visiting Research Professor in 2015
Partner Institution/s: Chulalongkorn University (Thailand)
Investigators: Dr Heather Winskel, Dr Theeraporn Ratitamkul