New Carer Hub launched
Congratulations to Professors Trish Livingstone and Vicki White, Co-directors of the new Centre of Excellence in Cancer Carer Research, Translation and Impact (Carer Hub) at Deakin.
Opened by Minister Mary Anne Thomas MP, Victorian Minister for Health and Paul Hamer MP for Box Hill, the Hub is a world first designed to support carers to improve the cancer patient experience. It’s a collaboration involving key partners, the Victorian Cancer Agency, Carers Victoria, and the Cancer Council Victoria. The Hub represents the culmination of extensive research at Deakin which identified that 60% of carers have unmet needs and 1 in 3 carers are at increased risk of developing clinical depression, particularly carers from regional and remote areas and those from diverse backgrounds.
 |
 |
Congratulations to all our recently graduated students
More than 4,400 students celebrated the completion of their Deakin University studies in a series of graduation ceremonies over two weeks in February, marking the University’s largest ever graduating class.
‘I extend my heartfelt congratulations to each graduate and commend them for their resilience, determination, and commitment to excellence. As they transition from students to alumni, I am confident that they will continue to make meaningful contributions to their communities and beyond.’ said Deakin Vice-Chancellor Professor Iain Martin.
A special mention to A/Prof Jaithri Ananthapavan, awarded an Alfred Deakin Medal for her outstanding doctoral thesis.
Pictured are Dr Carmen Vargas, Assoc/Prof Jaithri Ananthapavan and Dr Ella Robinson.
February Highlights:
- Dr Amie O’Shea in partnership with ASLITA and Natalie Sandon, have been awarded a $127,000 research grant from the Leonie Jackson Memorial Fund and Deaf Connect. This 18-month groundbreaking project will research the experiences of signing Deaf students accessing interpreters in Primary & Secondary education and the experiences of interpreters working in these settings.
- Associate Professor Stephane Bouchoucha has been awarded a Centre for Innovation in Infectious Disease and Immunology Research (CIIDIR) SEED Grant of $10,000 for a project titled ‘Mapping infections and outbreak management in residential aged care homes in Victoria and Queensland’.
- Dr Nantanit (Rainie) Van Gulik, A/Prof Stephane Bouchoucha, Prof Julie Considine AO, along with Eastern Health colleagues received funding for a project titled Staff, residents, and carers’ perceptions of infection prevention and control in residential aged care facilities for $17,420.
- Profs Julie Considine AO and Judy Currey, along with Eastern Health colleagues received funding for a project titled ‘Understanding emergency department triage nurses’ risk management decisions’ for $21,934.
- GLOBE welcomes new PhD student Sara Salahshoornezhad to the team.
I am a public health nutritionist with 8 years of experience in hospitals, health centres and pharmaceutical companies. With a Master of Science from Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. My master’s project focused on obesity control in school-aged children with various interventions including a technology-based intervention, Cognitive behavioural therapy and physical activity. I am now starting my PhD on the Impact of online food retail environment on children’s diet and health at IHT, Deakin University in 2024 with Dr Adyya Gupta, A/Prof Kate Huggins and Professor Anna Peeters. I am interested in weight control, Pediatric health, and technology-based interventions.
Recent Conference Presentations
- Ramas McRae (PhD student of DoH’s Amie O’Shae and GLOBE’s Kath Backholer’s) participated in the Joining Forces Congress in Haarlem (February 7-9, 2024), where he presented the outcomes of his PhD study 1 research on ‘The Future of Mental Health for Deaf People’ through a poster presentation. He was honoured to have won the Audience Prize for his poster!
-
The ACBRD at the 2024 Australasian Society for Behavioural Health and Medicine Scientific Conference
Pictured are Alison Robinson, Dr Anna Serlachius, Dr Elizabeth Holmes-Truscott, and Dr Eloise Litterbach.
This month, members of the ACBRD team went to Adelaide to take part in the 2024 Australasian Society for Behavioural Health and Medicine Scientific Conference.
This conference features the latest health psychology and behavioural science research from around Australia and New Zealand. Researchers from other countries also take part. Presentations focus on the psychosocial aspects of living with health conditions (e.g. cancer, diabetes, obesity). There is also a strong focus on health promotion more broadly. Taking part is an opportunity for our team to learn new insights and to share our research. This year, we shared our research on the need to understand and address diabetes stigma.
This symposium was an opportunity to share the Pledge with researchers and clinicians working outside diabetes. If we don’t have diabetes ourselves, most of us know someone with diabetes. We can all play our part to bring an end to diabetes stigma and discrimination. We encouraged attendees to show their support and take the Pledge.
It was fantastic to catch up with so many people working to improve health through behavioural science. We are already looking forward next year’s meeting in Gold Coast!
