Stroke research at Monash recognised by the Stroke Society of Australasia

Muideen and Tharshanah
receiving their awards last Friday

Two PhD candidates at the School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health (SCS) have had their translational research recognised by the Stroke Society of Australasia (SSA) at the Annual Scientific Meeting in Melbourne last week.  

Muideen Olaiya and Tharshanah Thayabaranthan each received bursary awards valued at $1000 for their outstanding abstracts submitted for an oral presentation as PhD students.

Muideen Olaiya PhD is part of STANDFIRM trial, a large multicentre, randomised controlled trial to determine whether an organised program of care reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease in patients with stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA).

“Survivors of stroke in Australia still present with a number of risk factors after discharge from acute care, placing them at a great risk of experiencing recurrence and other severe events,” said Muideen.

“My research focuses on investigating the efficacy of an evidence-based model of post-discharge care, underpinned by policy, for the management of this high-risk population.”

“If effective, this model of care could improve long-term treatment outcomes in survivors of stroke.”

Meanwhile, Tharshanah’s PhD is a sub-study of Stroke123, a collaborative national effort to monitor, promote and improve the quality of stroke care in hospitals and patient outcomes.

“My research is focussed on determining the effectiveness of a quality improvement program to support Queensland hospitals in closing the gap between evidence and clinical practice in stroke care,” said Tharshanah.

“I'm aiming to show the added value of external support from independent organisations to improve quality of care in hospitals.”

“Better quality of care in hospitals leads to better patient outcomes.”

Tharshanah expressed her gratitude and thanks to the members of the Stroke123 team and her supervisors, Associate Professor Dominique Cadilhac and Dr Nadine Andrew for their support and encouragement.

“I feel honoured and privileged to receive this award, and particularly want to thank Professor Mandy Thrift, Associate Professor Dominique Cadilhac and Associate Professor Velandai Srikanth, and all other investigators and staff members involved in the trial,” said Muideen.