Dr Soraia De Camargo Catapan

Lecturer

Centre for Health Services Research
Faculty of Medicine

Overview

Dr Catapan came to Australia in December 2019 for a 12-month PhD research placement at UQ after winning a highly competitive scholarship from the Brazilian Government. As COVID-19 impacted their research program, she stayed in Australia, even without a scholarship extension and completed her PhD in Public Health while holding research assistant and project coordinator roles. She was appointed Postdoc Research Fellow in May 2022. Dr Catapan holds years of study and work experience in various healthcare settings in Brazil (2013-2019) and the UK (2003-2008). She has exemplary research outputs, collaborations, and career trajectory relative to opportunities and challenges encountered. She has a proven track record for delivering high-quality projects, with national significance, including policy change and integration into the national strategy in Brazil, and the implementation of a digital model of care developed in Australia. Dr Catapan's track record demonstrates a rising career trajectory. Her research interests are Telehealth and Digital Health, including digitally disrupted models of care for chronic conditions, health services research, including implementation and evaluation strategies, mixed-methods, cross-sectional studies, co-design and qualitative inquiry. community and consumer involvement.

Research Impacts

During her PhD (2017-21), Dr Catapan designed and led multiple studies investigating patient and clinician perspectives on telehealth in Brazil resulting in 5 high-impact publications. This shed light on telehealth implementation barriers and contributed to an evidence base, including policy development (https://www.diariomunicipal.sc.gov.br/atos/4699087; https://www.cisamurc.sc.gov.br/painel/documentos/12f8403a15bafc8915f46260b4f6239c.pdf). These efforts were recognized by a highly competitive scholarship from the Brazilian Government, allowing her research to continue in Australia, after receiving offers to study at renowned universities (Oxford and University College London). Dr Catapan has actively participated in the development and implementation of a digital model of care for people with type 2 diabetes in a major tertiary hospital in Queensland (2019-2022). She has also coordinated a stepped wedge cluster randomised trial to reduce inappropriate antimicrobial use in residential aged care facilities (2021-22). Since April 2022, Dr Catapan led research to develop and validate instruments to measure trust and confidence in telehealth for people with chronic kidney disease. She obtained grants to run consumer activities, codesigned instruments, and supervised data collection. A cross-sectional study applying the validated surveys was invited for publication in the Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare and Another 3 publications are in progress. Also, a submitted cross-sectional analysis of the Australian population found different levels of trust and confidence in telehealth with medical and allied health professionals, associated with positive experiences and good internet access.

Dr Catapan leads an International Collaborative Research Program between UQ-COH in Australia and the Santa Catarina Telehealth Centre in Brazil. This partnership aims to drive impactful research on equitable telehealth services, publishing Brazilian experience and impact with telehealth service provision in English language journals, leveraging the expertise and perspectives of researchers to create a lasting impact on healthcare delivery and pave the way for a more connected and inclusive world. She also co-produced educational materials to increase digital literacy for telehealth provision. In Brazil (2015-17), Dr Catapan led the expansion of a teledermatology service model introduced into 295 municipalities, subsequently adopted as a national strategy. Dr Catapan also was involved in the National Program for Access and Quality Improvement in Primary Care (2017-18), leading an evaluation of over 38,000 primary care teams.

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy of Public Health, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC)
  • Masters (Research) of Public Health, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC)
  • Postgraduate Certificate in Project Management
  • Advanced Diploma, University of Wales Newport
  • Bachelor (Honours) of Pharmacy, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC)

Publications

View all Publications

Supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy

View all Supervision

Publications

Book Chapter

Journal Article

Conference Publication

Other Outputs

  • Thomas, Emma E., Chapman, Niamh, de Camargo Catapan, Soraia, Climie, Rachel E., Wise, Steven G., Mirabito Colafella, Katrina M., Picone, Dean S., Inglis, Sally C., Tan, Joanne T. M., Wu, Jason, Blekkenhorst, Lauren, Calkin, Anna C. and Marques, Francine Z. (2022). Strategies to support early- and mid-career cardiovascular researchers to thrive.

Grants (Administered at UQ)

PhD and MPhil Supervision

Current Supervision