CHORAL Future Leaders in Child Health Research Theme Lead and NIHR Associate Professor Dr Simon Pini, recently completed a research visit to Australia as part of his NIHR Advanced Fellowship. Here he tells us about his experience and how it has supported his professional development.
This summer I was able to go on a research visit to Australia as part of my NIHR Advanced Fellowship. The first two weeks were spent in Sydney where I joined some long-term collaborators at the University of New South Wales (Professor Claire Wakefield and Dr Joanna Fardell). During my time there I presented the INSCHOOL project to Sydney Children’s Hospital, delivered a qualitative methods masterclass to post-doctoral researchers, and met with a variety of amazing researchers working young people’s health research.
The final two weeks were spent in Adelaide where I attended two conferences. I presented a poster at the Australian and New Zealand Children’s Haematology/Oncology Group (ANZCHOG) conference, where I summarised all of my research papers related to teenage and young adult onc
ology. I was then lucky enough to be invited to present my first keynote speech at the International Health, Educators, Learners, Parents (H.E.L.P.) Conference, where I presented the INSCHOOL project.
This research visit was an incredibly valuable addition to my fellowship. It was a great opportunity to present my work to new audiences and experience a different working culture. The INSCHOOL project was very well received, and I believe the inclusive fundamental-needs approach taken in this project allowed the findings to be useful and relevant to audiences in attendance, despite the different culture and environment. The visit also provided me with many new contacts to explore future international collaborations.
Whilst this was a working trip, I was still able to take time to explore parts of Australia as it was my first time in the country. Some of the highlights were seeing a show at Sydney Opera House, running along the riverside in Adelaide, and even hugging a Koala!
