OUR IMPACT · 2025–2026
Better health begins
with working together.
We connect research, healthcare and lived experience to help turn evidence into changes that matter for Western Australians.
Shared expertise. Lasting possibility.From consumers shaping research to clinicians building the skills to lead it, impact starts with people working together.
Impact at a glance
A connected network. Greater research capability. More opportunities to put evidence into practice.
21
Partner Organisations
Network reported in 2025–2026
5,222
New research training enrolments
RETProgram · 2025–2026 financial year
10
Allied health projects funded
Across nine professions · 2025
20+
CAHS researchers supported in consumer involvement
CCI Scholarships initiative · Reported in 2025–2026
Source: WAHTN Impact Report 2025–2026. These figures describe network reach, research training, funded projects and consumer involvement support. The stories below show how that support contributes to change. Enrolments are course registrations, not unique people.
Impact takes many forms
Better care depends on more than a single discovery. It takes stronger skills, shared priorities and the voices of the people research is here to serve.
Research translation
Helping evidence move into policy, practice and care.
Health service impact
Connecting research with the challenges health services need to solve.
Consumer and community impact
Making lived experience part of how research is shaped.
Building research capability
Equipping people with the skills and support to lead research.
Collaboration and partnerships
Bringing expertise together across organisational boundaries.
The difference we make, together.
Explore how shared expertise and lived experience are helping research respond to real needs.
From a community conversation to an ongoing voice in medicines research
Consumers helped shape how medicines research is carried out and kept a place at the table as that work grew.
PROMPT-RC / COM-PROMPT
EVIDENCE OF CHANGE
Consumer input carried through to funded projects, advisory groups and guideline development. The report traces a lasting role for lived experience in the research process.
Source: WAHTN Impact Report 2025–2026, p. 11.
Explore the story: from challenge to impact
The challenge
People wanted clearer medicine information, more say in decisions about their care and support to discuss their medicines with health professionals. PROMPT-RC also responded to the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety’s recommendations on medication management.
The collaboration
Consumers worked with Associate Professor Amy Page and The University of Western Australia’s Centre for Optimisation of Medicines, supported by WAHTN’s Consumer and Community Involvement Program (CCIProgram).
What WAHTN enabled
CCIProgram facilitated a Community Conversation on consumer-centred medication management and worked with the research team to establish the PROMPT-RC Consumer Advisory Group. This gave consumers an ongoing role in advising on project priorities.
The change
Community input informed the MRFF grant application that led to PROMPT-RC. Consumer involvement continued through the research and led to COM-PROMPT, extending the work into community settings and shared decision-making.
The impact
Consumer involvement became part of the research process beyond a single consultation. The report documents multiple funded projects, continuing Consumer Advisory Groups and input into the development of deprescribing guidelines for older people. This demonstrates influence on research and guidance; the report does not quantify patient health outcomes.
“Consumer and community involvement influenced project processes more than the research questions.”
Associate Professor Amy Page · WAHTN Impact Report 2025–2026, p. 11
Read the source case study (p. 11) · Report references: PROMPT-RC study protocol and deprescribing publication.
Making exercise support part of the cancer care pathway
Six women’s lived experience revealed why exercise advice was difficult to access and what a fairer pathway needs to provide.
PROJECT SCENIC
EVIDENCE OF CHANGE
Six women from metropolitan and regional WA identified shared barriers to exercise during cancer treatment. Their photographs and interviews shaped recommendations for clearer referrals, consistent information and more equitable access.
WAHTN Impact Report 2025–2026 · p. 10
Explore the story: from challenge to impact
The challenge
Exercise can reduce cancer treatment side effects, yet participants described fatigue, pain, unclear advice and limited local services. Support depended too heavily on where someone lived and who they happened to see.
The collaboration
Six women from metropolitan and regional WA worked with Dr Mary Kennedy, Edith Cowan University’s Nutrition & Health Innovation Research Institute and the SCENIC research team.
What WAHTN enabled
WAHTN’s Consumer and Community Involvement Program facilitated a Photovoice-informed Micro Community Conversation, turning photographs and lived experience into evidence the research team could act on.
