The Westmead Department of Anaesthesia and Perioperative Medicine has a long history of local and collaborative research. It is our mission to perform patient-centred clinical perioperative research. Our research is closely linked to our clinical perioperative practice, which includes patients undergoing diagnostic, interventional, surgical and/or obstetric procedures. We aim to engage our clinical staff (both medical and nursing) in our research projects. We actively collaborate with clinicians and researchers within the Western Sydney Local Health District, the Westmead Health Precinct, as well as with regional, national and international partners. Our department has a full time Research Coordinator and will soon appoint a part-time data-scientist. Regular Research Meetings provide a forum to discuss local research projects and get input from experienced clinician researchers.
We support our researchers in developing a career that accommodates an optimal combination of clinical care and research, that is sustainable in the long-term. By providing dedicated time and experienced supervision and mentorship, the Research Fellowship provides an excellent opportunity to kickstart your clinical research career. Also, it can provide you with a pathway towards a higher academic degree such as a PhD
Where you'll be working
Westmead Hospital is a key facility of one of Australia’s largest major health and medical research precincts and is the principal referral hospital for Western Sydney Local Health District providing district level health services to Parramatta, Holroyd and The Hills Shire LGAs including tertiary and quaternary services to greater Western Sydney, greater metropolitan Sydney, rural NSW and other states. The Westmead Health Precinct currently under development is envisaged to be the largest hospital building project undertaken in Western Sydney and will transform the iconic but ageing Westmead Hospital into an innovative, contemporary, and integrated centre that will continue to deliver high quality healthcare and expand the education, health, and research capability of the area.
Westmead Hospital is a leading centre of research, training and specialisation in all fields of Medicine and Dentistry, providing services in Cardiology, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Neurology, Neurosurgery, Kidney and Pancreas transplantation, Cancer Care, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Neonatal Intensive Care, Trauma, Bone Marrow Transplantation, Critical Care, Aged Care and Rehabilitation, Adult Acute Psychiatry (networked with the co-located Cumberland Hospital) as well as other specialised medical and surgical services.
Westmead Hospital is also the principal referral centre for other metropolitan hospitals within the district including Auburn Hospital, Blacktown and Mount Druitt Hospital.
Intensive care service in Westmead hospital includes 36 general, and 10 post cardiothoracic surgical ICU beds. General ICU bed numbers have expanded by 50% in early 2020. Cardiothoracic ICU has also recently moved into a newly built ICU pod. Common ICU admissions include complex medical cases such as sepsis, severe respiratory or cardiac failure, complicated bone marrow transplant, and surgical cases including trauma, neurosurgery, vascular, cardiothoracic, ENT, plastic surgery, urology, upper GI, hepatobiliary, and colorectal procedures.
What you'll be doing
WSLHD - JMO - Provisional Fellow - Anaesthesia
Before the start of your fellowship, we will develop a personalised Research Development Plan that should provide you with clear aims and structure for the fellowship year. This can include:
- Development of new research projects (with mentorship and support) in the fellow’s own area of interest or within the existing departmental research themes.
- Education (including self-directed) in research specific areas such as statistics, ethics, study design, and database principles.
- Participation in the conduct of established clinical studies.
- Authorship and co-authorship of papers (such as clinical trials or review article) in peer reviewed journals.
- Facilitate and promote the recruitment of patients into clinical studies.
- Participation and attendance at department research meetings.
- Presentation of research work that the fellow has contributed to at a major meeting (at state level or better).
- Attendance at the ANZCA Clinical Trials Network annual research meeting.
- Completion of Good Clinical Practice certification
- Research collaboration with other departments in the hospital and WSLHD.
- Participation in research-focused teaching of junior trainees, residents and medical students.
