An exciting PhD opportunity at Monash University now available!

Integrating Lived Experience Experts into health and social care intervention planning and implementation

The involvement of Lived Experience Experts in intervention planning and implementation can often be tokenistic. A barrier for supporting practitioners to embed lived experience expertise into their work is the absence of clear implementation processes. To address this, the SEMPRE program established a national VILLAGE (Valued Individuals Living & Learning About Growing Equity) Network of Lived Experience Experts. The VILLAGE brings valuable lived experience and community insights to health, education, and social care research and practice and is fast becoming a model of best practice for integrating lived experience voices into research.

The successful applicant for this PhD program, will co-develop and pilot test a Lived Experience Expert Network (LEEN) Model, a novel, implementation system that embeds LEEs equitably into intervention design, delivery, and evaluation. They will use the Intervention Mapping-Equity program planning approach to systematically guide their doctoral research, actively embedding the principle of equity throughout.

Key elements of the PhD

1. A pragmatic scoping review of four existing diverse health or social care programs to examine how lived experience expertise currently influences intervention development, implementation, and scale-up.

2. Critical assessment and gap analysis of the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) through a lived experience lens

3. Co-development of the LEEN model with the VILLAGE, including adaptations for diverse organisational and community contexts.

4. Mixed-methods evaluation to assess the LEEN Model in practice

The successful applicant will:

• Have as a minimum, an Honours degree (or equivalent) in public health, applied science (e.g., psychology, health science), allied health, social science, or related discipline;

• Have the ability to work independently and as a team where required;

• Be able to commit to a full time PhD candidature; and

• Be able to contribute to the Health and Social Care Unit culture of collegiality, collaboration, diversity, and innovation.

Desirable attributes include:

• Understanding of social determinants of health

• A highly competitive CV with potential eligibility to apply for Monash or external scholarships.

Supervisors:

Prof Helen Skouteris, Dr Michelle Gooey, Ms Ahlia Griffiths (Lived Experience Expert)

APPLICATIONS CLOSE ON 17TH AUGUST, 2026

For more information about us and our work:

• SEMPRE Program: https://www.monash.edu/medicine/sphpm/health-and-social-care/research/sempre
• The VILLAGE Network: https://www.monash.edu/medicine/sphpm/health-and-social-care/research/sempre/village
• Prof Helen Skouteris: https://research.monash.edu/en/persons/helen-skouteris/
• Dr Michelle Gooey: https://research.monash.edu/en/persons/michelle-gooey/
• Ms Ahlia Griffiths: https://www.monash.edu/medicine/sphpm/health-and-social-care/research/involving-lived-experience-sempre