Innovative models of care
for the rural setting

Strengthening the
rural workforce

Rural population of
community health

Organisational governance
and leadership

Dr Ella Ottrey

Email: ella.ottrey@eghs.net.au

Dr Ella Ottrey is the Western Alliance Research Translation Coordinator, providing support to East Grampians Health Service and Maryborough District Health Service. She is also Senior Research Fellow with Monash Centre for Scholarship in Health Education at Monash University, undertaking health professions education research. She is an Accredited Practising Dietitian and has 10 years of experience working as a clinical dietitian within the Victorian public healthcare system. Her research expertise and interests include qualitative methodology, interpretivist approaches, preparedness for practice, health services research, and workforce development.

Dr Jaclyn Bishop

Email: jaclyn.bishop@eghs.net.au

Dr Jaclyn Bishop is the Director Development and Improvement at East Grampians Health Service, and a registered pharmacist. Jaclyn completed her PhD in 2022 with the University of Melbourne focusing on Antimicrobial Stewardship in rural hospitals. She has published over 20 papers with a focus on rural health and quality use of medicines. She is a member of the Society of Hospital Pharmacist of Australia (SHPA) Research Leadership Committee, and an Honorary Fellow with the Institute of Health Translation, Faculty of Health, Deakin University. Jaclyn takes the ‘real world’ perspective of a rurally based health service leader and applies this to her translational research. She has a strong focus on practice-based research that improves the outcomes for rural communities and enjoys mentoring new researchers with a similar passion.

Michele Conlin

Email: michele.conlin@eghs.net.au

Michele Conlin is the DELIVER Research Translation Coordinator for East Grampians Health Service and the Western District Health Service. She is a registered nurse of 17 years with experience in community nursing (primary care and district nursing), as well as in aged and palliative care, having trained in Canada and worked internationally. She obtained her Master of Public Health in Europe and is currently a PhD candidate with the La Trobe Rural Health School, focusing on rural health promotion and evaluation methods. Her research interests include qualitative methodology, participatory action research, as well as health service and translational research.

Alison Fitzgerald

Email: alison.fitzgerald@eghs.net.au

Alison Fitzgerald is the i-HEART project coordinator for East Grampians Health Service. I-HEART is a research project being rolled out over 6 sites within regional Victoria that aims to improve outcomes for people admitted to hospital with heart failure. Alison is new to Victoria, having nursed in Katherine and Darwin for 22 years, including time in community and primary health. Prior to this role, Alison worked on a randomised control trial with Menzies School of Health Research, delivering mental health education to First Nations people, and improving education delivery on infection control. She has a strong interest interest in qualitative research.

Celina Day

Email: celina.day@eghs.net.au

Celina Day is a Research Assistant with East Grampians Health Service responsible for the Check-Back Study – the co-design review of a patient-focussed health literacy resource – and evaluating the aged care staff wellbeing program. Celina has over 15 years’ experience as a program and public policy manager in the not for profit, aged care, and health care sectors. Her areas of interest are consumer advocacy, human rights in health care, and qualitative research. She has previously worked for the national peak bodies for dementia and advance care planning. Celina was the project lead on an Australian guide to conducting meaningful consultation with people living with dementia, their families and carers, published by the Analysis and Policy Observatory (APO) in 2022.