The change
The conversation reframed the barriers as systemic rather than personal and set clear priorities: routine discussion of exercise, consistent information, direct referral pathways and equitable access.
The impact
The findings are informing the design and implementation of an exercise and nutrition referral pathway for people with cancer in south-west WA. The report demonstrates influence on implementation priorities; service and health outcomes are still to be measured.
“It feels like Russian roulette. Who gets the right information?”
Project SCENIC participant
Keeping Good Clinical Practice training current and practical
A full redevelopment turned changing research standards into accessible online learning that people could apply in real situations.
RETPROGRAM · GOOD CLINICAL PRACTICE
EVIDENCE OF CHANGE
Participation rose to 2,241 enrolments in 2025–2026, compared with 1,534 in the previous year. The redesigned course maintained a participant satisfaction rating of 4.24 out of 5.
WAHTN Impact Report 2025–2026 · p. 12
Explore the story: from challenge to impact
The challenge
The flagship Good Clinical Practice course needed to reflect new international and national guidance while making complex requirements easier for researchers to understand and use.
The collaboration
The RETProgram, established with support from the WA Department of Health, drew on participant feedback and the changing standards that govern clinical research.
What WAHTN enabled
WAHTN redeveloped both the comprehensive and refresher courses for ICH E6(R3) and the 2025 National Statement, adding voice-over narration and realistic scenario quizzes.
The change
Learners gained a four-hour comprehensive course and a two-hour refresher, with clearer presentation and practical checks that connect principles to research situations.
The impact
After the August 2025 release, enrolments almost doubled year on year to 2,241 while satisfaction remained high at 4.24 out of 5. These measures show reach and learner response; the report does not claim downstream clinical outcomes.
2,241 enrolments after the updated courses launched, up from 1,534 the year before.
Good Clinical Practice courses · 2025–2026
One gateway for a fragmented research-training landscape
The Knowledge Hub brings courses, events, guidance and resources from across WA into a single place designed around discovery.
WAHTN KNOWLEDGE HUB
EVIDENCE OF CHANGE
WAHTN created a statewide gateway for research training opportunities and resources from Partner Organisations. Search, filters, saved resources, alerts and contributor pathways replace a scattered discovery process with shared infrastructure.
WAHTN Impact Report 2025–2026 · p. 14
Explore the story: from challenge to impact
The challenge
Courses, workshops, guidelines and events were scattered across organisations, mailing lists and individual websites. That fragmentation created duplication, gaps and low visibility.
The collaboration
WAHTN brought resources and contribution pathways from its Partner Organisations into one coordinated statewide platform.
What WAHTN enabled
The network designed and developed a secure Knowledge Hub with search and filtering, personal accounts, bookmarks, weekly alerts, an event calendar and reviewed contribution pathways.
The change
Researchers can now look in one place for relevant training and resources, while contributors have a shared route to keep the collection current and administrators can see unmet demand.
The impact
The platform establishes shared infrastructure for faster discovery and evidence-informed planning. The report documents the launch and its capabilities; it does not yet provide usage or outcome measures.
A single online gateway for research training, guidance, events and digital resources across Western Australia.
WAHTN Knowledge Hub
Explore the Knowledge Hub · Read the source case study (p. 14)
Bringing trial expertise and lived experience into one room
A two-day course connected clinicians, academics and consumers with specialist trial knowledge and with one another.
CLINICAL TRIALS ENABLING PLATFORM · WA
EVIDENCE OF CHANGE
More than 50 delegates attended the two-day Clinical Trials Course in March 2026. Participants included WA clinicians, academics and consumers, and the report records a strong response to both the content and networking.
WAHTN Impact Report 2025–2026 · p. 16
Explore the story: from challenge to impact
The challenge
Investigators need practical capability across trial design, methodology and conduct, as well as stronger connections across Western Australia’s clinical trials ecosystem.
The collaboration
WAHTN’s Clinical Trials Enabling Platform partnered with the Stroke Trials Centre of Research Excellence at the University of Sydney. The participant group brought together clinicians, academics and consumers.
What WAHTN enabled
CTEP-WA delivered a two-day, face-to-face course covering the core elements of designing and conducting clinical trials, alongside deliberate opportunities to build professional connections.
