Dr Veronica Jarocki and Ophelia Phraphone are based at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), one of SAAFE’s major research partners. UTS brings critical microbiology and genomics capability to the consortium.

A Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow and PhD Scholar respectively, they are both part of SAAFE’s Scholar cohort. The Scholar Program is a key part of SAAFE’s strategy to develop the next generation of leaders in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) research, and this visit is an excellent example of the tailored Scholar experiences designed by SAAFE’s Education & Training Program Manager Dr Lisa Kirkland to enhance the cohort-wide program.

For Foundation Postdoctoral Veronica, presenting to the SAAFE Board offered an opportunity to strengthen her ability to translate technical research into meaningful insights for broader audiences.

“Presenting to the Board reinforced that a non-specialist audience needs the implication first and the evidence second.”

Veronica said the experience challenged her to look beyond the technical detail of genomic surveillance and focus more clearly on the real-world relevance of her work.

“My norm is to walk an audience through background and findings, but presenting to the Board reinforced that results have to translate into something stakeholders can actually use,” she said.

She also highlighted the value of informal catch-ups with fellow Scholars and the broader SAAFE team, which created space to share updates, discuss future opportunities and strengthen collaborative relationships across the network.

Veronica also noted that experiences such as the Adelaide visit help early career researchers build the broader leadership capabilities needed in One Health research.

“The bottleneck for many ECRs isn’t technical capability but the ability to communicate across the research, policy and industry divide. Experiences like the Adelaide visit are essentially compressed training in that [skill].”

PhD Scholar Ophelia Phraphone similarly reflected on the importance of stepping outside traditional academic settings and hearing directly from industry stakeholders about the broader significance of her work.

“It helped me step out of my scientific bubble and reconsider my work in a broader One Health context.”

Ophelia said the experience reinforced the importance of communication, perspective and relationship-building when working across complex, cross-sector challenges such as antimicrobial resistance.

“The impact and take-home action points hold a lot of weight when talking to wider audiences and we are the vessels to help audiences understand how the semantics of our data translate into the real world,” she said.

SAAFE Director Liz Riley, who is also a member of the Education & Training Advisory Committee, commented: “Hearing SAAFE Scholars present their work directly to the Board provides great confidence to the Directors to the value and progress of the research which we have invested in but also in the early career researchers. Veronica and Ophelia’s passion and deep understanding of their role in solving AMR was evident. As industry-engaged stakeholders, we are pleased to offer feedback which supports the Scholars to build their ability to communicate the impact of their research to the SAAFE community.”

Ophelia also reflected on the value of strengthening connections across the SAAFE community and gaining a deeper understanding of the breadth of research taking place nationally.

“Visualising how interconnected AMR research, industry and policy are, is invaluable for future leaders.”

Both Scholars said opportunities through the Scholar Program to engage with stakeholders, collaborate across disciplines and communicate research in accessible ways are essential to developing future leaders who can navigate the complexity of One Health challenges.

Education & Training Program Manager Dr Lisa Kirkland commented: “Designing and hosting tailored Scholar experiences is a unique opportunity SAAFE can provide to strengthen cohort connectedness, create impact and build meaningful leadership opportunities. It has been a privilege to host Veronica and Ophelia, who are part of an exceptional cohort of emerging AMR researchers. They are developing strong professional capabilities alongside their technical expertise, to translate their findings into real-world impact.”