Higher Degree Research Opportunities

Select a research stream below to view the current higher degree research opportunities and projects on offer at NICM Health Research Institute.

To register your interest in a project, please contact the lead supervisor. For information about applying for higher degree research and scholarships, please contact the Graduate Research School.(opens in a new window)

Healthy Women

The women's health program at NICM HRI covers menstrual health of young women, pregnancy, infertility, menopause and gynaecological disorders.

Project Title	Aim/s	Supervisor/s	Course/s
Developing, implementing and evaluating a model of care for integrative women's health in an academic clinic	Conduct a systematic review. Conduct qualitative research on how to integrate well-evidenced complementary therapies into routine care for female reproductive health (pregnancy and birth/fertility/gynaecology).	Associate Professor Carolyn Ee c.ee@westernsydney.edu.au	PhD MPhil MRes
Development of an integrative healthy women program in the areas of menopause, menstrual disorders, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), weight, fertility, pregnancy	Develop and evaluate a clinic program offering evidence-based complementary and integrative therapies in the areas of menopause/menstrual disorders/PCOS/weight/fertility and pregnancy.	Associate Professor Carolyn Ee c.ee@westernsydney.edu.au	PhD MPhil MRes
Optimising translation of evidence to practice: the international PCOS guidelines	Develop an intervention to improve translation of the international PCOS guidelines into practice in primary care Pilot the intervention	Associate Professor Carolyn Ee c.ee@westernsydney.edu.au	PhD MPhil MRes

Healthy Minds

The neurological and mental health program at NICM HRI focuses on the prevention and treatment of dementia and neurocognitive decline and improvement of mental health in response to integrative medicine treatment.

Project Title	Aim/s	Supervisor/s	Course/s
Does Tai Chi reduce stress, anxiety, and depression in higher education students: A randomised controlled trial	To explore the effects of Tai Chi in reducing stress, anxiety, and depression among higher education students	Professor Dennis Chang d.chang@westernsydney.edu.au Associate Professor Carolyn Ee c.ee@westernsydney.edu.au Dr Guoyan Yang e.yang@westernsydney.edu.au	PhD MPhil MRes
Effects and safety of Tai Chi on stress, anxiety, and depression in higher education students: A systematic review	To explore the effects and safety of Tai Chi in reducing stress, anxiety, and depression among higher education students	Professor Dennis Chang d.chang@westernsydney.edu.au Dr Carolyn Ee c.ee@westernsydney.edu.au Dr Guoyan Yang e.yang@westernsydney.edu.au	PhD MPhil MRes
Co-design a Tai Chi stress-reduction program for higher education students: A qualitative study	To understand stakeholders’ perception, barriers, preferences of Tai Chi to co-design a training program for higher education students	Professor Dennis Chang d.chang@westernsydney.edu.au Dr Carolyn Ee c.ee@westernsydney.edu.au Dr Guoyan Yang e.yang@westernsydney.edu.au	PhD MPhil MRes
Australian bush medicines as a source of anti-inflammatory compounds for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease	Assess the potency of a variety of extracts from Australian bush medicines for their anti-inflammatory potential. Fractionate potent extracts and isolate active components, and determine their chemical structure using analytical and spectrometric methods.	Professor Gerald Muench g.muench@westernsydney.edu.au Dr Ritesh Raju r.raju@westernsydney.edu.au	PhD MPhil MRes
