Dr. Margaret Heffernan, OAM

Awards

• 2013: Ian Permezel Memorial Award, RMIT University for professional development $5,000
• 2013: RMIT College of Business Research Grant for a pilot HPV study in Australian cross-cultural populations and HPV vaccine uptake $15,000
• 2013: Visiting USA scholar grant, bioCSL Pharmaceuticals, $8,000
• 2013: The Japanese Expert Board for the Eradication of Cervical Cancer for my invited expert visit Tokyo, Dec. $5,000
• 2013,2007,2006: Travel Grants for international conferences: bioCSL Pharmaceuticals- $3,000: 2013; $5,000: 2007; GSK Pharmaceuticals – $5,000, 2006
• 2012: RMIT Early Career Researcher International Travel Award $5,000
• 2012: RMIT Early Career Researcher Publication Scheme -$4,983
• 2008: CRCAH Aboriginal Research Showcase, Parliament House, Canberra. My PhD research was selected as an exemplar of Aboriginal and non- Aboriginal collaborative partnerships: 13 March
• 2007: PHAA Researcher Postgraduate Scholarship Award -$8,000
• 2007-2005 inc.: CCRE in Child and Adolescent Immunisation MCRI Fulltime Postgraduate Scholarship -$23,400 per annum
• 2007- 2005: RWH PhD Study Scholarship: $15,000: ($5,000 per annum)
• 2007-2006 CRCAH Study Grant - $10,000 + CRCAH In-kind project 2007, 2006
• 2006 - Order of Australia Medal for services to women’s health, especially in the Gynaecological cancer sector, and to the Arts cultural community

Research and Scholarship

Research Interests

Member Health Innovations Research Institute: Business of Health Research cluster, 
Member Business Education Research cluster, College of Business

• social/behavioural factors and STI vaccines, especially in Indigenous and CALD communities
• socio-ecological applications to public health policy and interventions
• cross- cultural communications and the impact of transubstantive error on public policy interventions
• sustainable business collaborations with Indigenous communities and bridging of two worlds
• Leveraging the potential of sport through a culturally intelligent approach to sports management – a socio-cultural perspective
• Learning styles of culturally diverse undergraduate student cohorts

PhD Research

(Graduated Dec 2011)

Margaret’s PhD research explored the attitudes of Australian parents from Aboriginal (central Australia and Victoria), Chinese and Anglo communities, and GPs from metropolitan Melbourne and their intentions to vaccinate their pre-adolescents with the HPV (cervical cancer) vaccine.

• PhD thesis -University of Melbourne: ‘Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines: the attitudes and intentions of Australian health providers and parents from three diverse cultural groups toward HPV vaccination of pre-adolescent children’
  
• New PhD highlights the need for cultural sensitivity in implementing (HPV) vaccines

PhD Research Outcomes

This research has informed public health vaccine policy and assisted in the effective implementation of the HPV vaccine into the general community, especially for people of Aboriginal and Chinese descendency. It was selected for the CRCAH Aboriginal Research Showcase, Parliament House Canberra, 13 March 2008 as an exemplar of Aboriginal and non- Aboriginal collaborative research outcomes.

Aboriginal Communities in Central Australia and Victoria:

• Community awareness of HPV, HPV vaccines and cervical cancer issues
• Education of Aboriginal Health Workers (AHWs) about HPV and HPV vaccines

Central Australia Aboriginal Communities: Reciprocity

• Initiated and secured $6,000 funding from the Northern Territory Department of Health and Community Services (NTDHCS) for the development of radio advertisements about HPV vaccines in five local Indigenous languages that are broadcast on CAAMA radio during the implementation of the HPV vaccine program to communities across Central Australia
• Funding of the ‘Woman Health on Wheels’ (WHOW) bus (Central Australia). Two AHWs (Sandra McElligott and Julie Wright) who had developed a proposal for the first ‘Woman Health On Wheels’ (WHOW) bus in Central Australia asked Margaret to secure funding for their initiative. Funding for one bus was secured from the Federal Government Department of Health and Ageing, and $130,000 for operational costs from the NTDHCS. The WHOW bus was launched in October 2009 in Alice Springs, provides health services to women across Central Australia, and serves as a model for subsequent mobile outreach services in that region.

