Sydney Health Partners provides pilot funding for collaborative teams of clinicians and researchers who wish to test the implementation of an evidence-based intervention, program or innovation.

The projects are intended to help the teams build translational research foundations which will lead to longer-term impacts on health services and policy.

Each of the projects is funded for two years and has two principal investigators – one research-based and the other clinically based.

The Pilot Grants program was launched in 2020. This year, Sydney Health Partners is funding ten new pilot projects, commencing in October 2024. 

These ten new pilot grants are in addition to the ten current pilot grant projects, which have been underway since 2023, and 15 pilot grants previously awarded by the Sydney Health Partners Implementation Science Program.

Current Implementation Science Projects

2024 Recipients

Virtual PREoperative Physiotherapy Education before abdominal surgery (V-PREPED): an implementation study of a co-designed intervention
Academic PI: Dr Louise Hansell, Allied Health Research Officer, Northern Sydney Local Health District (NSLHD)
Clinical PI: Thien Kim Nguyen, Clinical Perioperative Coordinator, Northern Sydney Local Health District (NSLHD)

Development and co-design of EXFUSION II: an exercise program delivered during chemotherapy infusion
Academic PI: Dr Jasmine Yee, Postdoctoral Research Fellow and Academic Fellow, The University of Sydney
Clinical PI: Kate Mahon, Director of Medical Oncology, Chris O’Brien Lifehouse

Ensuring equitable implementation of breast density notification through population-based breast cancer screening in NSW: integrating information resources for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) women
Academic PI: Dr Brooke Nickel, NHMRC Emerging Leader Research Fellow, The University of Sydney
Clinical PI: Dr Wendy Vincent, Director of BreastScreen, Sydney Local Health District

Implementing ‘SipTilSend’: Enhancing Pre-Surgery Patient Comfort and Safety with Reduced Fasting Times
Academic PI: Dr Oya Gumuskaya, Sydney School of Public Health, The University of Sydney
Clinical PI: A/Prof. Sarah Aitken, Head of Surgery, Concord Hospital, Sydney Local Health District

What’s behind the digital front door: Evaluation of consumer needs, preferences and experiences
Academic PI: Dr Adeola Bamgboje-Ayodele, Research Fellow – Human Factors, The University of Sydney   
Clinical PI: Dr Jagdev Singh, Paediatric Respiratory & Sleep Physician, Sydney Children’s Health Network

“Brolga-FAITH” – a FAmIly-focused, Trauma-Informed model of care for adolescents in psychiatric inpatient Hospital units
Academic PI: Dr Shannon Web, Clinical Lead of the Brolga Adolescent Inpatient Unit, Northern Sydney Local Health District
Clinical PI: Dr Matteo Zuccala, Clinical Psychologist, Northern Sydney Local Health District

Towards equitable implementation of a fear of cancer recurrence clinical pathway in Chinese-speaking cancer survivors
Academic PI: Dr Verena Wu, Research Fellow, The University of Sydney
Clinical PI: A/Prof. Carolyn Ee, Supportive Care & Integrative Oncology Specialist, Chris O’Brien Lifehouse

Pilot implementation of Perx-R to provide digitally-enabled home-based pulmonary rehabilitation
Academic PI: A/Prof. Zoe McKeough, Associate Professor – Physiotherapy, The University of Sydney
Clinical PI: Dr Sally Wootton, Clinical Specialist – Physiotherapy, Northern Sydney Local Health District

Embedding the “Help In” exercise training study in local health district substance use disorder services: An Implementation Project 
Academic PI: Dr Rhiannon Dowla, Exercise Physiologist, The University of Sydney
Clinical PI: A/Prof. Bridin Murnion, Senior Staff Specialist in Drug and Alcohol Services, Northern Sydney Local Health District

Implementing integrated addiction and hepatology care for alcohol-related liver disease: a pilot implementation study
Academic PI: Dr Karen Waller, Research Fellow, School of Public Health, The University of Sydney
Clinical PI: Dr Emily He, Consultant Gastroenterologist and Hepatologist, Sydney Local Health District

2023 Recipients

Helping clinicians and patients make sense of HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer: implementation of an information resource
Academic PI: Dr Rachael Dodd, Senior Research Fellow, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney
Clinical PI: Associate Professor Purnima Sundaresan, Senior Staff Specialist, Sydney West Radiation Oncology Network, Western Sydney Local Health District

