Get to know our Research Team | Dr Sarah Young
“Not every regional hospital is lucky enough to have financial support for research the way the LGH does”
Dr Sarah Young, Research Fellow
March 2023
Medical research is vitally important to all clinicians and their patients, but sometimes the world of medical research can be difficult to navigate.
As part of a joint position with the University of Tasmania and the Clifford Craig Foundation, Dr Sarah Young provides research support to the Launceston General Hospital staff awarded Medical Research Grants through the Foundation.
She also assists staff with grant applications and designs and delivers research training to medical staff with an interest in research, or those who need to complete research as part of their training.
This year the Clifford Craig Foundation is facilitating a number of education initiatives aimed at increasing research interest and capability across the LGH.
This includes a new Registrar Research Training Program, with a ‘Crash Course’ being offered in March for Advanced Trainees (AT) who need to complete research projects as part of their training.
The program is being facilitated by Sarah, and as it gets underway we caught up with Sarah to find out a bit more about her background.
Q. Where are you from?
A. I am originally from Vancouver, BC, Canada, but I have lived in Australia since 2009. I have a BSc (Hons) in Biology (2004) and MSc in Environmental Science (2007) both from the University of British Columbia, and later completed a PhD at UTAS (2020) in Public Health.
Q. What attracted you to working/living in Tasmania?
A. I came to Launceston in 2013 with my family and fell in love with the climate and lifestyle. Tasmania is an amazing place to live– I call it the ‘golden handcuffs’ because once you’re here, it’s just too good to ever leave!
Q. When you’re not at work, what do you enjoy doing?
A. My partner and I have six school aged kids between us, so they keep me very busy! We enjoy camping, hiking, surfing, fishing, and many other outdoor pursuits. I also enjoy running and spend most of my free weekends running or hiking one of Tassie’s many beautiful mountain ranges.
Q. What are your goals for the Registrar Research Training Program?
A. We are hopeful that this program will facilitate Advanced Trainees to complete their research requirements more easily and efficiently than in the past, in a fun and supportive environment. The program may even entice trainees from interstate to come to the LGH. From what we know, this model is quite unique in regional Australia. While some of the larger, urban hospitals have research training opportunities, it is not common to find this kind of program in a regional hospital. Not every regional hospital is lucky enough to have financial support for research the way the LGH does.