Study a PhD in Self-care and Caring

Undertake a PhD in Self-care and Caring

Help create better lives, better communities, better care and better systems.

There are a large range of exciting PhD opportunities aligned to the ground-breaking Flinders Caring Futures Institute, Australia’s first fully-dedicated research organisation for the study of self-care and caring solutions.

The Caring Futures Institute works with leading care organisations, health professionals, community partners and consumers to pioneer outcome-driven research that makes a positive impact on people’s lives, tackling some of the world’s most ‘wicked problems’.

We support diversity and warmly welcome applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander candidates and those with lived experience of disability or marginalisation.

Research supervisors

How to apply

Enquire

Why undertake a PhD in Self-care and Caring at Flinders

Join our highly collaborative research culture in the Caring Futures Institute, working alongside and with highly qualified researchers and supervisors who are nationally and internationally recognised in their fields.
Tackle the ‘wicked problems’ of modern societies and contribute to exploring and applying better care and health outcomes across the lifespan, developing self-care and caring solutions to improve people’s quality of life and boost social and economic prosperity.
Benefit from our partnerships with government, service providers, industry and community both nationally and internationally to collaborate and deliver evidence-based transformative change to industry, individuals and community.
Build on your research, complex problem-solving and analytic skills in a highly supportive environment.
Automatically receive student membership of the Flinders Caring Futures Institute.

PhD opportunities

PhD opportunities and supervisors within the Caring Futures Institute are available in the following research fields. However, we also welcome and encourage your own research project ideas that may not fit into the areas of focus below.

Better lives

Healthy living across the lifespan
Exercise for life
Food for life

Better communities

Disability and community inclusion
Marginalisation and vulnerability
Cultural diversity

Better care

Technological and digital solutions for care
Cardiovascular care
Fundamentals of care
Clinical rehabilitation
Health and clinical sciences

Better systems

Health and social care economics and quality of life
Caring workforce of the future
Dementia care

Caring Futures Institute

The Caring Futures Institute is exploring how we apply better care and health outcomes across the lifespan and how we can develop self-care and caring solutions to improve people’s quality of life and boost social and economic prosperity.

Find out more

Get inspired

WORKING WITH AN AUSSIE ICON TO IMPROVE FOOD STANDARDS IN AGED CARE

“In a world where you can be anything, be kind,” are the inspiring words that Flinders University PhD candidate and accredited dietitian, Morgan Pankhurst, has chosen to live and work by.

Learn more

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE SPARKS PASSION FOR CHANGE

Years of travelling and working in health care setting around the globe opened the eyes of Flinders University PhD candidate Anne Mette Adams to a world of opportunity in health and care research.

Learn more

Potential research supervisors

Our researchers are experienced health professionals and recognised research leaders working across a range of health science disciplines. Working in Flinders' Caring Futures Institute, they are conducting research that is responding to real-world issues so that more people can live healthy lives.

Professor Sally Robinson

Disability and Community Inclusion

Professor John Coveney

Global Food, Culture and Health

Dr Nina Sivertsen

Dr Nina Sivertsen explains the research opportunities available to HDR students.

Associate Professor Ivanka Prichard

Psychology, health behaviour change, intergenerational health, eating and activity behaviour, social influences

Healthy living across the lifespan, exercise for life, food for life

Professor Rebecca Golley	Child nutrition, child obesity, food parenting, food policy, social norms, behavioural nutrition, social norms, nutrition messaging
Professor John Coveney	Regional, Indigenous and international health issues, food and trust, social and cultural factors that influence food patterns (e.g. food and fathering; family meals)
Professor Michelle Miller	Chronic disease prevention and management, clinical dietetics, nutrition and cancer, healthy ageing
Professor Sue Gordon	Healthy ageing, interprofessional practice, health behaviour screening, restorative care, aged care and nutrition promotion in local councils
Associate Professor Lucy Lewis	Physical activity and sedentary behaviour across the life course, ageing, rehabilitation
Associate Professor Belinda Lange	Rehabilitation and transition care, disability, hospital avoidance, digital technology, augmented reality, digital health games
Dr Claire Baldwin	Activity in hospital, transition and restorative care, body composition
Dr Ivanka Prichard	Psychology, health behaviour change, intergenerational health, eating and activity behaviour, social influences
Dr Alison Yaxley	Food service, Aged Care, Body Composition, nutrition and inflammation
Dr Kacie Dickinson	Nutrition epidemiology, blood pressure, nutrition and cardiovascular disease
Dr Lucy Bell	Child obesity, nutrition and dental health, dietary assessment, dietary patterns, intergenerational health, food and grandparents
Dr Dorota Zarnowiecki	Settings-based nutrition promotion, nutrition and health inequities, dietary assessment, obesity-related behaviour screening
Dr Jessie Shipman	Sexual health services, gender inclusiveness, families and relationships across the lifespan. Qualitative methods
Associate Professor Claire Drummond	Exercise science, clinical exercise physiology, chronic conditions and exercise, adolescent health, school and community health

Disability and community inclusion, marginalisation and vulnerability, cultural diversity

Professor Joanne Arciuli	Child development and disability, communication, literacy, learning, education, wellbeing, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander led research
Professor Sally Robinson	Violence and abuse, personal safety, service quality, children and young people with disability, inclusive disability research methodologies
Associate Professor Pammi Raghavendra	Digital inclusion, augmentative and alternative communication, participation, young people and adults with disability, intervention research, single-subject experimental design
Associate Professor Michelle Bellon	Acquired brain injury, epilepsy and seizure disorders, community-based rehabilitation, family supports; inclusion, behaviour support
Associate Professor Ruth Walker	Ageing with disability, caring, health of people with disability
Dr Fiona Rillotta	Intellectual disability, inclusive research, attitudes and awareness, inclusive higher education for people with disability, self-advocacy
Dr Yvonne Parry	Health access in childhood, child protection, child development, children facing adversity and exclusion
Dr Alinka Fisher	Autism Spectrum disorder, positive behaviour support, acquired brain injury

