About the Research Unit

Quick Links Research Unit About the Research Team The Research Team Recent Awards

Research Unit

Our Research unit is vital to the promotion of evidence-based community health. Our contribution to the quality of life and health outcomes of individuals and communities via research and development of knowledge is evidenced by an extensive research and publication track record.

About the Research Unit

The Research Unit provides community health research and clinical/operational research consultancy.

The Research Unit has a high energy, focused and professional research team, with a track record for excellent research outcomes and outputs. Our researchers have expertise in working with health consumers, service providers and stakeholders using collaborative approaches.

The Research Unit undertakes clinical and operational research consultancies to external organisations. Our skilled team provides the following services:

• Health and Social Research and evaluation
• Nursing Practice Research
• Research and Project Consultancy
• Education, Development and Training
  

If you would like us to provide research consultancy to improve health outcomes for your clients, we are keen to hear from you.

Please contact us via email to the research unit or phone 1300 364 264.

The Research Unit

Professor Debbie Kralik RN, Dip App Sc (Nsg), BN, MN, PhD, MRCNA, JP
Professor Debbie Kralik is the General Manager Research, Strategy & Growth for RDNS.

Professor Kralik has vast experience in community based research with numerous publications on action research methodology and substantive areas of community health practice. Professor Kralik and her research team have conducted more than 100 research projects addressing a diverse range of questions pertinent to community care. Her particular research focus is care of people living with co-morbid chronic illness. Professor Kralik has collaborated, developed and directed a nationally and internationally recognised chronic illness research program.

Professor Kralik is Editor of the international journal entitled 'The Journal of Nursing and Healthcare of Chronic Illness' published by Wiley-Blackwell. She is also Senior Editor of 'The Journal of Advanced Nursing' which is a high impact international journal. Professor Kralik is a sought after conference speaker.

Dr Antonia van Loon RN, PhD
Dr Antonia (Anne) van Loon is a Senior Research Fellow with the RDNS Research team where she manages research projects, commissioned projects and provides consultancy services to community, government and non-government organisations.

Anne's nursing experience spans 30 years. Her practice includes a long background in acute care nursing where she held a level 2 clinical nurse position in the accident and emergency area for 11 years. Anne has extensive expertise in nursing education, in both curriculum design, course development and delivery for 15 years at under-graduate and post-graduate level at University of South Australia, Flinders University, Adelaide Australia, Australian Lutheran College and Tabor Adelaide. She has been an invited curriculum reviewer in the USA on two occasions and is on the editorial teams of several international nursing journals.

Anne completed a Master of Nursing (Research) in 1996 using a grounded theory method to uncover what constitutes caring of the human spirit in acute care nursing. She completed a Doctor of Philosophy in 2000 at Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia where she used participatory action research methodology to develop a conceptual model of nursing practice based in faith communities.

Dr Barbara Anderson B Pharm, B Mgmt, PhD
Dr Barbara is a Senior Researcher, Research Unit, RDNS SA Inc. She is an experienced qualitative researcher, with a background in community pharmacy. Her research interests include palliative care in the community and human resource management issues, such as the emotional labour performed by front-line service workers, such as nurses and other health care professionals, and health program evaluation, and program evaluation.

In 2009, Dr Anderson was the Chief Investigator A for an NHMRC Palliative Care Research Program Round 3 Research Development Grant, entitled "Identification of the palliative care needs of home-based people with end-stage dementia."

Recent awards

Professor Debbie Kralik

• 2010 Australian Business award for Integrated Community Care for Older People program
  
  
• 2010 Finalist and Recipient of the Nursing Excellence Award for Leadership in Nursing
  
  
• 2009 Australian Government Minister's Award for Excellence in Aged Care – "Innovation in Information Technology? – Community Care"
  
  
• 2007 McCain Visiting Scholarship, University of New Brunswick, Canada
  
  
• 2005 Finalist in the category of Research in the State Nursing Excellence Awards
  
  
• 2003 Australian Research Council Post Doctoral Fellowship (3 year research grant)
  
  
  

Dr Anne van Loon

• 2010 Recipient of Nursing & Midwifery Excellence Award (Research)
  Finalist and Recipient of South Australian Nursing and Midwifery 'Nursing Excellence Award' in the category of 'Research' provided by South Australian Government Department of Health, May 2010.
  
  
• 2009 Recipient of Australia Day - Citizen Award
  
  Commendation for 'Citizen Award' from Mitcham Council SA, for community work as volunteer faith community nurse at Blackwood Hills Baptist church.

• 2008 Nominated for Nursing & Midwifery Excellence Award in South Australia
  Category of award research in South Australian Nursing and Midwifery Awards.