Peninsula Health acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the lands where our Health Services are located. We acknowledge the Bunurong and Boon Wurrung people of the Kulin Nation. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.
We are proud to introduce the Peninsula Health Research Strategy 2025–2029.
At Peninsula Health, research is not something that sits apart from care — it is an integral part of how we support healthy lives, shape the future of healthcare, and respond to the complex and evolving needs of our community. Our research enhances clinical practice, drives innovation, and ensures we remain responsive to the diverse and vibrant communities we serve across Frankston and the Mornington Peninsula.
Over the past five years, there has been remarkable growth in our research capacity, capability and culture. We’ve embraced innovation, formed strategic partnerships, embedded research leadership across disciplines, and delivered projects that have real-world impact. Alongside Monash University, establishing the National Centre for Healthy Ageing and the Healthy Ageing Data Platform have been major milestones over the course of our last strategy. This momentum is something we are proud of, and determined to build on.
Peninsula Health’s Research Strategy 2025–2029 outlines the next chapter, and sets out an ambitious agenda to further embed research into everything we do. Guided by a vision — “a culture where research is integral to care” and four clear goals – we will continue to grow our impact and reputation as leaders in research. This strategy comes at a significant time for our organisation.
As we transition toward the formation of Bayside Health and continue the development of Peninsula University Hospital, we are well positioned to grow as a leading institution in research and innovation. Through this, we will create new opportunities for our workforce; build stronger partnerships with universities, research partners, consumers and the community; and provide better health outcomes for everyone.
We are excited by the future — and grateful to every researcher, clinician, partner, and consumer who has helped shape this strategy. Your curiosity, commitment and collaboration make Peninsula Health a place where research thrives.
Together, we will continue to drive research that matters, supporting healthy lives for everyone.
Associate Professor
Helen Cooper Chief Executive
Professor Velandai Srikanth Professor of Medicine and Director of Research, Peninsula Health Director, National Centre
for Healthy Ageing
Peninsula Health is committed to creating research evidence and implementing it into practice to improve clinical care and advance the knowledge of our healthcare professionals.
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1 A skilled and supported workforce Consumer and community involvement
Our Research Strategy 2025–2029 aims to build on our strengths, support a coordinated and strategic approach to research within the organisation, and build our capacity and research culture. Our research maturity will continue to grow through the delivery of this strategy. A culture where research is integral to care Our Vision
Sustainability, systems and infrastructure
3
Innovation and collaboration
2
Our goals
To achieve our vision, four overarching goals are outlined in the strategy:
Goal 1
Goal 2
We will grow and support our workforce to be research active. We will actively partner with consumers to co-design and deliver research programs that are important to our community.
Goal 3
Goal 4
We will foster a culture of innovation and collaboration, strengthening research quality through strategic partnerships. We will grow our research sustainability through financial certainty, centralised systems, and integrated use of health data.
Peninsula Health is the major metropolitan public health service for the communities of Frankston and the Mornington Peninsula, serving a population of over 308,000 people. Our primary catchment area includes the local government areas of the Frankston City Council and the Mornington Peninsula Shire.
Peninsula Health provides care across the entire lifespan at five major hospital sites –Peninsula University Hospital, Frankston Public Surgical Centre, Rosebud Hospital, Golf Links Road Rehabilitation Centre, and The Mornington Centre – five community mental health facilities, and four community health centres in Frankston, Mornington, Rosebud, and Hastings. We also have a growing community-based program, supporting people to have accessible, high-quality care close to where they live.
As a major teaching and research health service, Peninsula Health plays a key role in training the next generation of doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, and support staff. Our strong partnerships with universities, local government, and community-based service providers are well embedded to ensure the needs of the local community are met.
