Sanjoti

Parekh, Ph.D.

Sanjoti Parekh has more than 16 years of experience in the healthcare and community services sector and is a senior manager in Abt’s domestic consulting practice. An experienced epidemiologist, she has worked in a variety of roles including teaching, research, service delivery, and consulting. Sanjoti leads health needs assessments, policy and program reviews, outcome and impact evaluations, post-implementation reviews, and development of population health strategies, along with quality improvement, governance, and research. She has significant experience in the Primary Healthcare Network (PHN) sector and the full commissioning cycle.

Sanjoti has a led delivery of the Central Queensland, Sunshine Coast, Wide Bay, PHN Population health planning cycle for the last five years. She has conducted the annual health needs assessment and service gap analysis for a region with of more than 840,000 residents. Sanjoti also leads key Abt evaluations for clients such as the Commonwealth Department of Health, Department of Veterans Affairs, and PHNs. Topics include the primordial prevention of acute rheumatic fever, new pathways for veterans with concern for their brain health, and a range of mental health programs.

Previous consulting roles included a review of innovative models of care such as the use of nurse practitioners in an emergency department (ED) to manage inappropriate non-urgent presentations. In this mixed method review, Sanjoti consulted a broad range of stakeholders and analysed service usage data to identify changes in the management of category 4 or 5 presentations that should ideally be seen in general practice rather than ED. Her projects have led to improved prioritization of needs, service planning, changes in service delivery models, establishment of monitoring cycles, key indicators, logic models, program reviews, and development of new models of care.

Expertise

• Project/program management
• Relationship management
• Stakeholder engagement and management
• Program evaluation and health service reviews
• Epidemiological approaches
• Chronic disease, public health and health systems
• Health projects advisory role
• Contact negotiation and management
• Business Development and funding applications

Key Projects

• Health needs analysis (PHN)
• Development of chronic disease strategy (PHN)
• Evaluation of Stepped Care Mental Health services (PHN)
• Mapping journeys of people with mental health concerns through the health system (BUPA foundation funded, PHN project)
• Evaluation of a model of care to provide support to address mental health concerns in ex-serviceman (Open Arms) 
• General Practice Liaison Officer Network Evaluation (PHN)
• Integrated team care program evaluation (Indigenous programs (PHN)
• Rural Primary Health Services Review (PHN)
• Diabetes Strategy (West Moreton Diabetes Alliance)
• Evaluation of prevention strategies under the Rheumatic Fever Strategy for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islanders (DoH)
• Clinical Governance for Mental Health providers (PHN)
• Evaluation of clinical handovers for residential aged care facilities (PHN)
• Supporting mental health service providers through change in the health services environment: change management (PHN)
• The Ipswich Study: A place-based initiative to understand and reduce chronic diseases (Healthy Communities Research Centre, UQ)
• ‘10 Small Steps’: A randomised controlled trial to improve health behaviours using computer-tailored advice in a general practice setting (BUPA Foundation funded project, UQ)
• Evaluation of diabetes education program (UQ)
• Role as an advisory in various disability (e.g. TBI) relevant projects (Griffith)

Publications

• S Parekh et al. Variability in use of health services and its association with self-management skills: a population-based exploratory analysis Population health management 19 (1), 31-38
• S Parekh et al. Evaluating impact of a multi-dimensional education programme on perceived performance of primary care professionals in diabetes care Primary health care research & development 16 (6), 589-596
• S Parekh et al. Randomized controlled trial of a computer-tailored multiple health behaviour intervention in general practice: 12-month follow-up results International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity 11 (1), 41
• M Legg, M Foster, S Parekh et al. Trajectories of Rehabilitation across Complex Environments (TRaCE): design and baseline characteristics for a prospective cohort study on spinal cord injury and acquired brain injury. BMC health services research 19 (1), 1-9
• A Lakhani, S Parekh et al. Disability support services in Queensland, Australia: Identifying service gaps through spatial analysis Applied Geography 110, 102045