Australian Rotary Health Postdoctoral Fellowship Application

AUSTRALIAN ROTARY HEALTH

POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP APPLICATION

Australian Rotary Health invites applications from individuals holding a PhD looking to build a research career in the “PREVENTION OF MENTAL ILLNESS”

Forward Application Form to: Ainslie Rockall-Mills Research Administration Manager Australian Rotary Health PO Box 3455, Parramatta NSW 2124 OR Level 2, 43 Hunter Street, Parramatta NSW 2150 & [email protected]

Closing date for applications: Friday 29th September 2017 This Fellowship must be held in an Australian University Department or Research Institute undertaking relevant research into mental health.

1 Australian Rotary Health Postdoctoral Fellowship Application ARH GUIDE TO APPLICANTS

Australian Rotary Health invites applications from individuals in clinical or public health fields for a postdoctoral fellowship in support of the prevention of mental illness.

Australian Rotary Health Australian Rotary Health is a multi-district project for Rotary in Australia, with over 1,150 Rotary Clubs and 38,000 Rotarians supporting it. Australian Rotary Health has channelled more than $33 million in Australian research projects over its 33 year history. Australian Rotary Health’s emphasis has been on community health and has previously invested in research projects looking at Cot Death, Adolescent Health, Family Health as well as the Ross River Virus, Malaria, Bowel Cancer screening, First Aid and Emergency Care Research. Australian Rotary Health’s Funding Partners Program has invested in over $1 million in the best and brightest minds in fields as diverse as Heart Disease, Child Wellbeing, Suicide, Multiple Sclerosis, Motor Neuron Disease, Alzheimer’s and most of the Cancers.

Australian Rotary Health & Mental Health It is estimated that mental health problems and mental illness will affect more than 20 per cent of the adult population in their lifetime and between 10-15 per cent of young people in any one year. Many will recover spontaneously and, of the remainder, the vast majority can be treated and will recover fully. However, a smaller number will experience longer periods of distress and disability.

Myths, misunderstanding, negative attitudes and stereotypes surround the issue of mental illness. The prevalence and severity of mental illness imposes severe distress on individuals and their carers and is a major financial burden on families and the community.

Principal Goals of Australian Rotary Health  To encourage, promote, stimulate and aid medical and health research in Australia  To co-ordinate and manage Rotary health initiatives and community health projects  To promote, encourage and stimulate public interest in the prevention and treatment of ill health in Australia

THE BOARD OF AUSTRALIAN ROTARY HEALTH HAS IMPARTED ITS PLEDGE TO FUND MENTAL HEALTH/MENTAL ILLNESS RESEARCH

2 The specific aims of the Australian Rotary Health Postdoctoral Fellowship are:

 To develop and support an Australian Postdoctoral scientist with a strong commitment to research in mental health.

 To develop research capacity in the field of mental health.

General Standard of Fellowship

The Australian Rotary Health Postdoctoral Fellow is expected to conceive of and carry out research independently or as part of a team of researchers. The Fellow is expected to make independent and original contributions to research and to continue to develop relevant research expertise and leadership.

This will include:  Conceptualising and conducting original research either independently or as a member of a team.

 Playing a significant role in research projects including, where appropriate, leadership of research teams and management of projects.

 Attendance and presentation of research data at conferences and seminars.

 Production of high quality publications derived from the Fellow’s research.

 Successful preparation, or contribution to the preparation, of research proposal submissions to external funding bodies (including internationally) and other agencies.

 Supervision, training and guidance of research support staff involved in the Fellow’s research and research area.

 Co-supervision and, where appropriate, supervision of honours and postgraduate students and/or postdoctoral fellows who are working on projects in the Fellow’s area of research.

 Involvement in other professional activities.

 Responsibility for financial management of grants.

 Establish contract research and consultancies with health related industries and government bodies.

Requirements and Skill Base

The Fellow will have the following skill base:

 PhD award in an appropriate discipline within the past 3 YEARS fulltime equivalent. Applicants must have confirmation of successful completion prior to short-listed interviews, which take place on the 25th and 26th October 2017. Interviews will not be offered to anyone not likely to meet this deadline.

3 Australian Rotary Health Postdoctoral Fellowship Application ARH  Be actively engaged in a field of research related to mental health, specifically the prevention of mental illness.