Feasibility and acceptability pilot of a self-management intervention “My Personal Recovery Plan” (MyPREP) for people with serious mental health conditions
Academic PI: Dr Alyssa Milton, Senior Research Fellow, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney 
Clinical PI: Professor Nick Glozier, Senior Staff Specialist, Sydney Local Health District and Professor of Psychological Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney

Tailoring a bereavement model of care for the respiratory service of Nepean Hospital
Academic PI: Dr Nicci Bartley, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney
Clinical PI: Dr Laura Kirsten, Principal Psychologist, Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District (NBMLHD) 

Implementation pilot of Virtual Reality intervention to reduce adolescent/young adult distress in emergency departments
Academic PI: Dr Brad Ridout, Deputy Chair, Cyberpsychology Research Group, Discipline of Biomedical Informatics & Digital Health, The University of Sydney
Clinical PI: Dr Margaret Murphy, Senior Clinical Nurse Consultant (CNC), Westmead Hospital, Western Sydney Local Health District (WSLHD)

Tele-Prehabilitation for major abdominal and thoracic surgery to improve patient outcomes
Academic PI: Dr Sviatlana Kamarova, Research Fellow, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney and Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District (NBMLHD)
Clinical PI: Anwar Hassan, Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist, Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District (NBMLHD) 

Impact of an interactive workshop on physiotherapists’ implementation of an evidence-based e-health resource for people with musculoskeletal conditions in tertiary care
Academic PI: Professor Trudy Rebbeck, Professor of Clinical Translation in Allied Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney
Clinical PI: Ms Dragana Ceprnja, Health Professional Educator – Physiotherapy, Western Sydney Local Health District (WSLHD)

The acceptability of digital supports for families waiting for neurodevelopmental assessment
Academic PI: Dr Kelsie Boulton, Research Fellow, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney
Clinical PI: Dr Antoinette Hodge, Senior Clinical Neuropsychologist, Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network

Evidence-based physiotherapy exercises for all
Academic PI: Professor Lisa Harvey, Senior Researcher, Kolling Institute, The University of Sydney 
Clinical PI: Dr Joanne Glinsky, Physiotherapist, John Walsh Centre for Rehabilitation Research, Northern Sydney Local Health District

Move to improve: prescribing physical activity and deprescribing paracetamol: a pilot feasibility study
Academic PI: Dr Paula Beckenkamp, Senior Lecturer in Physiotherapy, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney
Clinical PI: Dr Mark Halliday, Physiotherapy Team Leader – Musculoskeletal Health, Sydney Local Health District (SLHD) 

A digital tool for clinicians to improve the uptake of resistance training in cardiac rehabilitation (LIFT-CR)
Academic PI: Dr Matthew Hollings, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, The University of Sydney
Clinical PI: Mr Robert Zecchin, Nursing Unit Manager – Cardiac Rehabilitation, Western Sydney Local Health District (WSLHD)

Previous Implementation Science Projects

2021 Recipients

Online mindfulness-based stress reduction for chronic musculoskeletal pain: A pilot randomised controlled trial
Academic PI: Dr Anita Amorim, Lecturer at the School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney
Clinical PI: Dr Charlotte Johnstone, Anaesthetist/ Pain Medicine Specialist at the Department of Anaesthesia, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney Local Health District

Clinician created multimedia and multicultural cardiovascular m-Health education – EDUCATE_MI
Academic PI: Dr Liliana Laranjo, Community and Primary Health Care Practice, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney
Clinical PI: Dr Aravinda Thiagalingam, Senior Staff Specialist, Cardiology Department, Westmead Hospital, Western Sydney Local Health District

Digital psychosocial assessment for adolescents in hospital settings: The HEEADSSS implementation study
Academic PI: Professor Katharine Steinbeck, Chair in Adolescent Medicine, Discipline of Child and Adolescent Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney
Clinical PI: Dr Daniel Waller, Research Officer, Academic Department of Adolescent Medicine, Sydney Children’s Hospital Network (SCHN Westmead)

A student-led speech pathology telerehabilitation program for head and neck cancer survivors – an implementation study
Academic PI: Dr Emma Wallace, Lecturer/Researcher, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Discipline of Speech Pathology
Clinical PI: Ms Danielle Stone, Clinical Specialist Speech Pathologist, Department of Speech Pathology, Royal North Shore Hospital, Northern Sydney Local
Health District

2020 Recipients

Originally intended to fund two grants, the scheme expanded in 2020 to fund four projects totalling $100,000 in response to the unexpectedly high demand. Each project has two Principal Investigators (PIs) – one clinical and one academic. In addition to the four projects funded by SHP in 2020, seven additional projects received funding from our health service partners in March 2021.