Electrophysiological biomarkers of early-stage Alzheimer's disease	Triangulate data from a range of sources to identify novel, inexpensive, yet widely available biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease. Applicants with a background in neuroscience, anatomy and physiology, medical science, or computer science would have a distinct advantage.	Associate Professor Genevieve Steiner-Lim g.steiner@westernsydney.edu.au	PhD MPhil MRes
How does neuroplasticity change with age?	Identify changes in brain mechanisms of neuroplasticity and how they change across the lifespan.	Associate Professor Genevieve Steiner-Lim g.steiner@westernsydney.edu.au	PhD MPhil MRes
Electrophysiological correlates of decision-making strategies in older adults	Investigate differences in the brain function that underpins decision-making strategies in young and older adults.	Associate Professor Genevieve Steiner-Lim g.steiner@westernsydney.edu.au	PhD MPhil MRes
Does natural therapy help with insomnia and sleep issues? A mechanistic study of a multi-compound formulation for insomnia by regulating related neurotransmitters	Explore the therapeutic potential of NaoXinQing extract (NXQ), a proprietary herbal preparation made from the standardised extract of Diospyroskaki Kaki L, on insomnia related neurotransmitters Investigate the actions of bioactive compounds in NXQ extract on the modulation of insomnia related molecular targets	Dr Xian (Phoebe) Zhou p.zhou@westernsydney.edu.au Professor Dennis Chang d.chang@westernsydney.edu.au	PhD MPhil MRes
Replacement of fish oil iby sustainably farmed algal oils in complementary medicine supplements	Extensive literature research about the difference in EPA and DHA in different fish and algal oil sources Measure EPA and DHA in fish oil and algal oil to compare their quantities via GC-MS Formulate and compare different anti-inflammatory products containing algal oils for their anti-inflammatory effects in cell culture and search for the best and synergistically active combination	Dr Xian (Phoebe) Zhou p.zhou@westernsydney.edu.au Professor Gerald Muench g.muench@westernsydney.edu.au Professor Dennis Chang d.chang@westernsydney.edu.au	PhD MPhil MRes
Discovery of Novel Nrf2 Activators from Australian Indigenous Plants	Screening of Australian plants for Nrf2 activation Strategic isolation and structural identification of bioactive molecules from the plant extracts using NMR and mass spectrometry Molecular mechanism of the prominent Nrf2 activator from the Australian indigenous plants by PCR and Western Blot analysis	Dr Xian (Phoebe) Zhou p.zhou@westernsydney.edu.au Professor Gerald Muench g.muench@westernsydney.edu.au Dr Ritesh Raju r.raju@westernsydney.edu.au	PhD MPhil MRes
High-order synergy prediction of multi-compound combinations against acute inflammation	Investigate optimal multi-compound combinations against acute inflammation using cellular model and bioassays. Develop mathematical tool to predict response and synergy in high-order combinations using MatLab program. Validation of synergy in high-order formulation	Dr Xian (Phoebe) Zhou p.zhou@westernsydney.edu.au Professor Dennis Chang d.chang@westernsydney.edu.au	PhD MPhil MRes

