Creating new opportunities for research in Palliative Care
The Bendigo Health Foundation, in partnership with the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre (VCCC) Alliance, is funding a Study Coordinator Intern through the VCCC Alliance’s SKILLED Clinical Trials Internship Program.
Vijaishree (Vijay) Rajesh has been in the role for nine months. With a Master’s in Biotechnology and previous experience as a research assistant, Vijay works within the Palliative Care research program at Bendigo Health, led by Associate Professor Natasha Michael, Palliative Care Consultant and Associate Professor at the University of Notre Dame Australia.
The research program encourages learning, collaboration, and new ideas within the department, while creating more opportunities for people in regional and rural communities to take part in research and clinical trials closer to home.
This is another example of how the community, through the Bendigo Health Foundation, can benefit healthcare in our region by investing in research at Bendigo Health.
Whilst projects like this have the potential to significantly change the future of how patients are treated, there are also a range of immediate benefits to our community. This includes access to new treatment options for current patients as well as recruitment and retention of healthcare staff.
The impact of the program is already being seen, with its first research study approved – the first clinical trial in Palliative Care at Bendigo Health. With Vijay’s support, the GENOS study was approved and will investigate pharmacogenomics for cancer pain.
For Vijay, the internship role has provided an opportunity to gain experience in clinical trials and work directly with patients.
“When I got this opportunity, it was very interesting to me, because I wanted to get out of lab-based research and do something more. This was an excellent opportunity. There is so much to learn in this field – it’s very vast.”
Associate Professor Natasha Michael said investing in emerging researchers was an important part of building the department’s research capability.
“Whenever I see the opportunity to give a young consultant or young person a chance, I grab it. Giving young people an opportunity to develop these skills then allows something to be brought to our department. For me, that was important for a number of reasons – we can’t start a research department without the likes of Vijay and the clinical trials unit, and I am a firm believer in investing in young people because they are the future.”
Dr Chi Lee, Clinical Unit Head of Palliative Care Medicine at Bendigo Health, emphasised the impact the role has had on the team’s ability to undertake research.
“The reality is, without someone in that position, the work would not be possible, because we’re really busy and the type of work you can do in your spare time between your clinical activity is very limited. So, when you have additional resources, it means you can scale up and go to a completely different level of research that otherwise would not be possible.”
Since beginning her role, Vijay has supported multiple research studies, including a study evaluating the use of Ritual, Spiritual Orientation and Coping, and another assessing geographic disparities in cancer-related symptom burden at entry into Australian specialist palliative care.
Vijay said the role has given her valuable insight into the clinical trial process.
“Learning what it takes to start a clinical trial, submitting to an ethics committee and getting a study approved is a very huge task. I only learned that once I came here. That was a really good learning experience.”
Vijay also highlighted the impact her role has had on her experience with patients.
“I had never had interactions with patients before. This was my first time to have that patient interaction, so I learned what needs to be done for the patient. When you see the patient, you think, ‘Oh, this is why this is done.’ It gives that immediate reward – seeing the response to what you were doing.”
Through the generosity of our community, the Bendigo Health Foundation is helping create new opportunities for research and innovation in Palliative Care. It is helping open the door to new research opportunities for patients in our region and building knowledge and skills within Bendigo Health that will have a lasting impact.