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Waranara
Health professions education research network
We're an inclusive community of educators and researchers committed to undertaking quality health professions education research and scholarship that contributes to an evidence-based approach to improving our learning environments.
About us
Waranara is aimed at advancing the skills of our healthcare educators and researchers by fostering interdisciplinary discussions and understanding of the cultures in which we learn, teach and practise.
Drawing on social science disciplinary knowledge and through ongoing engagement and collaboration with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members and University colleagues, the purpose of Waranara is to develop a high-class global community for health professions education research, learning, and support.
Our objective
To undertake quality health professions education research that contributes to an evidence-based approach to improving our learning environments.
Our values
Striving to foster a strong sense of belonging and cultural safety for all to flourish; valuing all perspectives in the knowledge that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts; endeavouring to undertake work that is not just done to our community of stakeholders, or done on them, but achieved with them via co-design.
Opening up possibilities to promote cross-pollination of ideas and concepts for research and education innovation; striving to empower our community of stakeholders to share educational and research experiences and ideas; being courageous to take a risk, learning from our endeavours whatever the outcomes.
Open to the contribution that all members of our community make, which will facilitate our collective success; respecting personal values across our community of stakeholders; facilitating leadership and learning opportunities, providing opportunities for growth across our community.
Ensuring our work is known as excellent in its integrity and ethical principles; a culture of honesty and trust provides the basis of our ethical working practices; fostering our ethical approach reflexively through role modelling best practice, respectfully raising concerns where necessary.
Events
2024 Micro-Conference Programme
Enhancing Clinical Skills Through Innovative Approaches
Thursday 19 September 12.00-1.00pm AEST (10-11am CST)
This Micro-Conference showcases research exploring cutting-edge educational strategies designed to prepare healthcare professionals for the challenges of today's complex and dynamic environments. At its core, the importance of a multicultural and multidisciplinary approach to learning is considered. Presentations include: research around an innovative Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) pedagogy in which participants engage in a global educational experience that enhances cultural responsiveness, effective teamwork, and collaborative patient care; research that delves into the necessity of systems thinking in healthcare education, fostering a comprehensive understanding of the interconnectedness within health systems, equipping students with the leadership and innovative skills needed to drive sustainable outcomes; the introduction of advanced simulation technologies, particularly 3D printing, which has the potential to revolutionise surgical training providing realistic, low-cost simulations to improve clinical preparedness and offer objective assessments of essential skills, such as knot-tying. Overall, this Micro-Conference focuses on the integration of these innovative methods to better prepare healthcare professionals for delivering quality care in a diverse and ever-evolving landscape.
- Zahra Aziz et al. - Development and implementation of an innovative, multi-disciplinary and multicultural learning experience using collaborative online international learning (COIL) pedagogy
- Carol Pizzuti et al. - Using eHealth Data to Inform CPD for Medical Practitioners: A Scoping Review with a Consultation Exercise with International Experts
- Meng-Yu Wu et al. - Enhancing Surgical Education for Novice Learners: A Novel 3D-Printed Vessel Ligation Simulator Providing Objective Metric Assessments of Knot-Tying Competency
- Hung-Che Lin et al. - Low-cost 3D Printing Technology Simulation Enhance Trainees Clinical Preparedness of Temporal Bone Course Learning
Thursday 10 October, 12.00-1.00pm AEST (10-11am CST)
Redesign and Innovation in Education and Assessment Challenges
This Micro-Conference is especially relevant if you’re interested in curricula issues around the redesign and assessment of healthcare education. It showcases groundbreaking research on the mitigation of examiner bias in Anatomy Viva Voce examinations. Key presentations also highlight students’ experiences of an integrated curriculum designed to connect a range of study areas emphasising shared concepts as well as examining motivations of medical students towards undertake medical education electives, taking a deep dive into their perceptions of the relevance of this for developing their own teaching skills for their future work, which will inevitably include being role models and educators for the next generation of medical students. Focused on these assessment and educational areas, this event addresses key areas of innovation in healthcare students’ education across different cultural and healthcare professional groups.
- Yasith Mathangasinghe et al. - Can we mitigate examiner bias in viva voce anatomy examinations?
- Matthew Arnold et al. - Students as teachers: Exploring medical students’ motivations to undertake a medical education elective.
