Chronic skin wounds include pressure ulcers, diabetic foot ulcers, venous and arterial leg ulcers. These wounds can have a substantial impact on a patient’s quality of life, and often result in individuals struggling to care for themselves at home. Chronic skin wounds are prevalent in older people and people with co-morbid medical conditions such as diabetes. These wounds have a substantial burden of disease, and in some cases can be a catalyst for early entry into residential aged care, making their prevention, identification, and management an important public health issue.

This research will seek to determine both the systemic and pathophysiological determinants of chronic skin wounds. Firstly, a health and aged care systems implementation science approach will be employed to determine contextual barriers and enablers of best-practice prevention and wound management. Secondly, the pathophysiology of different types of chronic wounds will be dissected using techniques such as vascularisation mapping and immune phenotyping. The project therefore provides a unique opportunity to gain skills in a broad range of research methods from qualitative interviews to biomedical-science bench techniques.

The successful candidate will work with both the Health Services Research team and the Coeliac Disease and Immune Health Research team at Wesley Research Institute, and will be enrolled at Charles Darwin University.

To apply, please contact the Supervision Team at Wesley Research via enquiries@wesleyresearch.org.au with “Chronic Wounds PhD EOI” in the subject.

Please include:

1. A cover letter that includes a brief statement of your suitability (maximum two pages).
2. A curriculum vitae, including a list of any peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations and relevant work and/or research experience.