School of Medical and Health Sciences

Professor Moira Sim

Professor Moira Sim is Executive Dean, School of Medical and Health Sciences at Edith Cowan University

Background

Professor Moira Sim is a general practitioner and a specialist addiction medicine physician with over 30 years in clinical practice in the community and has been at ECU since 2004. Moira has worked to increase access to quality care through professional education, advocacy and the establishment of system change through many roles in the healthcare system.

Moira holds a Clinical Adjunct position at the School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Western Australia, and is a member of the Impairment Review Committee at the Nurses and Midwives Board and a panel list on the Impairment Review Committee and Professional Standards Committee for the Medical Board for the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency. She is part of the education team for Medical Defence Australia National. Moira has served as Medical Director to Silver Chain’s Home Hospital, and as a member of the Medical Defence Association President’s Medical Liaison Council, the Western Australian Council for Safety and Quality in Health Care, the Musculoskeletal Network Executive Advisory Group, the Psychotherapeutic Drugs Committee of the Western Australian Therapeutics Advisory Group and the Care and Strategic Services Advisory Group at Amana Living.

Moira has previously been Chair of the Osborne Division of General Practitioners, Deputy Chair of General Practice Divisions of Western Australia, Deputy Chairperson of the Western Australian Faculty of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and Board Director of Australian Divisions of General Practice and she has led a team which provided medical advice for the Health and Disability Services Complaints Office in Western Australia. She is a peer reviewer for the journals BMJ Open, Australian Family Physician, the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, and Drug and Alcohol Review. She is a Fellow of both the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and the Australasian Chapter of Addiction Medicine(the Royal Australasian College of Physicians).

Professional Memberships

• Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (Chapter of Addiction Medicine)
• Chapter of Addiction Medicine, Royal Australian College of Physicians
• Medical Defence Association Australia

Research Areas and Interests

• Translation of evidence to clinical practice, alcohol and other drugs, prevention in health, managing behaviour in clinical practice.

Qualifications

• Graduate Diploma in Alcohol and Drug Abuse Studies, The University of Western Australia, 1996.
• Bachelor of Medicine, The University of Western Australia, 1985.
• Bachelor of Surgery, The University of Western Australia, 1985.