 Show evidence of original intellectual input into research.

 Show evidence of high quality research output, which is published and presented in appropriate national and international foray.

 Show evidence of ability to undertake collaborative research.

 Be involved in the peer review of manuscripts and project funding applications.

 Show evidence of a growing national reputation.

 Be involved in other professional activities. How to Apply

 The original plus four copies of (i) the typed application, (ii) original or certified copy of academic transcripts, (iii) curriculum vitae, and (iv) referee reports (Section 16) should be sent by post to Australian Rotary Health, through the Administrative Officer of your Institution. The Administrative Officer is also required to email one copy of the above to [email protected]. Thus, we require six applications in total.

 All correspondence and enquiries should be addressed to Australian Rotary Health, PO Box 3455, Parramatta, NSW, 2124; Email: [email protected] Phone: 02 8837 1900.

 The closing date for applications is Friday 29th September 2017

 Selected applicants will be notified by 20th October and invited to attend an interview in Sydney on the 25th or the 26th October. Timings and location will be provided.

 Two Postdoctoral fellowships will be awarded- The Royce Abbey Postdoctoral Fellowship, and the Geoffrey Betts Postdoctoral Fellowship

Applications will be evaluated on the following:

1* Academic Record.

 Research Experience and Publications.

 Quality of the Proposed Research and Institution.

 Suitability of the Intended Supervisor(s) and Institution.

 Suitability of the Applicant for Research Training.

2* Scientific Merit.

3* Quality of any Research Partnerships.

 Practical Benefit to the Community.

4 The attention of applicants is drawn to the following features of the application form:

 The application should be complete in itself. Do not assume that the person reading it will have access to any of your previous applications.

 It is in your interest to be precise and concise in your application.

 The minimum size typeface to be used is 12pt (any font).

 Do not change page divisions. In no situation should the page limits be exceeded.

 Do not add annexes or other documents to this application except those requested.

 The importance of explaining your aims, hypotheses, methodology and the need for detailed descriptions of your research is stressed.

 Researchers undertaking randomised control trials are strongly advised to check the CONSORT Statement which can be found at www.consort-statement.org

 Experimental studies without a comparison group will generally not be funded.

 Only projects utilising human samples are permissible under the Fellowship (i.e., not animal models).

 Applications will be assessed by a panel of experts. It is in your interest not to quote unpublished work or work which is not readily accessible in the current literature.

 Applicants with previously funded projects through Australian Rotary Health must provide a copy of the latest (or final) progress report for each project.

Fellowship Conditions Specific conditions may be laid down in some instances at the discretion of the Board and/or its Research Committee.

 The project on which a candidate proposes to work must be approved by the Head of the candidate’s Department (Section 13).

 The appointee will normally be required to take up his/her appointment within six months of the offer of the award.

 The Fellow will be required to work full time on the research project, which may well involve collaboration with others including postgraduate students.

 The Fellowship is awarded to a maximum of $75,000 per annum and is subject to income tax. Funding may only be used towards the salary of the Postdoctoral Fellow, and may not be used towards projects costs.

5 Australian Rotary Health Postdoctoral Fellowship Application ARH  No setting up funds will be awarded. It is expected that the candidate’s research will be supported by external funds and the candidate’s department.

Reports:

 The Australian Rotary Health Postdoctoral Fellowship will be funded for one year in the first instance and will be extended for up to three years dependant on the receipt of satisfactory annual progress reports. Interim reports are required in September of each year and are to be submitted on a prescribed form. These reports will be used to assist the Research Committee to determine if further funding should be sought.

 A final and/or annual report is to be submitted on completion of the project period.

 The content provided in these reports will be used to publicise the work of Australian Rotary Health, which may include newsletters, social media, annual reports, advertising, public relations and other promotional material. It will also be published on the Australian Rotary Health website and distributed to affiliated partners, including Rotarians, Research Committee members and the Australian Rotary Health Board of Directors.

Publications:

 All publications emanating from an approved project must acknowledge Australian Rotary Health and copies must be forwarded to Australian Rotary Health.

Eligibility Requirement:

 Applicants must be an Australian citizen, have Australian Permanent Resident Status, or New Zealand Citizen, and not be under bond to any foreign government. Applicants are to provide a certified copy of resident status or citizenship with this application (ie., passport/visa).

