Advanced Trainee Research Project Program

The program is open to all trainees in The Royal Australian College of Physicians Nephrology Advanced Training. Preference is given to those in their 1st or 2nd year of training, with the aim of completing the research project to meet training requirements.

This program requires a significant time commitment. Trainees should only apply if they expect to be able to meet the program requirements.

• Trainees are expected to attend approximately hourlong meetings with fellow trainees approximately weekly to fortnightly, engage with discussion and contribute to resources with their fellow trainees
• Regular progress discussions with the Epidemiology Fellow are required
• Trainees will present project updates at the ANZDATA Research Meeting twice per year
• There may be opportunities to present at the ANZSN Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM), although this is not guaranteed or mandatory

Trainees with questions about these requirements are encouraged to contact the Epidemiology Fellow at requests@anzdata.org.au

• Projects using ANZDATA Registry data
• Projects addressing research questions in dialysis or kidney transplantation priority areas
• Projects collaborative in nature
• Projects that will be completed by the end of the trainee’s 2nd year of Advanced Training

• Epidemiological and statistical support from the ANZDATA/ANZSN Clinical Epidemiology Fellow
• Guidance on study design, submitting ANZDATA Registry data requests, and developing a statistical analysis plan
• Support with statistical analysis and interpretation of results
• Through this process, trainees develop essential skills in research design, data analysis, and using registry data to answer meaningful clinical questions

The projects are selected based on the following criteria

• Trainees working as a Advanced Trainee and registered with the RACP Nephrology Advanced Training program (1st or 2nd year Advanced Training) with the aim of completing the research project for submission to fulfil training requirements
• Trainees based at hospitals/institutions without local statistical or research support
• Trainees will be selected by delegates from ANZDATA and ANZSN

Five projects are selected each year to receive epidemiological and statistical support to answer important research questions related to dialysis and kidney transplantation priority areas

Kate Brotherton, is a 2nd year trainee at John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle. Kate’s project, supervised by A/Prof Pedro Franca Gois, is to undertake a 20-year retrospective analysis to explore withdrawal patterns for patients receiving peritoneal dialysis. Kate hopes that the project will give insight into peritoneal dialysis withdrawal predictors for clinicians. With an interest in public health, access to healthcare and patient advocacy, this project is an opportunity for Kate to explore a new aspect of patient’s kidney disease journey.

Kate shared ‘As a trainee with limited experience applying statistics, the ATRP program initially appealed to me for assistance with research statistics. After commencing the program, I have realised that it is an opportunity for much more than that. With the support of the Epi Fellow, we are following the research project through every step, from constructing meaningful and achievable proposals, data requests, literature searches, navigating statistical software and applying the statistics. Additionally, it is an opportunity to collaborate with others working on registry studies which is an excellent opportunity to see other perspectives and be supported through the successes and turmoil’s that research brings’.

My name is Sharafuddin Shah Bin Rhasbudin Shah, currently based in Hamilton, New Zealand and in my second year of Renal Advanced Training. I am undertaking a research project under the supervision of Dr Kannaiyan Rabindranath, focusing on predictors of home-based dialysis versus center-based dialysis in patients who commenced dialysis via haemodialysis catheters. I joined this program to strengthen my understanding of biostatistics and statistical analysis. My goal is to become proficient and independent in performing statistical analyses for my current project, as well as future research endeavors. Developing these skills is essential for producing high-quality research and contributing meaningfully to the field of Nephrology.

My name is Mitch Carroll, I am currently a second-year renal advanced trainee at The Royal Melbourne Hospital, having completed General Medicine and my first year of Nephrology training with Barwon Health in Geelong. As I progress through my training and approach Fellowship, I wanted to build my research and statistics skills, contribute to a more significant piece of research, and ensure that research becomes an engrained part of my future practice. I applied to the ATRP Program to fulfil these goals prior to the completion of my registrar training. My project is a retrospective review of dialysis adequacy (Kt/V or URR) and association with mortality. Supported by the ANZSN ATRP Program, the Epi Fellow and my supervisor A/Prof Nigel Toussaint, I have been setting up the project, reviewing the data, and stepping through more complex statistical analysis than I have previously undertaken.

My name is Rabab Al Lawati and I am in my first year of training in Renal medicine at Waikato Hospital in New Zealand. I applied to the ATRP program in order to develop my statistical and research skills. My topic is looking at pregnancy outcomes in living kidney donors post nephrectomy, supervised by Dr Lai Wan Chan. There is a lack of data on this topic in New Zealand, which has a very unique and multicultural population, hence international data may not be applicable. Researching this topic is therefore vital for ensuring that our young female donors are well informed of the potential risks; findings may help increase our donor pool. This topic piqued my interest as it encompassed two of my big interests which are women's health and Transplant medicine.

My name is John Lau, I’m a second-year Renal advanced trainee, currently based at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital and previously trained at the Royal Adelaide Hospital. My project supervisor is Dr. Eoin O’Sullivan, and we are investigating extreme weather events and impact on dialysis care. My overall interest in the ATRP program is due to my interest in epidemiology and working with larger data sets, to improve my skillset with managing these and to familiarise myself with the ANZDATA registry.