2025 DHE Staff Update

Welcoming our New Faces: What Our New Staff Have Been Doing

Alice Petcopoulos – Research Officer West Vic Primary Health Network (WVPHN)

Since the start of 2025, I’ve been involved in a range of primary care projects, including qualitative interviews and survey work exploring the feasibility of prescribing digital health apps for obesity management. I’ve also had the opportunity to co-supervise a Master’s research student and work in an embedded position with the Western Victoria Primary Health Network. This year I’ve been learning how to design and analyse discrete choice experiments across two projects, and I am preparing for my first conference presentation in November. It’s been a rewarding experience to work with such a supportive team and continue developing new research skills.

Crystal Lee -Senior Research Fellow

I joined DHE as a Senior Research Fellow in June. With a history of collaborating with Deakin researchers, I have continued to be involved in the Western Australia general practice linked data project (DHE), the Obesity, Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease Collaboration – an international data pooling project (Faculty of Health), and to manage an NHMRC-funded data linkage project on sex differences in coronary heart disease patient pathway (Faculty of Health). Moreover, I have become a member of the Human Ethics Advisory Group for the Faculty of Health and started Masters minor project supervision.”

Kerrie Lawrence – Senior Administrative Officer

I joined the DHE team in June, bringing six years of experience at Deakin University. As a highly skilled administrator, I deliver comprehensive administrative support to DHE executives and the broader team, ensuring seamless operations and effective program delivery. My key actions include coordinating meetings and managing the DHE Heads calendar, preparing reports and incoming handling correspondence, supporting executive committee functions, and organising team events to foster a positive, hybrid team culture. Managing DHE communications, social media, and ensuring digital platforms are kept current. My proactive approach contributes to the smooth functioning and collaborative culture of the DHE team.

Jamie Swann – Snr Research Fellow, Health Data Analyst and joined us through the Deakin and WVPHN partnership.

Jamie Swann is an accomplished research manager and evaluator with over two decades of experience spanning health analytics, program evaluation, and applied research. Currently serving as Senior Manager of Health Analytics and Research at Western Victoria Primary Health Network (WVPHN), Jamie leads data-driven initiatives to enhance primary health services. He is also an Affiliate Associate Professor at Deakin University, contributing to collaborative research in medicine and public health. Jamie’s career includes roles at WorkSafe Victoria, VicRoads, and the Department of Defence, where he specialized in organisational psychology, evaluation, analytics, and applied research. He holds an MBA and multiple certifications. Recognized for his collaborative leadership, Jamie has received several awards, including the Deakin Partnerships in Practice Award and Employee Awards at WVPHN and WorkSafe. His work is defined by a commitment to evidence-based decision-making, stakeholder engagement, and innovative solutions in complex environments.

Tejal Kulkarni – Health Data Analyst and joined us through the Deakin and WVPHN partnership.

With a background in health and science data, experience working across government, academia, research institutes and most recently, at a primary health network (WVPHN), where I am involved in data reporting and visualisation to inform program outcomes. My research background includes cancer pharmacogenetics, studying induced pluripotent stem cell models of neurodegenerative disease, and genomic sequencing of grains and pulses. I am passionate about applying my analytical skills to support projects that contribute to improved health outcomes and community wellbeing. I enjoy collaboration across disciplines to translate complex data into meaningful insights.

Natalyia Ilyushina – Lecturer in Health Economics, Education-focused

Dr Nataliya Ilyushina holds a PhD in Economics from RMIT University and a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of Melbourne. Her doctoral research examined the determinants of mental health in new parents. Following this, she undertook a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at RMIT’s Blockchain Innovation Hub, where she investigated the impact of technology and digital transformation on wellbeing and labour market outcomes. Dr Ilyushina has extensive experience teaching economics and statistics across undergraduate and postgraduate levels, both in Australia and internationally.

Luke Schofield – Casual Research Assistant

I have been supporting the DHE team at Preventive Health SA to understand what policies should be implemented to address overweight and obesity in SA. This includes undertaking a preliminary scoping review of selected interventions and assessing their cost-effectiveness to inform the selection of interventions to undergo further economic evaluation.