Grants Award Ceremony

EMF proudly celebrates the 2025 Grants Award Ceremony, where we recognised the 21 new research projects funded over the past year.

This event brings together clinician-researchers, healthcare leaders, and funding partners to highlight the vital role of emergency medicine research in improving patient care across Queensland.

We were delighted to welcome The Honourable Timothy Nicholls, Minister for Health and Ambulance Services, who confirmed Queensland Health’s commitment to EMF by announcing further funding of $6.3 million over the next three years. Health Minister Nicholls shared:

“I am very pleased to be able to confirm this because we need research to arm us with the information we need to make the decisions for the future.”

During the ceremony, we were also happy to have Dr David Rosengren, Director-General of Queensland Health, present grant certificates to this year’s recipients, acknowledging their valuable contributions to shaping the future of emergency healthcare.

The diverse range of EMF funded projects this year reflects the real-world challenges faced in emergency care, with research focused on improving patient flow in residential aged care facilities, enhancing communication in paediatric emergency departments (EDs), advancing telehealth use in aeromedical retrievals, and strengthening cultural safety for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Other studies will explore new approaches to managing ICU admissions, treating patients affected by drug overdose, and expanding the use of point-of-care ultrasound by physiotherapists in emergency settings.

The event also featured presentations from EMF-funded researchers tackling some of Queensland’s biggest emergency healthcare challenges.

Dr Adam Holyoak, Emergency and Critical Care Specialist at Townsville University Hospital, explored the complexities of delivering emergency care in rural and remote Queensland, sharing insights from his extensive experience in pre-hospital retrieval medicine and rural generalist practice.

A/Prof Donna Franklin, Paediatric Research Fellow and Registered Nurse, presented the Paediatric Acute Respiratory Intervention Studies (PARIS) series, which has transformed oxygen therapy for children with respiratory illness. The latest phase, PARIS on Country, aims to improve respiratory care for Indigenous children in remote communities, addressing concerns from families about unnecessary hospital transfers.

A/Prof Andrew Staib, Senior Director of Emergency Care for Metro South Health, presented findings from the Study to Analyse Patient Flow (SuPAFlow Study), a system-wide analysis of ED access block and ambulance ramping involving CSIRO, University of Queensland, Queensland Health and Queensland Ambulance Service. The study identified inpatient bed shortages as the main cause of ED overcrowding and ambulance ramping.

EMF Board Chair, Professor Hugh Grantham ASM, highlighted the importance of clinician-researchers, saying,

“To our researchers, clinicians, funders and stakeholders I thank you for your passion, resilience, and continued dedication to improve emergency care. I want to thank each of you on behalf of our patients who did not choose to be having to rely on emergency care.”