Acknowledgement

 All applicants, whether they are unsuccessful, or short-listed for an interview, will be notified by email in November 2017, depending on the date when NHMRC advises of successful applications.

 Applicants must be available to attend an interview in Sydney on 25th or 26th October- Travel expenses will be covered by Australian Rotary Health. During this interview you will need to present your research proposal to members of the Australian Rotary Health Research Committee.

 All individuals who are successful with a fellowship application to NHMRC/APA must advise Australian Rotary Health immediately.

 Two Postdoctoral fellowships will be awarded- The Royce Abbey Postdoctoral Fellowship, and the Geoffrey Betts Postdoctoral Fellowship

6 Australian Rotary Health Postdoctoral Fellowship in

“THE PREVENTION OF MENTAL ILLNESS”

ALL ENTRIES ON THIS FORM SHOULD BE TYPED CLEARLY IN BLACK INK. MINIMUM FONT SIZE SHOULD BE 12PT TYPE FACE.

DO NOT EXCEED PAGE LIMITS If possible, please print double-sided Forward the original plus 4 copies (5 in total) by post to: Ainslie Rockall-Mills Research Administration Manager Australian Rotary Health PO Box 3455, Parramatta, NSW, 2124 OR Level 2, 43 Hunter Street, Parramatta NSW, 2150

Also email 1 copy of these documents to: [email protected]

DO NOT FAX APPLICATIONS Closing date for applications: Friday 29th September 2017

Applications received after this date will not be considered

REMOVE THE GUIDELINE TO APPLICANTS AND CHECKLIST

7 Australian Rotary Health Postdoctoral Fellowship Application ARH FROM THE APPLICATION FORM BEFORE SUBMITTING YOUR APPLICATION TO AUSTRALIAN ROTARY HEALTH

AUSTRALIAN ROTARY HEALTH AUSTRALIAN ROTARY HEALTH POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP APPLICATION – “THE PREVENTION OF MENTAL ILLNESS” -

1. TITLE OF PROJECT

2. FELLOWSHIP APPLICANT DETAILS

Date of Birth:

Proposed commencement of Fellowship (month/year):

Proposed Department and Institute:

Postal Address:

Email Address:

Phone: Mobile:

Australian Citizen (Y/N): Permanent Resident of Australia (Y/N):

New Zealand Citizen (Y/N):

Please attach a certified copy of your citizen/residency status to this application (ie., passport).

3. QUALIFICATIONS (add additional pages as required) a) Degrees/diplomas completed (include title of thesis, where relevant). Attach an original or certified copy of your academic record of each tertiary institution attended to confirm your qualifications:

b) State any membership of professional bodies, with date and place of each:

8 4. SUMMARY OF PROJECT IN LAYMANS TERMS (maximum 1 page)

9 Australian Rotary Health Postdoctoral Fellowship Application ARH 5. DISCUSS IN DETAIL YOUR RESEARCH PROJECT BACKGROUND, AIMS, ANY HYPOTHESES TO BE TESTED, METHODOLOGY, EXPECTED OUTCOMES & SIGNIFICANCE/ HOW YOUR STUDY WILL HELP TO IMPROVE THE MENTAL HEALTH OF AUSTRALIANS (maximum 5 pages)

10 6. RESEARCH PLAN (INCLUDING SOURCES OF CONCURRENT FUNDING, OR APPLICATIONS FOR FUNDING FOR THE PROPOSED PROJECT, IF ANY) (maximum 1 page)

11 Australian Rotary Health Postdoctoral Fellowship Application ARH 7. LIST ANY SPECIFIC FACILITIES REQUIRED (add additional pages as required)

8. REFERENCES List all references identified in this application (add additional pages as required)

12 9. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Address the Requirements and Skill Base criteria (page 2-3) that you consider provide the most compelling evidence supporting your application (maximum 1 page).