Research Outputs

Research Projects

• Getting to the heart of healthy aging: a behaviour change program to promote dietary pattern changes, National Health and Medical Research Council, MRFF - Dementia, Ageing and Aged Care Mission, 2022 ‑ 2026, $626,963.
• Paramedicine workforce survey, Australian and New Zealand College of Paramedicine, Tender, 2023 ‑ 2025, $36,879.
• What is the role of the safety Regulator in suicides?, Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety, Grant, 2023 ‑ 2024, $125,000.
• Develop a systematic profiling of neurological conditions that will facilitate personalised treatment and streamline service delivery, Multiple Sclerosis Society of Western Australia, MS WA - Research funding for social and applied research, 2019 ‑ 2024, $5,716,059.
• Community expectations and utilisation of emergency health services during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation, Covid-19 Research Fund, 2020 ‑ 2023, $100,000.
• Aboriginal Health, Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation, Covid-19 Research Fund, 2020 ‑ 2023, $200,000.
• Early identification of and appropriate response to aggressive behaviour for hospital workers, Department of Health WA, Clinical Simulation and Training Grants, 2020 ‑ 2022, $49,794.
• Evaluation of Drug and Alcohol Advisory Service (DACAS), Mental Health Commission (WA), Grant, 2022, $50,000.
• Primary Care Capacity Building – Alcohol and Drugs, WA Primary Health Alliance, Grant, 2017 ‑ 2022, $1,363,172.
• Online Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) Education for the Department of Health, Department of Health WA, Tender, 2014 ‑ 2019, $487,136.
• Circadian Heart Rate as a Measure of Antidepressant effectiveness, Medibio Ltd, Grant, 2016 ‑ 2019, $58,654.
• Pain-Omics - Multi-dimensional omics approach to stratification of patients with low back pain, European Commission, Grant - Seventh Framework Programme (FP7), 2013 ‑ 2018, $5,998,886.
• Beta cell mass and Islet production in the Gene Mine mouse strains, Edith Cowan University, ECU Early Career Researcher Grant - 2016, 2016 ‑ 2017, $30,000.
• Better Access To Home Hospital for Residents in Aged Care Facilities, Department of Health WA, WA Health Targeted Research Fund, 2014 ‑ 2017, $303,000.
• Validation and Distribution of the Sub-Optimal Health Status Questionnaire-25 (SHSQ-25) for the Australian Context, Edith Cowan University, ECU Industry Collaboration Grant - 2013, 2013 ‑ 2016, $43,992.
• Assessing the “at risk” Elderly in an Independent Living Community Setting, Edith Cowan University, ECU Industry Collaboration Grant - 2015 (Round 1), 2015 ‑ 2016, $44,924.
• Suboptimal Health-A New Instrument for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Assessment, ANZ Executors and Trustee Company Limited, Judith Jane Mason and Harold Stannett Williams Memorial Foundation - National Medical & Scientific Grants, 2014 ‑ 2015, $99,398.
• Standards and Quality Indicators for Best Practice in Paramedic and Inter-Professional Experiential Practica, Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, Novated ALTC Grant, 2011 ‑ 2015, $196,000.
• Evaluation of Structure and Resources in the Management of Chronic Hepatitis C, Department of Health WA, Royal Perth Hospital - Liver Service, 2013 ‑ 2014, $28,000.
• Extending the role of paramedics in the greater Darwin region, Northern Territory, St John Ambulance, Health Workforce Australia, 2012 ‑ 2014, $191,773.
• Workforce Development: Hepatitis B and C Health Professional Engagement and Education, Department of Health WA, Grant, 2009 ‑ 2014, $592,014.
• A joint Australian-China pilot survey on "Suboptimal Health", The Department of Industry, Innovation, Climate Change, Science, Research and Tertiary Education , Australia-China Science and Research Fund Group Missions, 2013 ‑ 2014, $43,600.
• Promoting Physical Activity to Improve the Outcome of Depression in Later Life (ACTIVEDEP), Healthway (WA Health Promotion Foundation), Healthway - Health Promotion Research Project Grant, 2008 ‑ 2013, $143,545.
• PARAMED Home (Paramedic Assessment and Referral to Access MEDical care at home: a randomised trial, Department of Health WA, SHRAC Research Translation Projects, 2010 ‑ 2012, $145,000.
• Creating cultural empathy and challenging attitudes through Indigenous narratives, Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, Novated ALTC Grant, 2010 ‑ 2012, $220,000.
• For the development and implementation of a blended learning program, including e-learning, for the management of sexually transmissible infections as part of a state-wide workforce development program for general practitioners and practice nurses., Department of Health WA, Grant, 2011, $110,173.
• Data Review and Clinical Audit of Australian Medical Procedures Research Foundation Limited (AMPRF), Drug and Alcohol Office, Grant, 2011, $66,452.
• Provision of an E-learning package, Department of Health WA, Grant, 2009, $18,000.
• Hepatitis C Workforce Development, Department of Health WA, Grant, 2008 ‑ 2009, $132,451.
• Recruit and retain Indigenous health professionals, particularly nurses, though the establishment of partnerships and development and implementation of appropriate strategies, Edith Cowan University, Grant - Development, 2007 ‑ 2009, $26,463.
• Establishing a practice policy for the management of manipulative and aggressive behaviour, Osborne Division of General Practice, Grant, 2007 ‑ 2008, $4,545.
• Making changes Across the Hospital in the Treatment of Patients with Alcohol and Drug Issues, Edith Cowan University, ECU Industry Collaboration - Grant, 2007 ‑ 2008, $10,000.
• Kids and Parents for Optimal Weight (KAPOW), Osborne Division of General Practice, Grant, 2007 ‑ 2008, $10,000.
• Evaluation of Falls Linkage Independence Program, Department of Health WA, Grant, 2008, $14,400.
• Review and provision of recommendations for the updating of four government publications by the Health Department of Western Australia on abortion and abortion counselling, University of Western Australia, Grant, 2006 ‑ 2007, $23,660.
• Economic Cost of Caring and Anxiety Depression and Social Dysfunction Amongst Carers, Carers Association of Western Australia, Grant, 2006 ‑ 2007, $8,900.

Research Student Supervision