Past Mental Health Research Grants

Angela Clapperton is a Research Fellow at the Monash University Accident Research Centre. Angela has extensive experience using large administrative data collections (such as hospital admissions, emergency department presentations and mortality data) to investigate the burden of intentional and unintentional injury in Victoria.

Her primary research interests include suicide and non-fatal intentional self-harm and injury surveillance methods. Angela is in the final stages of her PhD investigating the presence and nature of mental illness among persons who died by suicide in Victoria and investigating pathways to suicide in the same population.

Professor Allison Waters in Clinical Psychology in the School of Applied Psychology at Griffith University. She completed her PhD in Clinical Psychology at The University of Queensland in 2002 and a Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship at The University of California, Los Angeles in 2004 before commencing her work at Griffith University.

Dr Waters’ research focuses on the cognitive-neuroscience of emotional disorders in children and aims to translate findings from laboratory and basic science research into clinical practice using current generation treatments and novel interventions.

Dr Tegan Cruwys is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Queensland, a Clinical Psychologist, and a recipient of the Australian Research Council’s Discovery Early Career Research Award.

Her research investigates how social relationships shape our health. Dr Cruwys’ research agenda is concerned both with advancing our theoretical understanding of the social determinants of health, and with translational impact that improves outcomes for vulnerable communities.

Dr Siân McLean, Lecturer in Psychology at Victoria University, is a body image researcher whose interests focus on understanding factors that create risk for or protect against body dissatisfaction. Her work specifically looks at how viewing and using social media leads to body dissatisfaction and other problematic outcomes, and the best way to prevent these negative effects. This has led to development of social media literacy interventions to enhance critical thinking about social media to reduce its influence on body image.

Dr McLean’s research has been recognised nationally and internationally and she received the ANZAED 2016 Peter Beumont Young Investigator award.

Dr Sally Fitzpatrick is a Clinical Psychologist and researcher at the Centre for Emotional Health, in the Department of Psychology, at Macquarie University. She has been working with children and families for over twenty years and is passionate about understanding the factors that contribute to the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents.

Her research focuses on peer bullying and mental health, with a particular focus on the translation of research into evidence-based interventions that reduce bullying and the negative outcomes associated with bullying behaviours.

Dr Mark Boyes is a Senior Research Fellow in the School of Psychology at Curtin University. His research investigates risk and protective factors associated with psychological and educational outcomes for vulnerable children. The ultimate aim of his research is to design and evaluate evidence-based interventions promoting mental health and positive educational outcomes for children and adolescents.

Currently his research is focused on mental health in children with reading and language difficulties, as well as the psychosocial impacts of HIV/AIDS on South African children and adolescents.

Louise Mewton is a Rotary Health and Scientia Fellow at the University of New South Wales. Her research focuses on the application of innovative methods and techniques to further our understanding of the epidemiology, classification and prevention of substance use and mental health problems. This research makes links across epidemiology, information technology, neuropsychology and prevention, reflecting global research priorities.

Dr Mewton has secured ~$9.5 million in funding, and received prestigious awards from the largest national and international professional societies focusing on substance use. She is also a 2017 Young Tall Poppy which recognises Australia’s outstanding researchers and science communicators.

Professor Justin Kenardy is a clinical psychologist and Professor in the School of Psychology at the University of Queensland. He has focused on the translation of applied psychology, more specifically clinical psychology, into novel cross- and interdisciplinary areas. This has been through work at the interface between psychological and physical health, preventative, integrative and novel intervention technologies.

This has led to research in diverse areas including diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, pain and musculoskeletal disease and injury, burn injury, traumatic brain injury, eating disorders, anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress across a broad age range from infants to older adults. He has published over 250 peer-reviewed papers, chapters and abstracts.

Dr Hutchinson’s major research interest is in understanding the developmental origins of mental and behavioural disorders. She has worked as a Clinical Psychologist specialising in pregnancy, postnatal adjustment, and child development. She has a particular interest in understanding the causes and consequences of alcohol and other substance use exposure on development.

Dr Hutchinson is a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Social and Early Emotional Development (SEED), School of Psychology, Deakin University. She has published over 80 articles, reviews and reports, and has co-led grants to the value of over $9 million, including funding from the NHMRC and the ARC.

Amanda Baker is a clinical psychologist and National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Senior Research Fellow employed as a Professor in the School of Medicine and Public Health at the University of Newcastle. Her research has been supported by NHMRC fellowships continuously since 2003.

Amanda has over 250 publications. She focusses her research on the triad of mental, physical health and substance use disorders. Projects typically involve multi-site randomised controlled trials of psychological interventions among people with severe mental disorders or severe physical illness (e.g., cancer, cardiovascular disease) and tobacco, alcohol and other substance use problems.