13 Australian Rotary Health Postdoctoral Fellowship Application ARH 10. PUBLICATIONS OF FELLOW DURING THE LAST 5 YEARS Please list any published papers and papers accepted for publication in refereed journals from the past 5 years (add additional pages as required)

11. OTHER INFORMATION Please list any additional information you feel will be relevant to this application (add additional pages as required):

 Presentations at national/international conferences

 Invited speaker at national/international conferences

 Research collaborations

 Peer reviewer of manuscripts for publications

 Peer reviewer of project grant applications

 Editorial board membership

 Patents

 Supervision of honours and higher degree by research students

 Association with professional activities, including institutional, government and community service

14 12. ANY FUNDING RECEIVED FOR OTHER PROJECTS BY THE FELLOW IN THE LAST 5 YEARS TITLE OF GRANT/SCHOLARSHIP INVESTIGATORS FUNDING TOTAL ORGANISATION FUNDING

*please add additional pages to this section as required

13. CERTIFICATION OF HEAD OF DEPARTMENT AND INSTITUTION

I certify that the project is appropriate to the general facilities in my Department and that I am prepared to have the project carried out in my department. Name of Department Head: Department:

Signature: Date:

I certify that this request satisfies all the requirements of the Institution. Name of Head of Institution: Signature: Date:

15 Australian Rotary Health Postdoctoral Fellowship Application ARH 14. PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS ARISING FROM THE FELLOWSHIP I agree that it is my intention to publish the results of this project in peer reviewed publications and I agree to provide details and copies to Australian Rotary Health of such publications and presentations.

I agree that I accept the responsibility to give credit to Australian Rotary Health in all publications which result from the research funded by the Fellowship, all conferences, presentations and proceedings and in any associated publicity or media coverage of the project.

Fellowship Applicant Degree, Discipline, Department & University:

Fellow Applicant Signature: Date:

15. ETHICS APPROVAL Approval by an Institutional Ethics Committee is required for any research on human or animal subjects. Please note that “research” in this context includes any trial experiment, clinical or community based intervention, collection of blood samples or other biological materials, questionnaire or survey, review of case notes or access to medical records.

If the agency or institution which will be responsible for administering the grant does not itself have an Ethics Committee set up according to NHMRC guidelines, it should arrange for research proposals to be reviewed by a local institution which does have such a committee.

The Report from the Institution’s Ethics Committee is included with this application (Y/N):

Or, will be forwarded to the Research Manager at Australian Rotary Health (Y/N):

Does this project involve the in vitro production of recombinant DNA molecules? (Y/N):

***PAYMENT OF THIS FELLOWSHIP WILL NOT BE MADE UNTIL ETHICS CLEARANCE HAS BEEN RECEIVED.

16. CONTACT DETAILS OF REFEREES FOR FELLOWSHIP APPLICANT Please provide below the contact details of THREE referees. We suggest either 3 academic, or 2 academic and 1 non-academic (ie., past/present employer). Please do not include relatives or friends as your referee.

A proforma is attached to send to the referees. Please note it is the Fellow’s responsibility to ensure that referee reports are attached to this application form.

REFEREE 1 Name: Employing Department and Institution: Email Address: Phone:

REFEREE 2 Name: Employing Department and Institution: Email Address:

16 Phone

REFEREE 3 Name: Employing Department and Institution: Email Address: Phone

17 Australian Rotary Health Postdoctoral Fellowship Application ARH 12. Referees Reports

Dear Referee,

Applicant’s name is applying to Australian Rotary Health for the Australian Rotary Health Postdoctorate Fellowship in the Prevention of Mental Illness. Could you please provide a report as a referee for this application.

Selection criteria for assessment are based on the applicant’s academic record, research experience and publications, quality of the proposed research and institution, suitability of the intended supervisor(s) and institution, suitability of the applicant for research training, scientific merit, quality of research partnerships, and practical benefits to the community.

Could you please provide a report outlining the key achievements and attributes of the applicant and/or research project that may influence the outcome of their application.

Non-academic referees should comment on applicant’s qualities and character.

Please also include your contact information: employing department and institution, appointment, academic qualifications, email and telephone contacts.

Referees reports need to be attached to the Fellow’s application form, and received no later than the closing date of the applications: Friday 29th September 2017.

Thank you for your comments and assistance in preparing this application.

Sincerely,

Ainslie Rockall-Mills Research Administration Manager

Australian Rotary Health PO Box 3455, Parramatta, NSW, 2124 Ph: 02 8837 1900 E: [email protected]

Patrons ● Glen Kinross AO, RI President 1997-98 Sir Clem Renouf AM, RI President 1978 -79 His Excellency General the Honourable Sir Peter Cosgrove AK MC (Retd)