Wei Wang

Research Fellow

“We feel and know that we are eternal”

Baruch Spinoza

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STAR Fellowship (Primary Care): Stepped Technology Support for Anxiety-free Public Dentistry

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Investigators

  • Trung Dung Bui, Research Fellow in Primary Care Research, Monash University
  • Libby Callaway, Associate Professor, Rehabilitation, Ageing and Independent Living Research Centre, Monash University
  • Jonathan Bredin, disability advocate and lived-experience co-investigator
  • Alice Urban, Director of Integrated Care and Dental, Peninsula Health
  • Charmine Hartel, Professor, Monash Business School Impact Labs
  • Kristian Rotaru, Professor, Monash Business School Impact Labs
  • Kadek Satriadi, Lecturer, Department of Human Centred Computing, Monash University
  • Wei Wang, Research Fellow, Monash Business School Impact Labs / Opportunity Tech Lab ecosystem
  • Jane Blandy, Senior Occupational Therapist and disability practice advisor
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Funding details

Monash Partners STAR Fellowship for Primary Care Research

  • Up to AU$60,000 over one year
  • Supports protected research time, implementation science training, dissemination, and publication costs
  • Fellowship period planned for July 2026 to July 2027
Fellowship funding Up to AU$60,000
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Project summary

This fellowship supports a two-site pilot in public dental clinics for adults with cognitive disabilities.

Some people find dental care stressful because of anxiety, sensory overload, communication barriers, or unfamiliar clinical routines.

The project will test a stepped support package. People may be offered calming audio through headphones, low-motion tablet content, or passive VR relaxation content, depending on what is suitable and preferred.

The team will study whether the package can fit into routine public dental workflows and help more people complete scheduled treatment.

  • Co-design accessible procedures and supported decision-making materials.
  • Pilot the package at Seaford and Hastings Community Dental clinics.
  • Measure treatment completion, rebooking or no-show patterns, appointment flow, staff time, anxiety, acceptability, and perceived helpfulness.
  • Produce a service-ready implementation package and business case for future scale-up.
Dental care Audio Tablet VR Clinic evidence
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Wei Wang's role

Wei contributes implementation data, usability and human-computer interaction expertise.

Her role supports structured implementation logs, acceptability and usability measures, mixed-methods synthesis, and evidence needed for the implementation toolkit and business case.

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Status

Current research status

👤 Investigators

  • Trung Dung Bui, Research Fellow in Primary Care Research, Monash University
  • Libby Callaway, Associate Professor, Rehabilitation, Ageing and Independent Living Research Centre, Monash University
  • Jonathan Bredin, disability advocate and lived-experience co-investigator
  • Alice Urban, Director of Integrated Care and Dental, Peninsula Health
  • Charmine E. J. Hartel, Professor, Monash Business School Impact Labs
  • Kristian Rotaru, Professor, Monash Business School Impact Labs
  • Kadek Satriadi, Lecturer, Department of Human Centred Computing, Monash University
  • Wei Wang, Research Fellow, Monash Business School Impact Labs / Opportunity Tech Lab ecosystem
  • Jane Blandy, Senior Occupational Therapist and disability practice advisor

💲 Funding details

  • Monash Partners STAR Fellowship for Primary Care Research
  • Up to AU$60,000 over one year
  • Fellowship support includes protected research time, implementation science training, dissemination, and publication costs.
  • Planned fellowship period: July 2026 to July 2027.

🎓 Project summary

This STAR Fellowship supports a pragmatic two-site pilot of a stepped technology support package for adults with cognitive disabilities attending public dental clinics. The package includes headphones with calming audio, low-motion tablet-based audiovisual content, and passive VR relaxation content for clients who prefer it and are clinically suitable.

The project responds to a practical primary care problem: adults with cognitive disabilities can experience dental anxiety, sensory overload, communication barriers, and difficulty completing routine care. These barriers may lead to missed appointments, incomplete treatment, rebooking, or escalation to higher-cost care pathways.

The study will be implemented at Seaford Community Dental and Hastings Community Dental. It will examine feasibility, acceptability, workflow fit, and value-based service outcomes, including treatment completion, rebooking/no-show patterns, appointment duration, staff time, and patient-centred outcomes where feasible.

🎯 Key aims

  • Co-design accessible delivery procedures, including supported decision-making materials.
  • Implement the stepped package in two community dental clinics using routine staff delivery and embedded booking pathways.
  • Evaluate feasibility, acceptability, workflow integration, treatment completion, rebooking/no-show patterns, appointment duration, staff time, anxiety, and perceived helpfulness.
  • Produce a clinic-ready implementation package, service-focused business case, and grant-ready protocol for future scale-up.

📊 Wei Wang’s role

Wei contributes implementation data, usability, and human-computer interaction expertise. Her role supports user-centred implementation logging, acceptability and usability capture, digital workflow tooling, and mixed-methods synthesis to produce the implementation package and business case evidence.

📌 Status