From January 2026, Peninsula Health will merge with Alfred Health, Kooweerup Regional Health Service, Bass Coast Health and Gippsland Southern Health Service to become Bayside Health. When established, Bayside Health will provide ‘one door’ to a full range of services, offering greater opportunities for our staff to lead important health research, and for community involvement in clinical trials. Additionally, from July 2025, Peninsula Health will form part of the Bayside Local Health Service Network. The Local Health Service Networks are a Victorian Government initiative to group health services within a geographical region to deliver more accessible, higher quality care as close to home as possible. This includes coordinating clinical services and attracting and retaining the right workforce.
The Peninsula Health catchment has a unique population with complex health, mental health, and social needs. Compared with the rest of Victoria, our catchment has some particular demographic features and challenges, including:
• a significantly higher proportion of older adults and an ageing population
• areas of high disadvantage, financial stress, insecure housing, and increasing homelessness
• high rates of mental health conditions, suicide and self-harm
• areas with high numbers of children experiencing vulnerability
• high rates of cancer, obesity, and chronic disease including type two diabetes, asthma, arthritis, and heart disease
• high rates of risk factors for chronic disease and poor mental health such as poor diet, inadequate exercise, risky alcohol and drug use, and smoking.
The population we serve is vibrant and diverse. Ultimately, it is our consumers who will benefit from the research we undertake. Actively involving consumers, their families and carers in research will ensure that our work remains relevant, impactful, and responsive to the needs of the community.
Over the last five years, Peninsula Health has significantly expanded its research activity, capability, and investment. We are continuing to build a culture that embeds research across clinical areas as part of our core business.
There have been key clinical academic appointments in allied health and nursing to provide valuable leadership and vision for research growth, with further recruitment planned in medicine.
Digital innovation in new models of care for people living in aged care and carers of older people, deployment of artificial intelligence techniques for clinical research, new imaging methods for cancer, and establishing new pathways for rehabilitation for people with dementia, are just a few of the amazing examples of work being done by our research community.
Over the last five years, there has been 60% growth in the number of departments undertaking research, from 17 departments in 2019 to 27 in 2024.
Over the last year, our research activity has accelerated, with:
• a 31% increase in the number of active trials
• a 15% increase in the number of publications
• a 31% increase in the number of new projects approved.
92
Active trials
115 New projects approved
172 Publications
16 Staff members undertaking their PhD
The amount of funding secured for research has grown in recent years from several sources, including competitive grants, commercial sponsors, and philanthropy. In 2024, Peninsula Health researchers were successful in obtaining 12 million dollars in competitive and commercial grants.
The Ngarnga Centre is a joint venture and a shared facility between Peninsula Health and Monash University. Ngarnga is a local Aboriginal word meaning ’to hear and listen’. Opened in 2022, the centre provides cutting-edge research facilities and was a significant milestone for the organisation, advancing opportunities for learning, teaching, and collaboration. The centre, was established in 2020 and moved into the Ngarnga Centre at the end of 2021.
The National Centre for Healthy Ageing continues to grow in capability and impact, generating ground-breaking research utilising large datasets to build evidence for clinical care at a local and national level. As a result of this partnership, Peninsula Health staff members are now actively contributing to large, interdisciplinary research projects, including within novel digital health areas.
Existing structures within Peninsula Health support building research culture and capability.
Peninsula Health recognises that research and innovation are key drivers to achieving the goals in the Healthy Lives Strategic Plan by integrating data insights, new ideas, evidence, and knowledge into clinical care. The plan outlines developing a health and education precinct through strategic partnerships, and using data and research to inform evidence-based and value-based models of care for better health outcomes. Our research strategy is aligned with and will help to drive our mission: healthy lives for everyone, through sustainable, innovative, compassionate care.
Our mission
Healthy lives for everyone, through sustainable, innovative, compassionate care
Every clinician at Peninsula Health is supported to engage with research as part of their practice. Whether applying evidence in practice or generating and translating research, research is important for everyone. We encourage a culture of curiosity and continuous learning, so that clinicians at all levels can contribute to and benefit from research. As we expand our research capabilities, we will preserve the collaborative and supportive culture that makes participating in research accessible and enjoyable for our staff.
