Area of expertise: Diabetes, Translational research

Passion: Building research capacity in others; Travel; Hockey; & Cricket

Current projects: ORCHID Study; Pink Belt Project; Antipsychotic prescribing in aged persons with cognitive impairment

2024 plans: Address glycolysis nationally (see video); mentor three MD Research Students; Chair Research Steering Committee

Area of expertise: Mindfulness in Medical Education, GP obstetrics

Passion: Yoga, spending time in nature

Current projects: Online Mindfulness Training for Medical Students & Junior Doctors

2024 plans:  Analysing data and writing two manuscripts for my PhD projects

Area of expertise: Renal medicine, public health and primary care

Passion: Keeping up with my two boys (a three year old and a one year old)

Current projects: Two projects: Identifying suitable candidates for renal transplantation in the Kimberley region and Exploring care pathways for Aboriginal People in the Kimberley with diabetes-related foot complications.

Plans for 2024: Continue CQI activities in the renal transplant space, begin recruitment for our diabetes-related foot complication project.

Area of expertise: Clinical Trials, Ethics, Governance, Scientific Research (Neuroscience).

Passion:  I find purpose in contributing to scientific progress with the hope of fostering positive social change. I seek solace in the harmonies of music, enjoy cultivating a connection with nature by growing my own food, and have a genuine appreciation for open source technologies crafted as public goods. My efforts involve enriching my understanding of the world through philosophical exploration and writing, delving into ethical dilemmas, metaphysical insights, and the pursuit of knowledge. It is my aspiration to humbly contribute to a more thoughtful and conscientious existence.

Current projects: PARTNER Network, WA State Coordinator. Network consisting of 90 rural practices and a related database. Core facilitator for a clinical trial using a novel repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation protocol in patients with depression in collaboration with the North Metropolitan Health Service (NMHS).

2024 plans: Recruitment of 15 rural WA general practices into the PARTNER Network. Co-facilitating a WA Based TMS research Network for data driven research and trials specifically in populations considered high risk for ill mental health.

Area of expertise: Qualitative methods     Passion: Ethics

Current projects: Evaluation of the Great Southern GP Psychiatry Phone Line; The Indigenous Mental Health and Wellbeing (TIMHWB) study; 'Resilience or Risk? Exploring the impact of rurality on youth mental health'; Palliative Care for People with Substance Use Problems; 

WA Medical Schools Mindfulness Project;  'After implementation of Voluntary Assisted Dying: Exploring the experiences of Albany Community Hospice clinical and non-clinical staff and volunteers';  The experience of stage one psychiatry training in rural Australia: a qualitative study of a national sample.

2024 Plans: Further my body of work on mental health service delivery in regional settings, with special interests in the social determinants of mental health and wellbeing and socio-ecological perspectives. Continue to provide advice and support to my RCSWA colleagues on projects involving qualitative data collection and analysis. Continue to mentor MD students and Trainee Doctors in qualitative methods, and support them to develop and implement their research projects.

Area of expertise: Qualitative research,  implementation science, health services research, program/service evaluation. 

Passion: On a personal level it doesn't get much better than hanging out with my nearly 10 year old be it by the beach with our dogs, with friends, or reading on the couch.
Professionally, I am passionate about working alongside Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHS)to explore and advance ways to increase access, equity, and outcomes in mental health and social and emotional wellbeing services.

Current projects: Currently I lead the  Wellbeing Informed Care -Kimberley (WIC-K) project which works to codesign, implement, and evaluate trauma informed care principles into the Kimberley ACCHS model of care. I also contribute to Prof Pat Dudgeon's Transforming Indigenous Mental Health and Wellbeing project. Through this I am involved in evaluating the SEWB model of service, being piloted across five WA ACCHS.  Alongside Erica Spry and Julia Marley I continue to advocate and explore opportunities to increase the reach and impact of the Kimberley Mum's Mood Scale.

2024 Plans: To  progress my current projects and secure additional funding to support and extend the work taking place through WIC-K.

Area of expertise: Operationalising programs and program budgeting. Grant application writing.

Passion: I am passionate about the cohesiveness and inclusivity within rural communities. I have been involved extensively in organising rural arts projects and music and arts festivals. I believe these activities relate to maintaining the health of the rural communities where I’ve lived and worked. I’m also a passionate motorcyclist, kayaker and shanty singer.

Current projects: Hubs has commenced data collection in the past 12 months using REX software. We are evaluating this database in meeting our reporting needs to the commonwealth funder.

2024 plans:  Establish Hubs research priorities; database and reporting parameters to feed in to the commonwealth’s Hubs evaluation in 2024.

Area of expertise: Rural youth health and wellbeing, with a particular interest in health access and equity for at-risk or marginalised rural young people.

Passion: I have a great passion for contributing to community, as I believe in the power of connectedness and belonging for individual and collective health and wellbeing. I feel blessed to live in a rural environment and appreciate every day the beauty and connection that living on the land provides. 

Current projects: I am hoping to achieve my first publication: Unveiling the Rural Dichotomy: The dual impact of rurality on youth mental health this year! I am also collaborating with a team from the Telethon Kids Institute in the ‘Amped Out’ Study, investigating the impact of a ban on sales of energy drinks in our community on the health of young people. I am also thrilled to be contributing to Kayla Mizzi’s study, trialling a GP-Paediatrician integrated model of care for children with developmental concerns. 

2024 plans: I am looking forward to supervising a penultimate RCSWA student who will completing a systematic review investigating the barriers and enablers to accessing primary health care for rural youth. I will no longer be employed by the RCSWA, but am excited to have an adjunct role with UWA and hope to maintain my connection with the RCSWA family.

Area of expertise: Mentoring and supporting rural research students, population health research, palliative care research, curriculum evaluation, wide range of research skills developed over many years. 

Passion: Creating visual art, working in the garden, the beach. 

Current projects: Supervising student projects – Systematic review of models of palliative care in rural Australia; Improving access to primary health care for rural youth: what are the barriers and enablers. Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) follow up research project. Mentoring and supporting RCSWA MD students with their rural research projects as well as less experienced researchers who ask for help. 

2024 plans: Encouraging RCSWA UWA MD students to undertake rural research projects, mentoring and supporting current RCSWA UWA students with their research projects.