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2018 Postgraduate Research Symposium: Exploring Opportunities

2018 Postgraduate Research Symposium
Date Published:
15 Nov 2018
Contact person:
postgrad.symposium@unsw.edu.au
Event date: 
Friday, 16 November 2018 - 9:00am to 4:00pm

The full event program and abstract booklet is available to view and download here

The 2018 Postgraduate Research Symposium is a collaborative event hosted by the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC), The Kirby Institute (KI), Centre for Social Research in Health (CSRH), Black Dog Institute (BDI), Centre for Big Data Research in Health (CBDRH) and Social Policy Research Centre (SPRC) at UNSW Sydney.

The Symposium will explore opportunities in research, career and collaboration, as well as links to UNSW’s 2025 Strategic Priorities (academic excellence, social engagement and global impact).

The host organisations have strong research programs across a variety of areas including blood borne viruses, mental health, sexual health, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, social policy work, drug and alcohol use, and prisoner health. This includes expertise across scientific disciplines including public health, social science, biostatistics, epidemiology, clinical medicine and biomedical science.

The Symposium showcases the work of postgraduate students and aims to:

  • Facilitate transdisciplinary knowledge exchange
  • Encourage the sharing of novel methodological approaches with application towards other research areas
  • Promote excellence in research among postgraduate students
  • Create a network of students with shared interests
  • Provide students with the opportunity to present their work in a supportive environment

Postgraduate students from NDARC, KI, CSRH, BDI, CBDRH, SPRC, Nura Gili (NG) and the School of Public Health and Community Medicine (SPHCM) are invited to present and/or attend the event.


Keynote speaker: Professor Komla Tsey 
Tropical Leader (Education for Social Sustainability) at the Cairns Institute and College of Arts Society and Education (CASE), James Cook University (JCU) 

Komla Tsey is Tropical Leader/Research Professor (Education for Social Sustainability) at the Cairns Institute and College of Arts Society and Education (CASE), James Cook University (JCU) Cairns, Australia. Komla is one of 8 research professors appointed by his university from 2008 to provide leadership and support to academic teams to help improve the university’s research output and impact. Komla has a broad research interest in the reasons why some people are healthy and others not, or what has been called the social determinants of health. He is interested in the types of government policies and local community actions, and social and cultural norms and values that can enable individuals, families and communities of people to achieve better health. Komla was born and educated in Ghana.

After earning a BA honours degree in History and Classics from the University of Ghana in 1980, Komla studied for a PhD in Social Science (Economic History) at Glasgow University, Scotland, where his thesis examined the social, economic and health consequences of British colonial railway investments in Ghana. He returned to the University of Ghana where he lectured and developed partnerships with his rural communities as a participant observer, researching long-term development projects aimed at improving the availability and access to facilities such as schools, health services, electricity, and water and sanitation. Since the 1990’s, Komla has been living in Australia researching and learning about health and wellbeing, mainly with Aboriginal organizations and communities. He continues to undertake longitudinal studies of rural development in Ghana. Komla has written more than 100 academic journal articles on a wide range of topics. Current research translation activities include a 3- hour Introduction to Research Impact Assessment short course for researchers and a 1-day Trauma-informed Self-Care Workshop for human services managers and workers. Contact: komla.tsey@jcu.edu.au 


Panellist: Dr Suzie Hudson
Clinical Director, Network of Alcohol and Other Drugs Agencies

Suzie is an accredited mental health Social Worker and has over 20 years’ clinical experience in the fields of substance misuse, mental health, forensics, research and evaluation. Suzie has worked, developed and managed community-based and residential alcohol and drug services both in Australia and overseas with a focus on methamphetamines. Currently the Clinical Director at NADA (Network of Alcohol and Drugs Agencies), Suzie has worked on resources to improve AOD treatment for women and their children. In addition, she provides private consultancy, training workshops designed to enhance the capacity of the AOD treatment sector and maintains a private counselling and clinical supervision practice. Suzie has a PhD in public health and community medicine and a passion for engaging with social change.

Panellist: Dr Bridget Haire
Post Doctoral Research Fellow, The Kirby Institute, UNSW

Bridget Haire is an NHMRC early career fellow at the Kirby Institute, and lectures in public health and medical ethics. Bridget is also the President of Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations (AFAO). Prior to academia she  worked in HIV and sexual and reproductive health for more than 20 years as a journalist, editor, policy analyst and advocate. Bridget is a member of the Australian Ministerial Advisory Committee on Blood Borne Viruses and Sexually Transmissible Diseasess, the African-led Global Emerging Pathogens Treatment Consortium, and a former consultant for the Australia-China Human Rights Technical Co-operation Program on sexual and reproductive health rights for the Australian Human Rights Commission. She also served on the Data Safety Monitoring Board for the South African HIV prevention study CAPRISA 008 as a medical ethicist, and is the medical ethicist on the NSW HIV Assessment Panel for People who Put Others at Risk of HIV. Bridget’s research interests are ethical issues in infectious disease control with an emphasis on underserved or marginalised populations, gender, and sexual and reproductive health.

Panellist: Dr Jessica Stewart
Executive Director of Insights, Analysis and Research, NSW Department of Family and Community Services (FACS)

Jessica is the Executive Director of Insights, Analysis & Research at the NSW Department of Family and Community Services (FACS), leading a team to deliver evaluation, research, analysis and performance reporting in areas of child protection, homelessness and social housing. She has unique policy expertise with a focus on complex program evaluation and public reporting on the performance of health care organisations using big data. Jessica has degrees in law, politics, public policy, and a PhD in Aboriginal health research. She has 15 years experience working for both federal and state government at FACS, the National Health Performance Authority, the NSW Ministry of Health and in health services research at the Sax Institute. Jessica is passionate about using research evidence, rigorous evaluation and linked routine data to improve the health and wellbeing of people in Australia through more efficient and effective service delivery.

Open to: 
Postgraduate students from NDARC, KI, CSRH, BDI, CBDRH, SPRC, NG and SPHCM
Location: 
The Kirby Institute, Level 6 Seminar Room, Wallace Wurth Building, UNSW Sydney
Cost: 
Free
Booking deadline: 
Contact for bookings: 
postgrad.symposium@unsw.edu.au
Number of seats available: 
110
Contact for inquiries: 
postgrad.symposium@unsw.edu.au