Healthy Lives Through The Cancer Journey

The cancer care program at NICM HRI focuses on understanding how integrative medicine may assist with cancer management and side effects of conventional cancer treatment.

Project Title	Aim/s	Supervisor/s	Course/s
Helping women manage weight gain after breast cancer through innovative therapies	Analysis of data from the Australian Longitudinal Study of Women’s Health to identify predictors of weight gain after breast cancer among Australian women. Conduct qualitative interviews with healthcare providers to explore their perspectives on how to help women manage weight after breast cancer (barriers/enablers). Co-design and pilot a stepped supportive care intervention to assist women to manage weight after breast cancer.	Associate Professor Carolyn Ee c.ee@westernsydney.edu.au	PhD MPhil MRes
Evaluating shared care models in cancer survivorship	Conduct qualitative interviews with consumers and healthcare professionals to identify barriers and enablers of implementation of shared care models (i.e. shared care between GPs/primary care providers and tertiary care) in cancer survivorship with a particular focus on priority populations (people from CALD backgrounds, rural/remote). Pilot test shared care models.	Associate Professor Carolyn Ee c.ee@westernsydney.edu.au	PhD MPhil MRes
Optimising prevention and management of cardiometabolic disease in primary care for cancer survivors	Analysis of data from primary care datasets to assess screening of cardiometabolic risk according to guidelines in cancer survivors Conduct qualitative interviews with GPs about barriers/enablers of preventing and managing cardiometabolic risk Developing an intervention to improve screening for and management of cardiometabolic risk in primary care for cancer survivors Pilot intervention	Associate Professor Carolyn Ee c.ee@westernsydney.edu.au	PhD MPhil MRes
Evaluation of an innovative community-based supportive care centre	Qualitative interviews with patients attending the Next Practice Western Sydney Integrative Health centre for supportive care/integrative oncology, and their health providers Analysis of pre-post patient reported outcomes to evaluate outcomes	Associate Professor Carolyn Ee c.ee@westernsydney.edu.au	PhD MPhil MRes
Building capacity for cancer survivorship care in primary care	Qualitative interviews with GPs and primary care nurses Developing a NSW based training program for GPs and primary care nurses to upskill in cancer survivorship Pilot an intervention to improve communication and collaboration between primary and tertiary care regarding cancer survivorship.	Associate Professor Carolyn Ee c.ee@westernsydney.edu.au	PhD MPhil MRes
Improving outcomes for cancer survivors from CALD (Culturally and linguistically diverse) backgrounds	This program of research is broad and may include interviews/ethnographic research in CALD communities exploring barriers and enablers of accessing culturally responsive survivorship care, piloting interventions such as patient navigators, etc.	Associate Professor Carolyn Ee c.ee@westernsydney.edu.au	PhD MPhil MRes
Complementary therapies for weight management	Conduct a systematic review on complementary therapies for weight management (acupuncture/mind body/nutraceuticals). Conduct a qualitative study (e.g. randomised controlled trials, mechanistic work) exploring the views of people with obesity (PwO) on complementary therapies for weight management.	Associate Professor Carolyn Ee c.ee@westernsydney.edu.au	PhD MPhil MRes
Mind body therapies for managing cardiovascular risk factors (weight, diabetes, hypertension)	Develop and evaluate the effectiveness of a mind body therapies program for managing cardiovascular risk factors including overweight/obesity, diabetes, and hypertension.	Associate Professor Carolyn Ee c.ee@westernsydney.edu.au	PhD MPhil MRes
Development of a healthy hearts program incorporating complementary/integrative therapies and preventive/lifestyle	Develop and evaluate a program incorporating complementary/integrative therapies and preventive/lifestyle interventions for managing metabolic and cardiovascular conditions which may include diabetes and overweight/obesity.	Associate Professor Carolyn Ee c.ee@westernsydney.edu.au	PhD MPhil MRes

