If you would like more information or have any questions about this scholarship, please contact the project supervisors.
Patient journeys in long COVID
Applications will remain open until a candidate has been appointed
Supporting a PhD candidate to map the patient journeys of culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities living with long COVID to inform culturally responsive primary care.
Key details
Project supervisor
Deakin school and faculty
Additional supervisors
Dr Ruby Biezen (University of Melbourne)
Location
Geelong Waterfront Campus
Value and duration
This scholarship is available over three years and offers:
- a stipend of $37,450 per annum tax exempt (2026 rate)
- a relocation allowance of $500–1,500 (for single to family) for students moving from interstate
Research aim
The aim of this PhD project is to examine and map the patient journeys of people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities living with Long COVID, in order to identify key barriers, facilitators, and critical touchpoints influencing recognition, access to care, and management, and to generate evidence to inform culturally responsive models of care in primary care.
The student will undertake a mixed-methods study embedded within a larger program developing and evaluating a culturally appropriate model of care for CALD communities. The research will involve narrative interviews with people with lived experience of Long COVID, and where appropriate family members or carers, to explore experiences across the illness and care continuum, including symptom onset, help-seeking, interactions with healthcare providers, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up care. Qualitative analysis will be used to identify patterns in barriers, facilitators, and unmet needs. Findings will be synthesised into patient journey maps and personas that visually represent care pathways and highlight key touchpoints associated with delays, communication challenges, service gaps, and impacts on everyday life.
Background information
People from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities are disproportionately affected by Long COVID yet face significant barriers to recognition, diagnosis, and ongoing care, including language barriers, cultural stigma, limited awareness of Long COVID, and difficulties navigating complex and fragmented healthcare pathways.
Evidence describing how people from CALD communities experience the healthcare system over time remains limited, particularly in the Australian primary care context, constraining the development of equitable and culturally responsive models of care.
This PhD project will focus on the patient journeys of people from CALD communities living with Long COVID as part of a larger multi-institutional research program developing and evaluating a culturally responsive primary care model. The student will construct draft patient journeys based upon qualitative narrative interviews (undertaken in another part of the study) with people with lived experience of Long COVID, and where appropriate family members or carers, that explore experiences across the illness and care continuum, including symptom onset, help-seeking, interactions with healthcare providers, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up care. These data will be synthesised into patient journey maps and personas to identify key barriers, facilitators, and critical touchpoints influencing care experiences and outcomes.
The student will also contribute to interpretation of these journey maps with input from healthcare providers and health system stakeholders to identify actionable opportunities for improving recognition and care pathways. The project will generate new knowledge about care experiences, inequities, and system gaps affecting CALD communities with Long COVID and will directly inform the co-design of culturally responsive interventions and models of care aimed at improving access, timeliness of diagnosis, and health outcomes.
The student will then work with CALD communities, families and healthcare providers and health system stakeholders to validate these patient pathways, identify actionable opportunities for improving care pathways and develop and evaluate supporting resources. The project will be conducted in partnership with primary care providers, Primary Health Networks, community health services, and CALD community organisations in metropolitan and regional Victoria, ensuring strong industry engagement and supporting translation of findings into practice and policy.
Am I eligible?
To be eligible you must:
- be a domestic candidate. Domestic includes candidates with Australian Citizenship, Australian Permanent Residency or New Zealand Citizenship
- meet Deakin's PhD entry requirements
- enrol full time
- hold an honours degree (first class) or an equivalent standard masters degree with a substantial research component.
Please refer to the research degree entry pathways page for further information.
Additional requirements (highly desirable):
- Fluency in one or more of the following languages: Vietnamese, Italian, Greek, Arabic, Mandarin, Turkish, Cantonese, Macedonian, Croatian, Persian/Farsi, Punjabi, Hazaraghi, Malayalam, Filipino, Hindi, Gujurati.
The candidate will be expected to complete recruitment, data collection and data analysis in their chosen language.
Ready to apply?
Please email your CV and cover letter (including your interest in the project) to A/Prof Danielle Hitch. Your CV should highlight your skills, education, publications and relevant work experience. If successful, you will be invited to submit a formal application.
Research degree entry requirements
Set yourself up for success. Each type of Deakin research degree has specific entry requirements designed to ensure that graduate researchers are well prepared for the challenges of advanced study.