Chinese- Australian population

• Changes to HPV Chinese language information on the Australian Government HPV website. My study identified that the original Australian Government HPV education resources for the Chinese-speaking population were written in Chinese traditional script, whereas the majority of Australian-Chinese peoples use simplified script. After I shared this finding at the 2008 PHAA conference changes were made.

Research and Other Grants

• 2012 - College of Business Early Career Researcher Publication Scheme Award ($4,983)
• 2011 - IPV conference Berlin (RMIT travel grant) ($5,000)
• 2009 - IAAH Conference Kuala Lumpar (RMIT travel grant) ($4,514)
• 2007 - PHERT PHAA Post Graduate Research Scholarship ($8,000)
• 2007, 2006 - MCRI Fulltime Postgraduate Scholarship per year ($23,400/$46,800)
• 2007–2005 - RWH PhD Study Scholarship ($5,000 per year/$15,000)
• 2007-2006 - CRCAH Study Grant 2007 ($10,000)/CRCAH 2006 (In-kind)
• 2009, 2006 - Travel Grants for IPV conference ($10,000)/GSK Pharmaceuticals ($5,000)
• 2007 - Travel Grants for IPV conference/CSL Pharmaceuticals ($5,000)

In-depth knowledge and organisational application of Management Courses at Postgraduate and Undergraduate levels:

• Strategic Management
• Managing Change
• Leadership
• Organisation Behaviour (OB)
• Organisation Structure and Design
• Human Resource Management
• Communication Skills
• Business Research Skills

• Ph.D. School of Graduate Research, Dept. Paediatrics , The University of Melbourne, Australia
• M.Arts (Communications), Monash University, Australia
• B. Business Administration (Distinction),RMIT University, Australia
• B. Education, The University of Melbourne, Australia

Board and Advisory Positions

• 2014: Australian Gynaecological Cancer Foundation: Scientific Committee member
• 2013: Invited expert to assist The Japanese Expert Board for the Eradication of Cervical Cancer, Dec. 2013, Tokyo
• Current-2009: PdCcrs Cancer Australia: Research Grant consumer reviewer
• Current-2011: Business advisor with the Warumungu peoples (an Aboriginal clan based in Tennant Creek, Northern Territory.
• Current-2011: Inaugural Executive member of the International Indigenous HPV Alliance (IIHpvA) – An international collaboration focused on reducing morbidity of HPV-related diseases and cervical cancer in Indigenous peoples globally.
• Current-2010: PHAA Committee member of the Vaccine Special Interest Group
• Current-2010: Chair of the HPV Educators sub-community - a WHO sponsored HPV virtual community of practice
• 2013-2010: Women’s Health Victoria: Board member. Member of the Policy and Strategy Task Group; Communications Task Group
• 2013-2009:desert Knowledge FOCUS Group An initiative to develop solutions to revitalise remote Australia
• 2010-2009: Advisor: Indian International Student Advisory Centre
• 2009-2007: Advisor: Silver Ribbon Foundation (ovarian cancer) New Zealand
• 2007: Cancer Australia – National Consumer Advisory Group member
• 2007: Cancer Australia – National Gynaecological Cancer Reference Group
• 2007-2005: Melbourne International Arts Festival: Board Director

Relevant Memberships/External Activities

• Chair: Human Papillomavirus Educators sub-community (a virtual entity of WHO)
• Member: (inaugural) National Australian Gynaecological Cancer Foundation Scientific Advisory Committee
• Member: IIHpvA: International Indigenous Human Papillomavirus Association (Executive member)
• Member: Women’s Health Victoria (previous Board Director)
• Member: Australian Public Health Association of Australia
• Member: Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management
• Member: National Speaker’s Association of Australia

Reviewer for Research Funding

• Current -2009: Cancer Australia – research reviewer: Priority- Driven Collaborative Cancer Research Scheme (PdCCRS) Consumer reviewer of Australian scientific cancer research applications that have been screened by NHMRC.
• 2012: American Academy of Management Annual meeting. Conference theme: The Informal Economy.
• 2012: RMIT College of Business Linkage Grants – peer reviewer of draft proposal on Aged Care
• Member of Editorial Board for the International Journal of Studies in Thai Business Society and Culture