Dementia Workforce Education

About the research project

The health and aged care workforce is under pressure to support clients with increasingly complex health conditions and multiple comorbidities, particularly dementia, a global public health issue. People living with dementia have high needs for care to support daily living and behaviour. It is vital that health and aged care staff in community, residential aged care and/or acute care settings can provide skilled, informed care and effective leadership to meet these complex needs, yet gaps have been found in staff dementia knowledge. Therefore, it is important to explore workforce participation in education aiming to enhance dementia knowledge and the impact of such education on both understanding and agency to improve quality of dementia support. 

This mixed methods project will use as a case study the Wicking Centre's online Postgraduate Dementia Program, undertaken by students across Australia who work in varied fields including nursing, allied health, policy analysis, education, care management, and general practice. It will collect data on the impact of studying the Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma and Master of Dementia on dementia knowledge, attitudes, practices and career. Qualitative and quantitative data will be collected via surveys and interviews. This project will look at the role education can play in translation of dementia knowledge into practice in aged care and the wider dementia policy arena. This includes how information is used to change practices and policies, and the opportunity provided by education to move into different roles and career pathways. In this way, the project will explore some of the contributing factors that will need to be addressed by the health and aged care sectors if they are to build and reshape their workforce and leaders to be more innovative, highly skilled in dementia support, and effective change agents.

Primary supervisor

Meet Doctor Emma Lea

Funding

Applicants will be considered for a Research Training Program (RTP) scholarship or Tasmania Graduate Research Scholarship (TGRS) which, if successful, provides:

• a living allowance stipend funded by University of Tasmania of $34,315 per annum for 3.5 years
• a relocation allowance of up to $2,000
• a tuition fees offset covering the cost of tuition fees for up to four years (domestic applicants only)

A tuition fee offset may be offered to eligible international applicants following competitive assessment 

As part of the application process you may indicate if you do not wish to be considered for scholarship funding.

Other funding opportunities and fees

For further information regarding other scholarships on offer, and the various fees for undertaking a research degree, please visit our Scholarships and fees on research degrees page.

Eligibility

Applicants should review the Higher Degree by Research minimum entry requirements.

Ensure your eligibility for the scholarship round by referring to our Key Dates.

Additional eligibility criteria specific to this project/scholarship:

• Applicants must be able to undertake the project on-campus

Selection criteria

The project is competitively assessed and awarded. Selection is based on academic merit and suitability to the project as determined by the College.

Additional essential selection criteria specific to this project:

• Proficiency with a variety of research methods (mixed methods preferred) and demonstrated capacity to conduct independently-driven research.

Additional desirable selection criteria specific to this project:

• Relevant professional or clinical experience e.g., allied health, aged care, community health.  
• Experience working with older people and/or people living with dementia in a research and/or professional capacity.

Application process

1. Select your project, and check that you meet the eligibility and selection criteria, including citizenship;
2. Contact Doctor Emma Lea to discuss your suitability and the project's requirements; and
3. In your application:
   • Copy and paste the title of the project from this advertisement into your application. If you don’t correctly do this your application may be rejected.
   • Submit a signed supervisory support form, a CV including contact details of 2 referees and your project research proposal.
4. Apply prior to 1 October 2026.

Full details of the application process can be found under the ' How to apply ' section of the Research Degrees website.

Following the closing date applications will be assessed within the College. Applicants should expect to receive notification of the outcome by email by the advertised outcome date.

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