Healthy Hearts

The cardiovascular and metabolic health program at NICM HRI focuses on understanding how integrative medicine can assist with the prevention and treatment of various cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.

Project Title	Aim/s	Supervisor/s	Course/s

Community-based cardiac rehabilitation for Chinese migrants in Australia: A randomised controlled trial	To explore the effectiveness of a co-designed cardiac rehabilitation program To evaluate the cost effectiveness of this program	Professor Dennis Chang d.chang@westernsydney.edu.au Associate Professor Carolyn Ee c.ee@westernsydney.edu.au Dr Guoyan Yang e.yang@westernsydney.edu.au	PhD MPhil MRes
Health literacy and cardiovascular health among Chinese migrants in Australia	To understand the relevance of health literacy to cardiovascular health among Chinese migrants in Australia To explore the adverse associations of health literacy with cardiovascular risk factors, conditions, and treatment among Chinese migrants To identify barriers and suggest strategies to improve health literacy in cardiovascular diseases	Professor Dennis Chang d.chang@westernsydney.edu.au Associate Professor Carolyn Ee c.ee@westernsydney.edu.au Dr Guoyan Yang e.yang@westernsydney.edu.au	PhD MPhil MRes
Tai chi for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease: A systematic review	To explore the effects and safety of tai chi on cardiovascular disease risk factors	Professor Dennis Chang d.chang@westernsydney.edu.au Associate Professor Carolyn Ee c.ee@westernsydney.edu.au Dr Guoyan Yang e.yang@westernsydney.edu.au	PhD MPhil MRes
Co-design a tai chi-based primary prevention of cardiovascular diseases: A qualitative study	To understand stakeholders’ perception on the barriers and facilitators of using tai chi for primary prevention of CVD Map out the features of a co-designed tai chi-based primary prevention program	Professor Dennis Chang d.chang@westernsydney.edu.au Associate Professor Carolyn Ee c.ee@westernsydney.edu.au Dr Guoyan Yang e.yang@westernsydney.edu.au	PhD MPhil MRes
Community-based primary prevention program of cardiovascular diseases: A pilot randomised controlled trial	To test the feasibility and a co-designed community-based program for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease To evaluate the effectiveness of this program	Professor Dennis Chang d.chang@westernsydney.edu.au Associate Professor Carolyn Ee c.ee@westernsydney.edu.au Dr Guoyan Yang e.yang@westernsydney.edu.au	PhD MPhil MRes
Effects and mechanism of action of natural products in vascular calcification	Examine the effects of natural products for the management of vascular calcification, a major characteristic of atherosclerosis, assessed in vascular calcification in vitro and in vivo models.	Professor Dennis Chang d.chang@westernsydney.edu.au Professor Chun Guang Li c.li@westernsydney.edu.au Dr Mitchell Low mitchell.low@westernsydney.edu.au	PhD MPhil MRes
Effects of prebiotics on gut microbiota in metabolic syndrome	Assess the effects of prebiotics on gut microbiota and metabolic profiles in a high fat diet-induced metabolic syndrome model in rats.	Professor Dennis Chang d.chang@westernsydney.edu.au Dr Srinivas Nammi s.nammi@westernsydney.edu.au Adjunct Professor Mohammad Tariq m.tariq@westernsydney.edu.au Dr Deep Bhuyan d.bhuyan@westernsydney.edu.au	PhD MPhil MRes
Neuroprotective and angiogenic effects of herbal medicine in zebrafish	Assess the neuroprotective and angiogenic effects of herbal medicine and its key bioactive components using the zebrafish model.	Professor Dennis Chang d.chang@westernsydney.edu.au Dr Xian (Phoebe) Zhou p.zhou@westernsydney.edu.au	PhD MPhil MRes
Complementary therapies for weight management	Conduct a systematic review on complementary therapies for weight management (acupuncture/mind body/nutraceuticals). Conduct a qualitative study (e.g. randomised controlled trials, mechanistic work) exploring the views of people with obesity (PwO) on complementary therapies for weight management.	Associate Professor Carolyn Ee c.ee@westernsydney.edu.au	PhD MPhil MRes
Mind body therapies for managing cardiovascular risk factors (weight, diabetes, hypertension)	Develop and evaluate the effectiveness of a mind body therapies program for managing cardiovascular risk factors including overweight/obesity, diabetes, and hypertension.	Associate Professor Carolyn Ee c.ee@westernsydney.edu.au	PhD MPhil MRes
Development of a healthy hearts program incorporating complementary/integrative therapies and preventive/lifestyle	Develop and evaluate a program incorporating complementary/integrative therapies and preventive/lifestyle interventions for managing metabolic and cardiovascular conditions which may include diabetes and overweight/obesity.	Associate Professor Carolyn Ee c.ee@westernsydney.edu.au	PhD MPhil MRes

Policy and Evidence Translation

The integrative medicine policy and evidence translation at NICM HRI focuses on working with government to build appropriate policy frameworks and improving integrative healthcare practice by translating high-quality research into relevant guidelines and practice protocols.

