Emergency Research

Improving emergency care for children through research and national and international collaboration.

On average, children visit Emergency Departments (EDs) for acute medical care once a year, representing a large interaction with our health system.

Emergency Department presentations are often critical, with some children being at risk of death or substantial disability if not managed appropriately. Therefore, providing evidence-based care for emergency management is essential.

Our research focus

Our research focuses on areas where there is:

a lack of evidence
incomplete translation of existing evidence to practice
limited policy development and dissemination

For example:

High-volume conditions: e.g., head and cervical spine injuries, bronchiolitis.
Life-threatening conditions: e.g., convulsive status epilepticus, severe asthma - optimum care is yet to be established,
Practice change implementation: defining th emost suitable methodology, especially in both tertiary and non-tertiary EDs across Australia and New Zealand.

Where the research happens

Research is often conducted across all three Melbourne Children’s Campus partners:

The Royal Children's Hospital (RCH), Melbourne
Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI)
The University of Melbourne - Departments of Paediatrics and Critical Care

Our primary site is the Emergency Department at RCH as it:

Treats around 90,000 children annually and is a paediatric tertiary referral
Acts as Victoria’s paediatric trauma centre

Collaborations

Most of our projects are multicentre and conducted through the Paediatric Research in Emergency Departments International Collaborative (PREDICT) network of Australia and New Zealand.

The research group is also part of the International Paediatric Emergency Research Networks (PERN), which combines the efforts of research networks on several continents to investigate global acute care questions

Join our research efforts

We welcome:

Research fellows and visiting international researchers
Trainee clinicians or consultants in:
- Paediatrics
- Emergency medicine
- Paediatric emergency medicine
- Nursing

Researchers can:

Conduct projects alongside their clinical training.
Work in the Emergency Department at The Royal Children’s Hospital.
Spend dedicated time on campus to focus on emergency-related research.
Collaborate remotely from their home institutions, with affiliations through:
- Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI)
- The University of Melbourne

Our research community includes global contributors from:

Australia, New Zealand, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland
Thailand, Switzerland, United States, Costa Rica
Germany, Indonesia, Singapore

Research education opportunities

Short courses are available in:

Ethics
Biostatistics
Epidemiology
Health economics

These are offered through:

Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics Unit (CEBU)
Clinical Research Development Office (CRDO)
Other departments at MCRI and the University of Melbourne

Melbourne Children’s Campus research pathways

Clinical appointment as a junior trainee at the Emergency Department (ED) at The Royal Children’s Hospital.

The major experience is clinical and research is a smaller part of the training experience. Clinical work as a full time trainee is intense, and it can be challenging to conduct meaningful research.

Trainees are encouraged to take part in research projects conducted in the emergency department (EDs). Clinical appointments can also be part time when it is possible to have increased exposure to research and research education.

Overseas fellows can come self-funded (or funded by their home institution) or they can apply for a paid hospital appointment via the ED of The Royal Children’s Hospital.

Research appointment at MCRI

This requires an appointment for at least six months and a well-developed plan for a project to complete. For shorter research appointments, the visits need to be planned well ahead of time to ensure protocols and ethics applications are prepared and submitted prior to arrival.

Higher degree appointment with the University of Melbourne

The focus is on the completion of a PhD or MD degree (called DMedSc – Doctor of Medical Science at the University of Melbourne) or a Masters degree (MPhil).

On average we have about five PhD/MD students in the department at any one time. For non-resident students, higher degrees in Australia can be costly.