One of the new residents of the Health and Medical Research Building – Deputy Director of the Caring Futures Institute Professor Gillian Harvey – spoke with us about what it’s like working inside the new facility.
What is your role and what does your work focus on?
I’m a Matthew Flinders Professor of Health Services and Implementation Research and one of the Deputy Directors of the Caring Futures Institute with responsibility for knowledge translation – which is ensuring that our research is undertaken and communicated in ways that increase its uptake in practice and policy. A lot of my research is focused on the care of older people, including work to improve the transitions of care, for example, between hospital and home, and to reduce avoidable hospital presentations.
What journey brought you to this point in your career?
My journey was never planned, so I’m very lucky to have got to this point in my career. I originally trained as a nurse in one of the early undergraduate degree programs at the University of Manchester. My first job was as a clinical nurse in a geriatric unit at a hospital where they had never seen a ‘degree nurse’ before, so I definitely had to prove myself. I got the travel bug before I took a research assistant role with Professor Alison Kitson, who is now my College Vice-President. After completing a PhD, I worked in the research unit for the Royal College of Nursing in the UK, before another change of direction when I moved to an academic position in a Health Management Department at the University of Manchester. In 2014, I took up a two-year visiting post at the University of Adelaide, but that timeline stretched out and in 2021, I moved to my current role as a Matthew Flinders Professor in the Caring Futures Institute at Flinders.
What do you love most about your work?
My research is very applied and focuses on ensuring that research is implemented in practice and policy to make a difference in the care that people receive. This involves working with a wide range of different people, including community members, clinicians, managers, decision-makers and other academics. I really enjoy that every project is different and brings an opportunity to engage with and learn from others. Also, I’m surrounded by amazing colleagues who are supportive and fun to work with.
What would you like people to know about your role?
I would describe it as a connecting and facilitating role – bringing the right people together to solve real-world problems by applying evidence about how to best get research and new ideas into practice.
What does your normal day look like?
If it’s not raining, I often cycle to Flinders along the Sturt Linear path – and I’m now enjoying the fantastic new facilities at the HMRB building. Spending time on the bike is great for thinking on the way in to work and clearing my mind on the way home. There isn’t a truly normal day, but I always have lots of project-related meetings and discussions with collaborators about current and potential new research. I also have supervision meetings with PhD students and go out to meet with clinical colleagues in the local hospitals.
How do you like to spend your spare time?
I live at West Beach, so on weekends I’ll be down at the beach, walking the dog and stopping for a coffee at one of the beachside cafes. My daughter has persuaded me to try Pilates, but I’m still deciding whether to keep going.