Peninsula Health has a number of key partners and relationships to leverage diverse expertise and resources, enhancing research quality and impact.
The National Centre for Healthy Ageing is a federally-funded partnership between Peninsula Health and Monash University. The aim of the centre is to build research infrastructure to deliver national solutions for major challenges in healthy ageing, through excellence in translational research. A major component of the National Centre for Healthy Ageing for Peninsula Health is the development and implementation of the Healthy Ageing Data Platform. This data platform facilitates access to research data in a safe environment, dramatically reducing the time required to collect data from hospital systems and consumers.
Learning Health Systems use health-related data, analyse it to generate new knowledge, and provide this knowledge in an ongoing and timely manner to support near-time healthcare delivery and outcomes.
A Learning Health System is enabled through an organisational partnership comprised of an integrated team of frontline clinicians, researchers, community members, and industry stakeholders. Our relationship with Monash Partners Academic Health Science Centre and other strategic partners will progress the development of a Learning Health System that is embedded into care.
Our Healthy Ageing Data Platform brings together electronic health data, artificial intelligence, and linked datasets to support healthy ageing research.
The newly redeveloped Peninsula University Hospital provides an excellent setting for research growth.
Peninsula Health, Monash University, and other partners will create a university hospital, that provides opportunities for the research and the development of new models of integrated care, as well as an impetus for considering our research workforce landscape.
Peninsula University Hospital will be committed to:
• providing high-quality, holistic and evidence-based care for all people
• investing in research
• focusing on the educational development and training of our current and future workforce.
Our research strategy has been informed by a comprehensive process and supports the goals and objectives of the Healthy Lives Strategic Plan 2028.
Our approach involved several stages: external environment analysis, benchmarking, internal environment analysis, a strategic planning workshop with key stakeholder groups including consumers, and individual and small group consultation.
Through the process of developing our strategy, the following priorities were identified:
• Building research capacity and embedding this into care
• Building research workforce capability and pathways
• Co-designed research with consumers, particularly underrepresented populations
• Centralising research systems
• Improving data access, quality, and usage
• Collaboration and interdisciplinary research
• Boosting our organisational research reputation
• Ensuring research underpins the care we provide
• Priorities of research funders and partners
• Existing research frameworks
• Review of academic literature
• Research and organisational strategic plans of other health organisations and partners
• Existing research infrastructure
• Healthy Lives Strategic Plan 2028
• Research output analysis
• SWOT analysis
• Identify challenges, strategic intent, and research priorities
• Feedback and further consultation on draft strategic plan
Goal 1: A skilled and supported workforce
Goal 2: Consumer and community involvement
Goal 3: Innovation and collaboration
Goal 4: Sustainability, systems and infrastructure
Goal 1: A skilled and
We will grow and support our workforce to be research active.
At Peninsula Health, we are committed to fostering a strong research culture by integrating a university hospital model to support and encourage our employees to be research active. We recognise that our workforce is diverse, with clinicians and professional groups bringing different levels of research experience.
We will strive to build capability across our workforce, aiming for meaningful growth across professions. This will be achieved by enhanced professional development, offering dedicated research training programs for our clinical staff, and empowering them to engage in and contribute to impactful research.
Our strategic recruitment efforts will focus on attracting an experienced research workforce, which will drive both research productivity and the public profile of Peninsula Health. Additionally, our clear career pathways that integrate research roles across the health service will ensure that research is embedded within the healthcare system.
• Employees are supported to be research active through the integration of a university hospital model
• Professional research development programs enhance the research capability of our clinical staff
• Strategic recruitment of an experienced research workforce drives research productivity and public profile
• Established research career pathways across our health service integrate research roles into the health system
• A rise in the number of employees participating in research
• Increased research training participation
• A sustainable and embedded research workforce with an increase in the number of research-specific positions
• Research career pathways are clearly defined
We will actively partner with consumers to co-design and deliver research programs that are important to our community.