Technological and digital solutions for care, cardiovascular care

Professor Robyn Clark	Digital health and ACCESS to care using innovative technologies
Professor Jeroen Hendricks	Integrative care using innovative technology
Dr Huiyun Du	AVATAR technology for patient education
Associate Professor Belinda Lange	Rehabilitation and transition care, disability, hospital avoidance, digital technology, augmented reality, digital health games

Fundamentals of care

Dr Tiffany Conroy	Fundamental care, nurse-patient relationship, clinical leadership, knowledge translation, evidence synthesis, qualitative research
Dr Rebecca Feo	Fundamental care, nurse-patient relationship, health services, care delivery, qualitative research, interactional research
Dr Didy Button	Nursing student clinical reasoning skill development, patient safety, early detection of the deteriorating person in hospital, therapeutic communication, e-learning
Dr Anita De Bellis	Aged care, dementia care, end of life care, qualitative research
Dr Katrina Breaden	Palliative care, chronic illness, communication at the end of life, suffering, nursing education

Clinical rehabilitation

Associate Professor Chris Barr	Physiology, sports science and nutrition, bioengineering
Associate Professor Stacey George	Occupational therapy, driving rehabilitation after stroke, acquired brain injury
Associate Professor James McLoughlin	Neurological physiotherapy, neurological & vestibular rehabilitation
Dr Maayken van den Bergh	Mobility, rehabilitation, telerehabilitation, caregiver-mediated rehabilitation, digital coaching and gait training
Associate Professor Belinda Lange	Rehabilitation and transition care, disability, hospital avoidance, digital technology, augmented reality, digital health games

Health and clinical sciences

Associate Professor Diane Chamberlain	Acute care and critical/intensive nursing - Critical care health policy and care processes, sepsis and infection, epidemiology and big data, workforce wellbeing, transition and translation models, frailty in critical illness, Delphi Study
Associate Professor Sebastian Doeltgen	Speech pathology - Swallowing rehabilitation and difficulties, dysphagia, neurorehabilitation, translation of theory to practice
Professor Chris Brebner	Speech pathology - Children’s early communication development, bilingual language development, work-integrated learning and development of workforce capacity
Associate Professor Stacey Attrill	Speech pathology - Dysphagia in motor neuron disease, health professional education, health practitioner workforce development
Professor Joanne Arciuli	Speech pathology - Child development and disability, communication, literacy, learning, education, wellbeing, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander led research
Professor Eimear Muir-Cochrane	Mental health nursing - Acute and community mental health, psychology
Dr Paul Constable	Optometry - Autism spectrum disorder, cell biology, cognitive neuroscience, development psychology, electrophysiology, neuroanatomy, neurodegeneration, ophthalmology genetics, vision, visual performance
Dr Ranjay Chakraborty	Optometry - Visual optics, circadian rhythm disruption and myopia, optical defocus and myopia
Dr Claire Baldwin	Physiotherapy - Physical activity and sedentary behaviour in hospital, aging, respiratory physiotherapy, critical care
Associate Professor Lucy Lewis	Physiotherapy - Physical activity and sedentary behaviour in children and adults, Diabetes and sedentary behaviour
Associate Professor Belinda Lange	Physiotherapy - Physical activity and sedentary behaviour in children and adults, Diabetes and sedentary behaviour
Professor Raj Shekhawat	Audiology - Use of non-invasive brain stimulation for tinnitus management, adult hearing rehabilitation, age related hearing loss, hearing and hearing disorders, psychosocial consequences of adult hearing impairment, educational, learning and assistive technologies.
Professor Lucy Chipchase	Physiotherapy - Pain assessment and management, professional issues, health professional education and learning

Dementia care

Professor Lily Xiao	Caregiver support in dementia care, chronical disease management, cross cultural dementia care, dementia education for health professionals and caregivers, nursing care of people with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia, and workforce development in aged care.
Professor Sue Gordon	Restorative care in aging, health aging and functional decline
Associate Professor Di Chamberlain	Frailty in older intensive care patients,hospital to home transition care in stroke survivors
Associate Professor Stacey George	Occupational therapy, driving rehabilitation after stroke and aging, acquired brain injury
Associate Professor Ruth Walker	Ageing with disability, caring, health of people with disability
Dr Anita De Bellis	Aged care, dementia care, end of life care, qualitative research
Dr Fathimath Shifaza	Evidence based practice in aging, qualitative and mixed methods

Reproductive health and Childbirth or Women’s health and Midwifery, or Evidenced-Based Maternity Care

Professor Annette Briley	Pregnancy complications, vulnerable women, pregnancy outcomes, development of tools and devices to inform training and practice
Dr Megan Cooper	Midwifery, midwifery education, digital learning and innovation, simulation, policy and guidelines

How to apply

Review the course rule

Check your eligibility

Find a research supervisor

Find out about scholarships and fees

Prepare your application

Submit your application

Apply now

Enquire now

If you have a question about how to apply, please review our Frequently Asked Questions before submitting an enquiry.

For all other course enquiries phone, email or complete the enquiry form.

Office of Graduate Research
Phone: (08) 8201 5893
Email: hdr.admissions@flinders.edu.au.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Self-care and Caring

Undertake a PhD in Self-care and Caring