About us
We’re a multidisciplinary team of researchers with expertise across public health, developmental, health and clinical psychology, exercise and nutrition, women’s and children’s health, ageing and dementia, media and communications, epidemiology, randomised controlled trials, intervention mapping, evidence synthesis, and implementation science, including evaluation of intervention effectiveness.
This wide-ranging experience allows us to work together on health, social service and educational sector improvements that can be successfully translated to better health, social and developmental outcomes for children, young people, adults and families. The knowledge we generate is crucial to transforming policy across these sectors.
Industry and community partnership is integral to our success. We’ve led more than 50 industry research consultancy projects over the last five years, each of them involving embedding our research fellows, research assistants or PhD students within the partner group to counteract siloing. In so doing we lead theoretical and methodological rigour, capacity building and change across the research-industry partnership, as opposed to just delivering a final report.
The Team
Executive Team
Contact us
To contact us, please email our Business Manager at Tracy.VanDyke@monash.edu
Leaders of Industry Partnerships
| Dr Darshini Ayton | Lead, Baptcare Aged Care Industry Partnership |
| Dr Claire Blewitt | Lead, bestchance Child Family Care and Alannah Madeline Foundation Industry Partnerships |
| Dr Tatiana Corrales | Lead, Allambi Industry Partnership |
| Dr Rachael Green | Lead, HEALing Matters, Department of Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH), and Centre for Child and Family Welfare Industry Partnerships |
| Dr Briony Hill | Lead, MacKillop Family Services and Good Shepherd Health in Preconception, Pregnancy and Postpartum workplace portal Industry Partnerships |
| Jacynta Krakouer | Lead, First People’s Health & Wellbeing Industry Partnership |
| Dr Heather Morris | Lead, MacKillop Family Services Industry Partnership |
| Dr Mandy O’Connor | Lead, Queen Elizabeth Centre, Relationships Australia Victoria and Good Shepherd Industry Partnerships |
| Dr Renee O’Donnell | Lead, Baptcare Child and Family Services Industry Partnership |
Research Fellows and Research Assistants
| Julie Avery | Working across MacKillop Family Services & South Australia Industry Partnerships |
| Dr Heidi Bergmeier | Leading work in maternal and child lifestyle health across the first 2,000 days |
| Dr Danielle Berkovic | Working across Baptcare Dementia Model of Care & Health Services projects |
| Dr Lauren Bruce | Project Manager, MyCare Ageing randomised controlled trial |
| Dr Sarah Carmody | Working across HEALing Matters industry Partnership |
| Dr Alex Chung | Leading work in childhood lifestyle health, obesity prevention and the role of policy |
| Anna Crawford-Parker | Working across HEALing Matters Industry Partnership |
| Samantha De Araugo | Working across BetterBrains randomised controlled trial |
| Emma Galvin | Working across MacKillop Family Services & South Australia Industry Partnerships |
| Caitlyn Gourlay | Working across BetterBrains randomised controlled trial |
| Hannah Gulline | Working across Health Services projects |
| Kostas Hatzikiriakidis | Working across Baptcare, MacKillop, and HEALing Matters Industry Partnerships |
| Seonad Madden | Working across the MacKillop Family Services and Good Shepherd Health in Preconception, Pregnancy and Postpartum workplace portal Industry Partnerships |
| Catriona Parker | Working across Health Services projects |
| Jess Permezel | Working across CRE HiPP LGBTIQA+ (Centre of Research Excellence Health in Preconception & Pregnancy) |
| Dr Stephanie Pirotta | Senior clinician and Research Fellow, BetterBrains randomised controlled trial |
| Melissa Savaglio | Working across Baptcare and MacKillop Industry Partnerships |
| Madelaine Smales | Working across HEALing Matters Industry Partnership |
| Dr Sze-Ee Soh | Associate Biostatistician |
| Yihan Sun | Working across Our Place Voice of Children Industry Partnership |
| Ruby Tate | Working across HEALing Matters Industry Partnership |
| Jacob Thomas | Working across HEALing Matters Industry Partnership |
| Dr Tess Tsindos | Working across Health Services projects & HSCU Short-Courses |
Individual Collaborators of the Health and Social Care Unit
Click here to read about our individual collaborators.
Engagement Lead – Policy and Projects
Consumer Advocate Coordinator
Siarn Rakic
Media and Communications Advisors
Michelle Putt
Rebecca Krispin
Tia Haralabakos
PhD Students
Julie Avery (MacKillop Industry PhD Scholar)
Implementation and evaluation of a trauma responsive educational practice model for community services
Emma Galvin (MacKillop Industry PhD Scholar)
Implementation and evaluation of a trauma-informed practice model within a residential out-of-home care setting
Michelle Gooey (NHMRC PhD Scholar)
Bridging the gap: translating childhood obesity prevention policy into clinical practice
Haimanot Hailu (Monash University PhD Scholar)
Weight stigma against preconception, pregnant and postpartum women: A societal approach
Kostas Hatzikiriakidis (APA PhD Scholar)
Healthy Eating Active Living Matters (HEALing Matters): The Development of a Healthy Lifestyle Program for People with Disability in Cared Accommodation
Angie Jaman (Salvation Army Industry PhD Scholar)
The effectiveness of a psychologically informed environment in achieving outcomes in youth refuge
Pragya Kandel (APA PhD Scholar)
Motivation and readiness for lifestyle behaviour change in preconception women
Ann MacRae (Part-time PhD Scholar)
Trauma informed care in aged care services
Seonad Madden (University of Tasmania PhD Scholar)
A Workplace Digital Health Intervention to Promote Healthy Lifestyles and Wellbeing for Women across the Reproductive Years: An Intervention Mapping Approach
Alex Mullins (GRiP Industry PhD Scholar)
The Utility of My Health Record in the Emergency Department
Judith Myers (Part-time PhD Scholar)
Confident and Understanding Parents (CUPs) – a child nutrition and active play intervention for vulnerable families
Catriona Parker (Monash University PhD Scholar)
The personal and financial burden of acute myeloid leukaemia
Melissa Savaglio (NHMRC PhD Scholar)
Developing a community-based psychosocial intervention for young people with mental illness
Madelaine Smales (APA PhD Scholar)
Understanding drug and alcohol use among young people within Out-of-Home Care
Andrea Tamblyn (APA PhD Scholar)
An intervention to optimise the physical early childhood education and care environment to support children’s social and emotional development