The change
More than 50 people learned together across institutional and professional boundaries, with specialist researchers sharing knowledge and experience directly.
The impact
The report demonstrates statewide reach, cross-sector participation and a strong qualitative response from a consumer participant. It does not yet measure changes in trial quality, practice or research outcomes.
“It was a brilliant course. You cannot get training at that level anywhere else.”
Katarina · Consumer Clinical Trials Course participant
Helping researchers bring lived experience into their projects
Through the CCI Scholarships initiative, researchers at the Child and Adolescent Health Service received practical support to connect their projects with consumers with relevant lived experience.
CAHS · CCI SCHOLARSHIPS INITIATIVE
20+
Researchers supported
Connecting research with lived experience
CAHS · CCI Scholarships initiative
Reported in 2025–2026
EVIDENCE OF CHANGE
More than 20 researchers received consumer involvement support. Masterclasses, eCourses and one-on-one guidance helped connect researchers and their projects with consumers with relevant lived experience.
WAHTN Impact Report 2025–2026 · p. 9
Explore the story: from challenge to impact
The challenge
Researchers need core knowledge of consumer involvement and practical support to connect with people whose lived experience is relevant to their projects.
The collaboration
The Child and Adolescent Health Service (CAHS) and WAHTN CCIProgram collaborated on the CCI Scholarships initiative. Following a successful pilot, the collaboration entered its second year.
What WAHTN enabled
CCIProgram delivered education masterclasses, eCourses and one-on-one support to help researchers involve consumers with relevant lived experience.
The change
More than 20 researchers were supported through the initiative, building their understanding of consumer involvement practices and helping remove early barriers to involvement.
The impact
The report describes this work as strengthening the CAHS Consumer Involvement Program by building researchers’ knowledge and supporting connections with consumers.
More than 20 researchers supported to connect research with lived experience.
CAHS · CCI Scholarships initiative
Helping more people build their research skills
Through RETProgram, people at different stages of their careers can access online training in basic and advanced research topics.
RETPROGRAM · RESEARCH EDUCATION AND TRAINING
EVIDENCE OF CHANGE
RETProgram recorded 5,222 new course enrolments from 180 health and medical institutions in 2025–2026, its highest annual total. Cumulative enrolments reached 29,107, from 15,613 individual participants.
WAHTN Impact Report 2025–2026 · pp. 12–13
Explore the story: from challenge to impact
The challenge
People entering research and those with years of experience need training that matches their knowledge and the work they do.
The collaboration
WAHTN established RETProgram in 2015 with support from the WA Department of Health. In 2025–2026, enrolments came from 180 health and medical institutions.
What WAHTN enabled
RETProgram offers 16 active online courses, with modules covering basic to advanced research topics. WAHTN also updated its Good Clinical Practice courses in 2025 to reflect current guidance and include practical scenario quizzes.
The change
Annual enrolments reached a new high of 5,222 in 2025–2026. Cumulative enrolments grew from 676 in 2016–2017 to 29,107 in 2025–2026. These are course registrations; 15,613 individual participants have taken part.
Across the cumulative total, universities accounted for 13,771 enrolments, health service providers for 8,964, medical research institutes for 2,304 and other organisations for 4,068.
The impact
RETProgram has reached people across career stages. Of cumulative enrolments, 54% were from people with 0–5 years of experience, 14.3% with 6–10 years, 10.9% with 11–15 years, 6.8% with 16–20 years and 14% with more than 20 years.
The report records that 80% of participants came from WAHTN Partner Organisations.
15,613 people have taken part in RETProgram research training.
RETProgram · Reported in 2025–2026
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THE FULL PICTURE
Our impact.
Our shared progress.
Read the WAHTN Impact Report 2025–2026 for the collaborations, achievements and emerging work behind these stories.
PDF · 20 pages · approximately 10.6 MB
OUR EARLIER WORK
Past Projects and Initiatives
Explore the collaborations, fellowship programs and events that helped build research capability and support research translation across Western Australia.
WORK WITH WAHTN
What could we change together?
Bring a health service challenge, a research idea or lived experience. Let’s explore how the network can help.