We are thrilled to partner with Child and Adolescent Health Service (CAHS) to announce the inaugural candidate of the Nursing Research Fellowship (NRF) Program.
Thanks to funding from Telethon, three Nursing Research Fellowships will be awarded over a three-year period, providing CAHS recipients with a dedicated opportunity to begin to build their research capability and expertise under the guidance of clinical and academic supervisors.
The inaugural recipient, Perth Children’s Hospital Research Nurse Coordinator, Arielle Jolly, commenced her project, ‘FOOTPRINTS: Follow-on Outreach – Psychosocial Support After the Unexpected Death of a Child in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU)’ in July 2024.
Arielle’s research will develop and test a PICU bereavement service to follow-up families of children who have died an unexpected death.
“I’m delighted to be chosen as the inaugural recipient of the CAHS Nursing Research Fellowship, supported by Telethon,” Ms Jolly said.
“The death of any child is an incomparable tragedy, and to experience this loss, unexpectedly, within the complex and complicated environment of a PICU is highly traumatic for all parents.
“This initiative is an exciting step forward for the nurse researchers of the future working here at CAHS, and I am honoured to be the first of what I hope will be many nurses whose research journey is nurtured by this Fellowship.
“For me, this program offers a supported opportunity to develop myself and my research, with protected time to dedicate to intellectual investment in my project, as well as the educational and networking opportunities that are so important to an emerging researcher.
“I am thankful for the value that CAHS and the Telethon Trust have shown for nursing research, and the possibilities this fellowship will create for nursing innovation, new discovery, and ultimately improved health outcomes for Western Australian children and their families.”
The CAHS NRF program provides the first step towards a pathway as a clinician researcher as well as developing nurse-led research programs that have the potential to have a positive impact on child health.
The 2025 recipient has been awarded to Maria Garland, who will be researching Alexithymia, a recognised indicator for resistance of treatment of psychiatric conditions and refers to no words for emotions. Maria will commence her research project, ‘Targeting Alexithymia in the treatment for adolescents and families with restrictive eating disorders’ in January 2025.
“Increasing the time I can dedicate to my PhD, investigating the relationship between alexithymia and restrictive eating disorders, will expedite the initial stages of work,” Ms Garland said.
“As a Child and Adolescent Mental Health (CAMHS) nurse, being awarded this fellowship will raise the profile of nurse led research within CAMHS, and will hopefully encourage further CAMHS nurses to consider being involved in research.”
Funded by Telethon, the NRF program is enabling CAHS to develop and retain world-class nursing research talent, becoming an internationally recognised academic health service where evidence-based research is integrated with clinical service delivery to provide the best health outcomes for WA children and our community.