Through the RCH’s Clinician Scientist Fellow program, 24 leading clinicians are provided with a very valuable asset – time. This protected and dedicated time is critical to uncovering new treatments and discoveries that will change the future of children’s health. This year, Associate Professor Penelope Bryant was awarded the inaugural RCH Auxiliaries Clinician Scientist Fellowship for her commitment to helping more children recover safely in the comfort of their own homes.

Penelope has dedicated her career to discovering better ways for children to recover safely outside hospital walls. Her research has pioneered the medical evolution of the RCH’s Hospital in the Home (HITH) program. The HITH program ensures that eligible children, who may ordinarily be admitted to hospital, are able to receive the same level of high-quality clinical care at home.

Thanks to Penelope’s leadership and research, the program has grown from supporting 16 beds to more than 60. This growth has helped give more children and families the opportunity to spend less time in hospitals and more time together at home, while continuing to receive the care they need.

“Children recover quicker, their quality of life is better, and it’s three times less expensive for families. When it is safe to treat children outside of the hospital, we have a duty to try and get them home,” Penelope said.

One of Penelope’s key areas of focus is antibiotic use. Nearly 50 per cent of children in hospital are on intravenous (IV) antibiotics at any one time, making this treatment the single biggest reason children are admitted. Through her research, Penelope has helped revolutionise clinical antibiotic prescribing practices at the RCH and shaped national paediatric guidelines used across Australia.

Importantly, her work is also helping address one of the world’s most pressing health challenges: antibiotic resistance – among the top 10 health threats globally.

“I think antibiotic resistance is a problem that we just can’t do enough about, everybody has to be involved, everybody has to be thinking about it – from doctors, nurses, patients, vets to farmers,” Penelope explained.

As a Clinician Scientist Fellow, Penelope will be able to further her vital research in investigating effective antibiotic use and timely discharge post-surgery.

Penelope’s research aims to identify and establish evidence-based criteria to enable children with more severe skin and urinary infections and those recovering from appendicitis to return home safely and sooner after surgery. This work has the potential to shorten inpatient stays, minimise the number of readmissions or complications, and boost outcomes for children and their families.

At the heart of Penelope’s work is a simple goal: helping more children recover where they heal best, while also ensuring hospital beds remain available for the children who need them most. Her research will benefit children now and for generations to come – a reality made possible thanks to the RCH Auxiliaries.

“Without the RCH Foundation, this work would never have gotten off the ground – and I feel incredibly proud to now have the ongoing support of the RCH Auxiliaries. Thanks to them, we keep challenging assumptions and asking questions to improve children’s health in to the future. I am beyond grateful,” Penelope concluded.