- Megan Anakin - Everywhere and nowhere: How a health profession’s educators and students experience a core learning area in an integrated curriculum
- Maree Doble et al. - Practice education: A redesign of intermediate clinic in speech pathology
Mon 4 November, 09.00-10.00am AEST (06.00-07.00am CST)
Advancing Professional Development Through eHealth and CPD
This Micro-Conference explores critical elements shaping the future of healthcare training and professional development. Across five presentations, we delve into the decision-making processes behind doctors pursuing Advanced Practice (AP) training, an essential yet underexplored area. We also examine the integration of eHealth data analytics into Continuing Professional Development (CPD), highlighting the role of stakeholders in enhancing CPD practices aligned with professional standards and health outcomes. Further, our Micro-Conference will consider the challenges and opportunities in implementing data-driven CPD practices, presenting findings from a policy gap analysis. Insights from a scoping review and consultation with international experts will reveal how eHealth data can transform CPD for medical practitioners. Finally, we will discuss support strategies for clinical educators to create engaging digital learning experiences, especially in the post-COVID healthcare setting. This event promises valuable knowledge and actionable insights for healthcare professionals, educators, and policymakers aiming to leverage data and innovative educational practices to enhance medical training and patient care.
- Scott Readett - Transforming Learning to Transform Practice: Strategies for Enhanced Digital Learning of Clinical Educators in the Australian Healthcare Context
- Adrian Schoo et al - Systems thinking in education: preparing for leading innovation in complex dynamic health systems
- Carol Pizzuti et al. - Australian medical regulations and strengthened Continuing Professional Development (CPD). A policy implementation gap analysis with the Specialist Medical Colleges
- Shemona Rozario et al. - Portraits of doctors’ career pathways through specialisation and suggestions for targeted recruitment.
December 11, 12.00-1.00pm AEST (10-11am CST)
Psychological Safety and Diversity in Medical Education
This Micro-Conference is an essential event for those invested in the future of healthcare education and practice. It showcases groundbreaking research on safety and diversity issues among healthcare students and professionals. Key presentations will bridge essential themes of equity and diversity, examining how intersecting identities shape experiences of privilege and disadvantage in the workplace. Attendees will delve into the impacts of education on sensitive topics such as end-of-life care, mental health, and domestic violence, highlighting how gaps in such training affect patient outcomes. The conference also explores the relationship between clinical uncertainty, stress, and burnout among physicians, presenting effective interventions for managing these challenges. Focused on enhancing healthcare education and support, this event addresses the well-being of healthcare students and professionals across diverse clinical and cultural contexts.
- Monika Coha et al. - Are the medical students alright? How do medical students perceive their psychological safety in the teaching of sensitive topics in a medical school curriculum?
- Yi-Ping Tseng et al. - End-of-life Nursing Care Research in East Asia 2013-2022-a Scoping Review
- Celine Serrano-Diaz - Occupational therapy practitioners' and students' experiences of diversity, equity and inclusion: Results of an international scoping review
- Nothando Sithulile Nkambule et al. - Striving for inclusion: Unravelling the impact of privilege and disadvantage on the experiences of female physicians in the clinical workplace
Health Professionals Education Research Series
Thursday 4 July, 12:00pm AEST | Register >
In this workshop, we explore qualitative research using interpretivist and critical lenses. Interpretivist approaches revolve around the idea that our words, actions, and possessions carry meaning, shaping our perception of the world. Moreover, these meanings can vary, depending on what individuals choose to highlight as important. On the other hand, critical approaches aim to question and disrupt established truths and power structures. Critical analysis involves uncovering and dismantling omissions and invisibilities, focusing on power, privilege, and hierarchy. Pragmatic approaches share a commitment to exploring new possibilities through practical experiences, actions, and consequences. Through discussions on the purposes of interpretivist and critical approaches, you'll gain a deeper insight into which approach might be more beneficial for your research.
Tues 10 September 12:00pm AEST | Register >
In this workshop, we explore health professions education research through a pragmatic lens. Pragmatic approaches in research prioritize the purpose and practical consequences over sticking strictly to conventions. They're flexible, not tied to specific theories or methods, allowing for the use of both quantitative and qualitative data. These approaches encourage open discussions and embrace pluralism, acknowledging that multiple theories and methodologies can be valid. In this workshop, you'll explore the philosophical foundations of pragmatic approaches and learn about the typical characteristics of methodologies used. Through interactive discussions, the workshop aims to guide you in understanding the practical considerations and benefits of adopting a pragmatic approach in health professions education research.
