November 20, 2025The Stepping Into Research (SIR) program has once again brought together allied health clinicians from across Northern Health for 12 weeks of learning, inquiry and collaborative research. Designed to introduce clinicians to the process of conducting and writing a systematic review, the program continues to strengthen our culture of evidence-based practice and professional growth across the organisation.
Today, we proudly highlight this year’s nine participants ahead of this afternoon’s SIR Presentation Round, taking place at 1.30 pm in the Lecture Theatre at Northern Hospital, Epping. Each participant will present their research to an audience including the Director of Allied Health, all Allied Health Associate Directors, mentors, and academic partners from La Trobe University.
Participants have been supported throughout the program by senior peers, the Allied Health Research team (Dr Adam Semciw, Dr Stephen Quick, Dr Nikki Frescos and Emily Farrugia) and experienced researchers from La Trobe University. We also extend our sincere thanks to the Northern Health Library team, especially Eunice, for guiding the first workshop on developing search strategies – a foundational step in each project.
Speech Pathologist Jessica Gillies said the program has been an encouraging introduction to the research space. “Stepping into research has been a great introduction into the world of research. Having support from mentors in my own field as well as the Allied Health Research team has been very helpful and encouraging, making it a great learning experience,” she said.
2025 Research Topics
This year’s cohort represents a diverse range of clinical areas and research interests, including:
Danika Arney, Kate MacIvor and Renee Craig (Occupational Therapy) – Healthcare Staff, Patients and their Families’ Experiences with Virtual Home Visits for Inpatients: A Qualitative Systematic Review.
Shiao-Hua Kwong (Mental Health Psychology) – How do non-pharmacological RCTs targeting circadian rhythm and sleep in bipolar disorder report and ensure intervention fidelity, and what is the quality of the evidence for clinical efficacy?
Casey Kiss (Social Work) – What challenges do health professionals experience when delivering virtual healthcare to First Nations People?
Jessica Gillies (Speech Pathology) – Rehabilitation interventions to prevent and treat depression in post-stroke aphasia: An updated systematic review.
Megan Bunting (Physiotherapy) – The effect of brief preoperative education interventions compared to other prehabilitation interventions on postoperative outcomes in surgical patients.
Jessica Brain (Dietetics) – How is cow’s milk protein allergy diagnosed and managed in preterm and small for gestational age infants in the inpatient setting?
Celebrating Previous Participants
The impact of the SIR program continues beyond each annual cohort. Several past participants have recently reached key research milestones:
Simone LeBel (Physiotherapy) published her systematic review in Musculoskeletal Care.
Rebecca Turnbull (Exercise Physiology) published her review in the European Journal of Physiotherapy.
Lauren Roberts (Dietetics) has submitted her review for publication.
Lauren Mitchell (Physiotherapy) will present her findings at the 11th Biennial Australia and New Zealand Falls Prevention Conference in November.
Shalini Jayasekera (Physiotherapy) presented at the Australian Physiotherapy Association APASC25 Conference just last month on the results of her review.
Pictured: Dr Adam Semciw’s presentation from earlier this year
