Dr Shanthi Ramanathan is the Head of Research Impact at the Hunter Medical Research Institute and a conjoint academic with the University of Newcastle’s College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing. She also serves as Co-Chair of the Association of Australian Medical Research Institutes’ Impact Working Group and Community of Practice.

Dr Ramanathan oversees a team that employs the Framework to Assess the Impact of Translational Health Research (FAIT) to evaluate and enhance research projects, programs, and funding schemes locally, nationally, and internationally.

FAIT integrates quantitative metrics, qualitative narratives, and economic analyses to assess impact. Dr Ramanathan has applied FAIT to various research initiatives, including NHMRC Centres for Research Excellence in Indigenous Primary Healthcare, Stroke Rehabilitation, Aphasia, and Digestive Health, as well as research collaboratives like the Hunter Cancer Research Alliance and NSW Regional Health Partners.

Her work spans multiple NHMRC, ARC, and MRFF-funded projects, public health initiatives in Samoa, Indonesia, and Fiji, and numerous NSW Health funding schemes.

Since 2017, Dr Ramanathan has authored over 26 peer-reviewed publications, conducted 88 capacity-building workshops, and delivered 39 presentations on research translation and impact to over 2,500 stakeholders.

She is recognised for her leadership in research impact through scholarship, policy advice, and capacity building, and is a member of the University of Newcastle’s Research Impact Committee.

Currently, she supervises two PhD students researching FAIT’s application in research capacity building and Indigenous community-based research.