Project Title	Aim/s	Supervisor/s	Course/s
“What’s next?” Translation of an effective co-designed cardiac rehabilitation intervention into a community-based cardiac rehabilitation program	To explore the RE-AIM elements of Reach, Adoption, and Implementation of the program To evaluate the effectiveness and maintenance of the program	Professor Dennis Chang d.chang@westernsydney.edu.au Associate Professor Carolyn Ee c.ee@westernsydney.edu.au Dr Guoyan Yang e.yang@westernsydney.edu.au	PhD MPhil MRes
Co-design a Tai Chi training program for medical doctors: A qualitative study	To understand medical doctors’ perception, barriers, preferences to co-design a Tai Chi training program for medical doctors	Professor Dennis Chang d.chang@westernsydney.edu.au Associate Professor Carolyn Ee c.ee@westernsydney.edu.au Dr Guoyan Yang e.yang@westernsydney.edu.au	PhD MPhil MRes
Translation of an effective co-designed intervention into a community-based program for the primary prevention of cardiovascular diseases	To explore the RE-AIM elements of Reach, Adoption, and Implementation of the program To evaluate the effectiveness and maintenance of the program	Professor Dennis Chang d.chang@westernsydney.edu.au Associate Professor Carolyn Ee c.ee@westernsydney.edu.au Dr Guoyan Yang e.yang@westernsydney.edu.au	PhD MPhil MRes
Evaluation of the NICM Health Research Institute Western Sydney Integrative Health (WSIH) model of care: Patient Reported Outcome Measures	Evaluate the impact of the WSIH model of care on health outcomes of patients using a patient registry approach.	Associate Professor Carolyn Ee c.ee@westernsydney.edu.au	PhD MPhil MRes
Evaluation of the NICM Health Research Institute Western Sydney Integrative Health (WSIH) model of care: Stakeholder perspectives	Evaluate the effectiveness and safety of the WSIH model of care from a stakeholder perspective.	Associate Professor Carolyn Ee c.ee@westernsydney.edu.au	PhD MPhil MRes
NICM Health Research Institute Western Sydney Integrative Health (WSIH) patient engagement strategies	Develop and evaluate the effect of patient engagement strategies on health outcomes and patient experience at WSIH.	Associate Professor Carolyn Ee c.ee@westernsydney.edu.au	PhD MPhil MRes
Evaluation of patient-centredness in the NICM Health Research Institute Western Sydney Integrative Health (WSIH)	Evaluate the extent to which the WSIH model of care provides patient-centred care and how this impacts on other outcomes such as health outcomes and patient experience.	Associate Professor Carolyn Ee c.ee@westernsydney.edu.au	PhD MPhil MRes
Evaluation of teamwork in the NICM Health Research Institute Western Sydney Integrative Health (WSIH) model of care	Evaluate the effectiveness of teamwork interventions on the extent to which WSIH staff are providing team-based and collaborative care, and the impact on patient health outcomes and experience.	Associate Professor Carolyn Ee c.ee@westernsydney.edu.au	PhD MPhil MRes
Evaluation of the cost-effectiveness of integrative therapies in the NICM Health Research Institute Western Sydney Integrative Health (WSIH)	Evaluate the cost effectiveness of the WSIH model of care.	Associate Professor Carolyn Ee c.ee@westernsydney.edu.au	PhD MPhil MRes
Implementing active surveillance of adverse events from natural supplements / Chinese herbal medicine (collaboration with SONAR)	Implement and evaluate the effectiveness of an active surveillance program that monitors for adverse events from Chinese herbal medicine.	Associate Professor Carolyn Ee c.ee@westernsydney.edu.au	PhD MPhil MRes
Evaluation of NICM Health Research Institute Western Sydney Integrative Health (WSIH) model of care and safety	Evaluate the extent to which the WSIH model of care is providing safe care.	Associate Professor Carolyn Ee c.ee@westernsydney.edu.au	PhD MPhil MRes
Improvement of health literacy	Develop, implement and evaluate programs aimed at increasing health literacy amongst patients attending NICM Health Research Institute Western Sydney Integrative Health (WSIH). Health literacy may be specific to a particular health condition or patient group or may be general.	Associate Professor Carolyn Ee c.ee@westernsydney.edu.au	PhD MPhil MRes
Integrative medicine for the underserved	Develop, implement and evaluate integrative medicine programs that are offered to underserved populations.	Associate Professor Carolyn Ee c.ee@westernsydney.edu.au	PhD MPhil MRes
Evidence-based practice: Creating and Using evidence summaries in integrative healthcare	Develop, implement and evaluate the use of evidence summaries in integrative healthcare.	Associate Professor Carolyn Ee c.ee@westernsydney.edu.au	PhD MPhil MRes
Shared medical appointments (SMAs) and complementary therapies: scoping and program development	Develop a program of SMAs combined with group complementary therapies for various health conditions.	Associate Professor Carolyn Ee c.ee@westernsydney.edu.au	PhD MPhil MRes
The patient experience at NICM Health Research Institute Western Sydney Integrative Health (WSIH): Who comes, who stays, who goes and why?	Evaluate the patient experience at WSIH.	Associate Professor Carolyn Ee c.ee@westernsydney.edu.au	PhD MPhil MRes
Why do medical doctors train as yoga teachers? A qualitative study	Conduct a qualitative study to understand the reasons that medical doctors train as yoga teachers, the benefits this brings to them (personally, professionally) how they integrate this into clinical practice.	Associate Professor Carolyn Ee c.ee@westernsydney.edu.au	PhD MPhil MRes

Other emerging areas of complementary medicine research

NICM HRI is also involved with a number of other areas of research including the identification of bioactive compounds found in natural products and complementary medicine approaches to addressing other common and problematic medical conditions. As with all other concentrations of research, these projects can have a focus of laboratory based work, clinical research, increasing an understanding of complementary medicine use or translating research into policy and practice.

Project Title	Aim/s	Supervisor/s	Course/s
There are currently no projects at this time.

Opportunities