Fellowship to help reconnect stroke survivors with community
Stroke researcher Dr Heidi Janssen has received the Hunter Medical Research Institute’s first Women in Medical Research Fellowship (WIMRF) to develop a unique, community-based rehabilitation project using activities such as singing, dancing and art to stimulate patient recovery.
As a NSW Health Clinical Research Fellow and physiotherapist at John Hunter Hospital, Dr Janssen works closely with health-care providers to help stroke survivors reconnect with their life prior to falling ill. Her early PhD research led to the concept of ‘enriched environments’ in a hospital setting, where patients had more opportunities to exercise and socialise.
This approach will now be taken into the community for the first time, thanks to the three-year, $285,000 fellowship provided by an anonymous HMRI donor. Dr Janssen’s project is titled Exercising, Socialising and Thinking – an Environment Enrichment Model in the community After Stroke (ESTEEM After Stroke).
“We’re trying to fill the gap that exists after people finish their rehabilitation journey in the health system, which can be relatively short for some patients,” Dr Janssen said.
“Whether they’ve experienced speech, balance, physical or sensory impairments, it can be difficult for people to live independently in the way they did before stroke. Often, they need more time to recover but they’ve got few places to go after returning home.”
The study aims to unite stroke survivors, carers, health services and community groups to translate the research into sustainable practice.
“This project is something I’ve wanted to do for a very long time, so the Women in Medical Research Fellowship is hugely significant. It gives me the autonomy to build a research team and develop my skills as a researcher to effect real change in stroke rehabilitation,” Dr Janssen adds.
“We’ve seen in lab models that an enriched environment improves emotional well-being, brain plasticity [cellular reconnection] and assists recovery. ESTEEM After Stroke has the potential to do the same, but in a real-world, community setting.”
The study’s initial phase will determine what activities the participants want, and also what providers can offer in the collaboration. Dr Janssen will work with stakeholders to identify suitable community venues within Newcastle and Lake Macquarie.
HMRI’s WIMRF program was introduced to stem the ‘silent brain drain’ impacting female researchers at their critical mid-career juncture. Dr Janssen was selected as the inaugural recipient from a highly competitive field, based on the quality of her project.
“On behalf of HMRI and also our generous donor, I congratulate Heidi on her success,” HMRI Director Professor Tom Walley said.
“We need to retain the best and brightest mid-career researchers, like Heidi, so they can produce results that will hopefully lead to better community health outcomes.”
Details on the Fellowship scheme can be found at hmri.org.au/support-women.
* Other HMRI-affiliated researchers working on the project include Professors Michael Nilsson, John Wiggers and Frini Karayanidis, Associate Professor Coralie English, and Dr Bernadette Matthias from the Stroke Choir. HMRI patron Jennie Thomas is the community representative. HMRI is a partnership between the University of Newcastle, Hunter New England Health and the community.
Related news
- Shanae’s passion for caring delivers her dream to work in health
- Food and nutrition degree serves Keren a rewarding career
- Kicking goals on and off the field, Joeli proves you can do it all
- Proving age is just a number, Arlyn wants to inspire more women in their 50s to pursue education
- Earth Sciences expert Professor Frisia cements global standing
The University of Newcastle acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands within our footprint areas: Awabakal, Darkinjung, Biripai, Worimi, Wonnarua, and Eora Nations. We also pay respect to the wisdom of our Elders past and present.