We are dedicated to fostering a research culture that is deeply connected to the community. By encouraging greater involvement of community members in our research activities, we will ensure that our research is more reflective of the needs and priorities of the communities we serve, including those from under-represented groups. This includes actively engaging First Nations people, as well as consumers from different demographics and culturally diverse backgrounds to deliver our research program. We will partner with individuals with lived experience in research processes – from design and implementation to the dissemination of findings – ensuring their perspectives shape meaningful and impactful research.
To support this, we plan to offer targeted training for both consumers and our researchactive workforce, promoting best practices in co-designed research.
• Community involvement in research activities leads to research that reflects community needs and priorities
• People with lived experience feel safe, supported, and are partners in the design, implementation, and dissemination of research
• Inclusive practices allow consumers from diverse backgrounds to participate in research
• Research activities are co-designed, implemented, and evaluated with First Nations people
• Training for consumers and our workforce supports best practice in co-designed research activity
• Formal feedback mechanisms allow research participants to share their insights
• Growth in the number of research projects that are co-designed with people who have lived experience
• Growth in the number of clinical trials initiated which focus on underrepresented or high-need populations
• Training programs are in place that empower consumers to take active roles in research
• Culturally safe and inclusive practices are embedded in all clinical trials involving First Nations people
We will foster a culture of innovation and collaboration, strengthening research quality through strategic partnerships.
We will continue to foster a culture of innovation and collaboration, seamlessly integrating research into the development of new models of care, tailored to the needs of our community. By recognising and celebrating research excellence, we will inspire continued innovation. Strengthening partnerships will be a priority, as we strategically expand relationships with local, national, and international organisations to enhance research and clinical trial activities. Through shared knowledge and collaboration, we will drive transformative healthcare solutions.
• A culture of innovation enables the integration of research into the development of new models of care
• We foster leadership in specialised research fields
• Partnerships and interdisciplinary collaboration drive innovative solutions for healthy lives
• Research and clinical trial activities are enhanced by strategically expanding partnerships locally, nationally, and internationally
• Our research profile is grown by celebrating and promoting our value and achievements
• Research findings are integrated into, and inform the development of new models of care
• A significant increase in the number of clinical trials initiated
• Growth in the number of media appearances, conference presentations, and publications
• An increase in the number of interdisciplinary and collaborative research projects initiated
• An increase in the number of joint appointments with research partners
We will grow our research sustainability through financial certainty, centralised systems, and integrated use of health data.
Our research will be deeply embedded into our health service through the integration of a university hospital model, supported by centralised, user-friendly systems that enhance research productivity and collaboration. We are committed to continuously expanding our digital health infrastructure and advancing data maturity, ensuring robust platforms that drive research and development efforts. Our focus on sustainability will ensure the long-term success of our research initiatives. Through the development of Learning Health Systems, we will continue to integrate stakeholder priorities, research evidence, and health data into care delivery, ensuring continuous improvement in health experiences and outcomes for our community.
• Research is embedded into our health service through a university hospital model, with centralised, user-friendly systems that enhance research productivity
• We continue to expand digital health infrastructure and data maturity for research
• Proactive pursuit of funding and resources ensures financial stability and long-term sustainability for research
• Research evidence and health data drives clinical decision-making to improve health outcomes
• University hospital model established
• An increase in the number of grants and funding secured for research initiatives
• Health data is utilised to enhance the design and execution of clinical research
• Data-driven interventions based on research evidence lead to measurable improvements in consumer outcomes
The Research Strategy 2025–2029 forms an integral part of the Peninsula Health strategic planning framework. Delivering on the goals and objectives will assist Peninsula Health to drive our mission: healthy lives for everyone through sustainable, innovative, compassionate care.
We are committed to achieving the goals outlined in this strategy through a clear implementation plan that ensures progress, accountability, and impact.
This will be achieved through:
• setting measurable targets
• transparent reporting of our achievements
• regular reporting to the executive, tracking progress against key performance indicators
• publishing our annual research report
By expanding research capability, fostering innovation, and leveraging data and technology, we will translate research into meaningful health improvements for our community.
