Meet Our Researchers

Professor Louise Harms
Chair and Head, Department of Social Work, and Deputy Head, School of Health Sciences | Research interests include health, mental health and disability
louisekh@unimelb.edu.au

Associate Professor Shawana Andrews
Director and Associate Professor - Poche
shawanaa@unimelb.edu.au

Dr Jennifer Davidson
Course Coordinator, MSW | Research areas include navigating complex service systems, disability and the NDIS, social work in the legal and justice systems and the impact of social policy on health and wellbeing
jennifer.davidson@unimelb.edu.au

Dr David Denborough
Senior Lecturer | Involved in Narrative Practice Research innovations (narrative therapy and community work in research) and collaborations with Insider/Peer researchers and First Nations researchers
david.denborough@unimelb.edu.au

Associate Professor Kristin Diemer
Associate Professor | kNOwVAWdata; safe, ethical and inclusive measurement of violence against women and children with a focus in Asia and the Pacific
k.diemer@unimelb.edu.au

Dr David Gallant
Lecturer | Research areas include family violence, sport development, custodial settings, and Indigenous communities
david.gallant@unimelb.edu.au

Associate Professor Ralph Hampson
Associate Professor | Research areas include health, ageing and community services
ralph.hampson@unimelb.edu.au

Dr Lyndal Hickey
Research Fellow | Research areas include policy, program and practice implementation to improve the lives of people living with disability, and their families in their communities
hickeyl@unimelb.edu.au

Professor Cathy Humphreys
Professor | Dedicated to optimising the health of all family members where there is domestic and family violence
cathy.humphreys@unimelb.edu.au

Professor Lynette Joubert
Professor - Direct Practice | Research areas include clarifying, measuring and evaluating the outcomes of social interventions in health and mental health, focusing on the contribution of formal and informal social network factors
ljoubert@unimelb.edu.au

Dr Margaret Kertesz
Post Doctoral Research Fellow | Research Interests include intervention responses at the intersections between child abuse, domestic violence, mental health and problematic substance use, approaches that promote recovery post-violence and interventions for women who use force in the context of family violence
mkertesz@unimelb.edu.au

Dr Lauren Kosta
Lecturer | Research areas include family adaptation in circumstances of adversity such as those which bring families into health settings as well as post-disaster recovery contexts
lauren.kosta@unimelb.edu.au

Dr Gemma McKibbin
Research fellow | Specialises in interviews with children and young people about sensitive issues like child sexual abuse and family violence. Interested in research collaborations that benefit the health and social lives of children and young people in Australia and across the globe
gemma.mckibbin@unimelb.edu.au

Associate Professor David Rose
Associate Professor in Social Work, Director of Learning and Teaching, MSHS | Research areas include impact of criminal justice system, trauma and mental health, alcohol and other drugs, domestic & family violence, children and families across borders and health/mental health in forensic systems
drose@unimelb.edu.au

Dr Kath Sellick
Lecturer | Experienced in qualitative and mixed methods research with a particular focus on co-production. Her areas of research include trauma-informed care, mental health, disability, and diversity and inclusion
kathryn.sellick@unimelb.edu.au

Dr Anneliese Spiteri-Staines
Research Fellow | Areas of research include mental health, women’s health, and family violence. Experiences and interests in quantitative and qualitative research, especially in evaluation of population health programs
spiteri@unimelb.edu.au

Associate Professor Sarah Wise
Associate Professor | Research areas include Child Protection during the perinatal period, Out-of-Home Care and human service system governance and change
sarah.wise@unimelb.edu.au

Teresa Donegan
Graduate Researcher | Areas of research include mindfulness and ageing. Experiences in aged and disability services, across local & state governments and not for profit organisations
teresa.donegan@unimelb.edu.au

Jasmin Isobe
Researcher | Areas of research include language use and discourse for social change, violence against women, and domestic and family violence intersections with substance use and mental health. Experience in qualitative and mixed methods research, knowledge translation and practice improvement.
isobe.j@unimelb.edu.au

Larissa Fogden
Lecturer | she/her | Research interests are centred around infants, children and young people living with and navigating the ongoing impacts of domestic, family and sexual violence and other traumatic experiences.
larissa.fogden@unimelb.edu.au