Roshini Balasooriya Lekamge

PhD STUDENT PROFILE

Roshini Balasooriya Lekamge

Strengthening whole-school approaches promoting mental health and preventing risk behaviours in Australian secondary schools

Main Supervisor: Professor Dragan Ilic
Co-Supervisors: Dr Nazmul Karim, Dr Leo Chen

Roshini is a Psychiatry Registrar and PhD Candidate with the Behavioural and Social Epidemiology Research Group in the Medical Education and Research Quality Unit.

Her PhD investigates how we can strengthen whole-school approaches to mental health and wellbeing in Australian secondary schools. This endeavour is predicated upon the recognition of adolescence as a pivotal developmental stage susceptible to the emergence of mental health disorders. Despite the recognition of the theoretical effectiveness of whole-school interventions in ameliorating the incidence of mental illness during this formative period, extant literature posits an inconclusive evidence base regarding their effectiveness.

Roshini's PhD adopts a mixed-method approach, combining a large-scale evaluation of a whole-school intervention implemented nationwide with qualitative inquiries into the perspectives of Australian students concerning strategies for enhancing adolescent mental health and well-being.

Her work stands poised to inform evidence-based practices and policy initiatives aimed at fostering the mental health and well-being of young Australians.