Workshop 6: Introduction to Developing a Research Proposal for Health Professions Education Research
Tuesday 1 October 12:00pm AEST | Register >
In this penultimate workshop, we build on the foundations from your prior learning to consider how you might put together a research proposal. Crafting research proposals marks a crucial initial phase in starting any research endeavour. They pose a challenge for early/mid-career researchers as they demand you to envision the entire research project and convey convincingly why it merits undertaking. These proposals underscore the significance of the work, detailing how it will unfold, including the project timeline and necessary resources. Furthermore, they clarify and defend study designs, theoretical frameworks, and conceptual frameworks, presenting a compelling argument for the research necessity. A well-crafted research proposal lays a solid foundation for successful research execution. This workshop guides you through the steps of proposal writing, elucidating essential components, emphasizing quality features, and highlighting common mistakes. Throughout the activities during the workshop, we have opportunities to share writing tips and concrete examples.
Thursday 7 November 12:00pm AEDT | Register >
Our last workshop dives into publishing and impact, helping you understand the reasons and goals behind publishing and how it ties to impact objectives. Learning about options, creating a plan, and getting acquainted with publication processes can boost your comfort and confidence. We cover diverse ways to disseminate research, including conferences, peer-reviewed journals, and creative formats like visuals, Twitter dialogues, and academic blogs. Exploring various publishing avenues, we also delve into making our work impactful, recognizing its importance in a world where research accountability is increasingly crucial. Throughout the workshop, we will draw from both the formal literature on research publishing and impact as well as engage in conversations about our own experiences as authors, reviewers, and journal editors. Finally, we consider how you might think about your own impact and publishing pathway as you become more accomplished researchers of the future.
2024 Waranara PubClub Series
These Monthly online meetings will alternate between Health Professions Education Research Capacity Meetings & PodClub meetings, which will discuss the Waranara Podcast.
Time and Dates:
- August 8, 2024. 11am - 12pm
- September 12, 2024. 11am - 12pm
- October 10, 2024. 11am - 12pm
Previous Events & Resources
Listen to our Podcast. New episodes are released monthly. Make sure you are a member of the network to receive a link to the podcast each month, and an invitation to join our monthly PodClub.
Read the full report here (.docx 660KB). You can view the recordings of the day on our Waranara Youtube Channel.
On Friday March 17th, developed, chaired and facilitated by Marcelle Townsend-Cross, Julia McCartan, Josephine Gwynn, and Lynn Monrouxe, the Waranara Network held its adventurous 2023 flagship event. Bringing together around 70 healthcare professions educators and researchers from across the country and the globe, the Symposium included in-person invited guests from remote and rural settings alongside top international research networks across Australia and Taiwan, and online guests from across Canada: Broken Hill UDRH, School of Rural Health (Dubbo/Orange), UCRH, MCSHE , Prideaux, CG-MERC and CHES. We shared our ancestral history and, discovering the cultural melting pot from which we all originate, we acknowledged the lands on which we were all coming from.
We explored new ways of understanding and shared experiences and knowledge around Indigenous and non-Indigenous collaborations. We held truly critical conversations around our place in creating and maintaining oppression and exploring ways in which we can bring our new-found awareness to enhance remote, rural, and urban service learning. Breaking from traditional presentation formats, our program was designed to facilitate thoughtful, critical conversations for both our in-person and online attendees. We held brief talks, small blended-group activities, discussions and a World Café.
View the series on our Waranara Youtube Channel. In this series of events, we invite Waranara members who have recently completed their PhD to share their work with the network.
View the series on our Waranara Youtube Channel. A series of online events, presented collaboratively by Waranara, MCSHE (Monash Centre for Scholarship inHealth Education), and Prideaux (Health Professions Education, Flinders University).
View the series on our Waranara Youtube Channel. A series of online events, presented collaboratively by Waranara and MCSHE (Monash Centre for Scholarship inHealth Education).
View the series on our Waranara Youtube Channel. A series of online events, presented collaboratively by Waranara and MCSHE (Monash Centre for Scholarship inHealth Education).
PhD opportunities
Connect with one of our research supervisors:
- Professor Lynn Monrouxe
- Associate Professor Stuart Lane
Our people
- Professor Lynn Monrouxe
- A/Professor Tim Schlub
- A/Professor Annette Burgess
- Ms Annie Chan
- Dr Astrid Frotjold
- Dr Carl Schneider
- Dr Kate Thomson
- Associate Professor Stuart Lane
Image credit: Ngara - Education and Research
‘Yanhambabirra Burambabirra Yalbailinya (Come, Share and Learn)' 2020 by Luke Penrith for the One Sydney Many People Strategy.
