ACRA Travel Scholarship - solvechd.org.au

Conference Support Scholarships to attend ACRA 2022

SOLVE-CHD was proud to offer 12 full scholarships to attend the ACRA ASM 2022 in Gold Coast this year.

The purpose of this award was to enable outstanding candidates to further their career development and build professional networks, by providing the opportunity to attend this premier Australian conference for health professionals interested in cardiovascular health, secondary prevention, cardiac rehabilitation, heart failure, and chronic disease management.

Congratulations to the successful applicants:

Dion Canderlaria, PhD Candidate, University of Sydney, Conference Student Registration and Dinner
Gemma Wilson, Clinical Research Coordinator, University of Adelaide, Full Conference Registration
Hannah Mayr, Research Dietitian, Metro South Hospital and Health Service, Full Conference Registration
Katrien Janssen, Transition Care Programme Physiotherapist, St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne, Full Conference Registration
Ling Zhang, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Sydney, Full Conference Registration
Lisa Chen, Nurse Lecturer and Researcher, University of the Sunshine Coast, Full Conference Registration
Minke Hoekstra, Health Services Lead, Diabetes Tasmania, Full Conference Registration
Phoebe Pogorzelski, Clinical Nurse Coordinator Cardiac Rehabilitation Program, QLD Health; Rural Community, Full Conference Registration
Sarah Gauci, Associate Research Fellow, Deakin University, Full Conference Registration
Sherrie Chung, Honours Research Support, University of Sydney, Full Conference Registration
Vicki Paul, Cardiac Rehabilitation Clinical Nurse Consultant, Nepean Hospital, Full Conference Registration
Victor Gallegos-Rejas, PhD Candidate, The University of Queensland, Conference Student Registration and Dinner

It has filled me with a desire to continue striving for good quality nursing work, whether this be research which may influence the interventions we provide, or good quality clinical care which should be at the core of all health services. I am very appreciative of SOLVE-CHD for providing me with the opportunity to be a part of such a special conference.

Attending the 2022 ACRA ASM through a SOLVE-CHD Scholarship provided me the opportunity to get out of my comfort zone and achieve one of my professional development goals for the year - attending a conference and sharing my research outside of my nutrition and dietetics discipline

The financial support made my journey to the conference much lighter. I felt such strong support from the SOLVE-CHD family and our family is getting bigger. The experience at the ACRA 2022 was unique after 2-year virtual conferences and it consolidated my presentation skills and provided me with networking opportunities.

I definitely learnt some valuable lessons here that I can implement in all parts of my clinical practice. All in all, a great experience.

One of the highlights was my first-time meeting Prof Julie Redfern in person, who is super supportive and approachable. She even invited me to SOLVE-CHD dinner, which made me feel included. Also, I have acquired the latest knowledge in cardiac rehabilitation, and I will continue to explore research opportunities to contribute to improved patient care.

Attending the ACRA ASM has strengthened my motivation and inspiration to continue in my role as ACRA Treasurer and to continue to improve accessibility to, and support from ACRA for cardiac rehabilitation staff and patients in Tasmania.

Gave me the opportunity to network with peers, inspired ideas on future research projects, and made me reflect on how well (or not so well) our service compared to others.