Each year SHAPE holds a symposium. The symposium explores the challenges and opportunities facing health service management - both in the educational setting and in the health and aged care workplace. A feature of the symposium is the opportunity to hear presentations that inform and inspire both practitioners and researchers.

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The contemporaneous themes vary from year-to-year and are wide ranging reflecting the diverse nature of health service management. Past themes have included:

 

• Achieving safety and quality in healthcare

• Workforce training

• Education and development

• Value based patient centred care

• Strategic and change management.

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Mary Harris Bursary

Dr Mary Harris AM was a founding member of the Society of Health Administration Programs in Education (SHAPE) and served as its Chairperson and Treasurer for many years. 

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To honour Mary’s outstanding contribution to SHAPE and her significant support of research into health service management in Australia, SHAPE offers a Student Bursary in her name of up to $A1500 for a student to present at the annual Symposium. The bursary can be used to pay for airfares, accommodation and Symposium registration.   

 

To be eligible for the Student Bursary you must: 

• Be a part time or full time undergraduate or post graduate student studying in a health management research or coursework degree in Australia

• Be enrolled in a university that is a financial member of SHAPE 

• Not currently hold a part time or full-time academic position 

• Be prepared to present your paper at the Symposium. 

 

Abstracts are judged by a panel of SHAPE Executive members. For further information on the student bursary, please email Kevin Forde.

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Historically

Historically the SHAPE symposiums were held as face-to-face events with one day of the symposium specifically designated for academics and post graduate students involved in researching and teaching Health Service Management (HSM) to share research ideas and discuss issues relevant to HSM teaching. Providing a time for networking is an important feature of the symposium.

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For programs from recent symposiums visit past programs.

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The Future 

To allow greater participation in the symposium they are now held with both a face-to-face and online component to ensure participation is possible by those unable to attend a face-face event.

The 2025 SHAPE Symposium will be held in Singapore and information on this event will be available soon on this website.

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