PCRN Scholarships

Applications for PCRN Scholarships are currently CLOSED

Congratulations to Dr Natasha Smallwood, the recipient of PCRNV PhD Scholarship 2015

Dr Natasha Smallwood is a Consultant Respiratory Physician at the Department of Respiratory Medicine, Royal Melbourne Hospital. Her main research interest and clinical work centres on caring for patients with advanced, non-malignant lung disease. Having completed additional postgraduate study in Palliative Care, She has unique expertise and experience in caring for this patient group. In 2013, she established, and now runs, the Advanced Lung Disease Service at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. This service is a partnership between the departments of respiratory medicine and palliative care, and aims to offer highquality, evidence-based, individualised care for patients with severe to end-stage lung disease. This new and continuously evolving model of care integrates general palliative care into standard respiratory outpatient care, with both approaches led by the patient’s treating respiratory physician.

Natasha is also engaged in clinical research and has set up research collaborations with colleagues in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Additionally, she is committed to supervising and teaching junior medical staff and other health professionals. In 2012, she set up and continues to organise the Royal Melbourne Hospital Respiratory Education Day series. This multidisciplinary education seminar attracts 100 health professionals each year and has a strong focus on advanced respiratory disease and palliative care.

The PCRNV PhD scholarship will be used to fund Natasha’s PhD project on Palliative care for patients with severe Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease – understanding current practice and attitudes to palliative care and exploring a new model of integrated respiratory and palliative care.

PCRN Scholarship Recipients

For a listing of PCRN Scholarship Recipients please click here.