RACE Research Unit
The RACE Research Unit is dedicated to improving health outcomes for consumers in our region by:
- supporting research opportunities flowing into RMCLHN
- aiding RMCLHN clinicians, students and other staff to link with external research teams and programs, assisting with grant writing, ethics and governance applications, research methods, training and analysis
- creating a culture where research is part of everything we do.
As part of our commitment beyond RMCLHN, clinical trial coordinators and nurse consultants are working with the Limestone Coast Local Health Network (LCLHN) and Flinders and Upper North Local Health Network (FUNLHN) to increase access to clinical trials for regional patients and clinicians across SA. This includes collaboration with Flinders University, the University of South Australia, and the Australian Teletrial Program (ATP) – SA.
As the first regional LHN Research team in South Australia, the RACE Research Unit can work with you to facilitate meaningful participation in research for the benefit of staff and consumers in rural communities in RMCLHN and beyond.
Meet our RACE Research Unit Team
Professor Paul Worley, Executive Director of Clinical Innovation (EDCI)
Emeritus Professor Paul Worley is RMCLHN’s EDCI and Medical Director for ATP SA Professor Worley was the inaugural National Rural Health Commissioner and is a former Dean of the School of Medicine at Flinders University.
He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences, and his passion is to see a sustainable rural health workforce enabling rural communities to thrive.
Dr Amy Mendham, Senior Researcher
Dr Mendham brings experience and knowledge in human physiology, exercise science and education. Following the completion of her PhD, she spent eight years in Cape Town, South Africa, where she held research fellowship positions at Witwatersrand University and the University of Cape Town.
Her research has primarily focused on working with vulnerable communities in designing and implementing behaviour-based interventions for the prevention and treatment of people living with obesity, type 2 diabetes, and/or HIV.
Dr Mendham has published numerous papers and continues to collaborate with national and international institutions on ongoing research projects.
Dr Kate Bartel, Senior Researcher
Dr Bartel received her PhD in Clinical Psychology in 2017. Her research has predominantly focussed on sleep health, including factors that harm and promote sleep, and the relationship between sleep and mental health. She has worked as a Clinical Psychologist to help people across all ages, in both private and non-government organisation settings.
Carolyn Martin, Research Officer
Carolyn is a former Research Associate at Flinders University where she worked in the Cardiovascular Neuroscience Group on neural pathways involved in blood pressure regulation.
As a qualified Medical Scientist, she then moved to Berri in the Riverland and managed the Gribbles/Healthscope Pathology/Australian Clinical Labs pathology laboratory in Berri before joining RMCLHN in 2020 to work in the Quality Risk and Safety Business Unit. Carolyn assists researchers with research applications and governance.
Emily Mathews, Nurse Consultant/Registered Midwife, Clinical Research Coordinator, ATP-SA, Riverland
Emily is a Registered Nurse and Midwife who has lived in the Riverland since 2020. She has a range of experience in both nursing and midwifery, providing care from pregnancy and birth, through to the elderly. Emily has developed a strong passion towards clinical research and has a particular interest in rural health. She is excited to be working within RACE and the ATP-SA to enhance research within the network.
Jane Fuller, Nurse Consultant, Clinical Research Coordinator, ATP-SA, South-East
Jane has 16 years' experience as a Registered Nurse, predominantly working in rural and regional healthcare. She has more than 18 months experience as a clinical trial coordinator, working in the Limestone Coast region. Jane is excited about the opportunity to work with RMCLHN and ATP-SA to support the implementation of teletrials within rural and regional health services in the South East.
Elise Hutley, Nurse Consultant, Clinical Research Coordinator, ATP-SA, Port Pirie
Elise is a Registered Nurse who has worked predominantly in rural and regional healthcare including in FUNLHN, Barossa Hills Fleurieu Local Health Network (BHFLHN), RMCLHN, and Yorke and Northern Local Health Network (YNLHN). Her passion for increasing access to clinical trials for people who live in rural and regional areas is driven by having lived and worked in regional areas for most of her nursing career and seeing the health disparities that are caused by reduced access to health services. She is excited to be working with RMCLHN, RACE, and the ATP-SA to support the implementation of teletrials within YNLHN.
Asini Siriwardene, Research Officer
Asini, formerly a project coordinator in Melbourne, recently relocated to the Riverland. She holds a Bachelor of Science (Neuroscience) from the University of Melbourne. As a Research Officer, Asini is assisting with two research projects currently underway in RMCLHN.
Contact the RACE Research Unit
For more information, or to partner with the RACE Research Unit, contact Dr Amy Mendham (08) 8595 2976 or Carolyn Martin on (08) 8595 2975 or email health.rmclhnresearchunit@sa.gov.au