Physiotherapist, Movement Scientist and Higher Degree Research Coordinator Associate Professor Maayken van den Berg has been appointed Allied Health Chair of Research in a joint-appointment between the Caring Futures Institute and the Northern Adelaide Local Health Network (NALHN).
In this new role shared with SA Health, Associate Professor van den Berg will be leading and fostering research excellence across both institutions by attracting external grants and delivering high-quality publications.
Associate Professor van den Berg aims to achieve these aspirational research goals by mentoring and developing early and mid-career researchers and NALHN staff, promoting higher degree research study programs, and bringing the academic and clinical excellence at the two institutions together.
This opportunity will ensure her decades of research skills and knowledge are applied in practice and with Allied Health Practitioner’s seeking to become experience clinical researchers.
Throughout her career, Associate Professor van den Berg has worked with allied health clinicians to build research capacity across both practice and academia that have resulted in research that makes meaningful impact and drives translation of evidence into practice.
Professor van den Berg will also be working closely with other joint appointments in the Caring Futures Institute, and with CFI Deputy Director Professor Lucy Lewis (Workforce Transformation and Research Capacity Building).
“We are very excited to have appointed Associated Professor van den Berg as the Chair of Allied Health Research in NALHN,” says Professor Lewis. “This joint-position will build capacity and capability in allied health research, and support joint research endeavours that respond to the needs and priorities of both NALHN and Flinders University.”
Associate Professor van den Berg worked at universities and health institutes in the Netherlands, UK, and Spain before joining Flinders University in 2012, where she was the Course Coordinator for the postgraduate Clinical Rehabilitation programmes and the Master of Health and Clinical Research programme, and is now the Higher Degree by Research Coordinator for the College of Nursing and Health Sciences while taking on this new leadership role.
Associate Professor van den Berg says she is looking forward to guiding clinicians and PHD candidates on their journey as they tackle clinical challenges.
“It’s exciting to hit the ground running in this position, which will enable me to implement strategies that strengthen and advance the nexus between teaching, research and clinical care in real-world clinical settings,” says Associate Professor van den Berg.
“I see this significant leadership role as an opportunity to mentor and develop early- and mid-career researchers and NAHLN staff who are committed to their work and seek to make a positive contribution towards clinical care.
“I have been passionate about working with allied health clinicians and building their research capacity for many years. This opportunity feels like a natural step after coordinating and teaching the research stream of the Masters of Clinical Rehabilitation, and delivering research topics for the Master of Health and Clinical Research program in the college.”
Associate Professor van den Berg Maayken commenced the new role in April.