Optimising Health and Well-being
Helping people to optimise their health and mental health, regardless of their stage of life or health status
About this hub
Our School’s research aims to optimise the safety and quality of care provided to people accessing and receiving care in primary, secondary and tertiary settings.
Enhancing the capacity of the health and social care workforce to promote well-being in this context, and at all stages of life, is a further focus of our work.
- Supporting those who are currently healthy, to stay healthy
- Restoring the health and well-being of those affected by acute illness and injury
- Supporting the health and well-being of those with long-term physical and mental health challenges
- Supporting end of life care
Meet our researchers in the optimising health and wellbeing hub
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Audiology and Speech Pathology
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Nursing
Dr Rebecca Jarden
Lecturer | Research areas include nurse wellbeing and critical carerebecca.jarden@unimelb.edu.auMs Polly Dufton
Lecturer, Course Coordinator Graduate Certificate in Cancer Nursing | Research areas include health services research, emergency department utilisation, cancer nursingpolly.dufton@unimelb.edu.auProf Denise Harrison
Professor | Research areas include infant and child health, implementation science, families as partners in caredeniseh@unimelb.edu.auProf Marie Gerdtz
Professor and Head of Department | Research areas include emergency and critical care nursinggerdtzmf@unimelb.edu.auDr Suzanne Kapp
Senior Lecturer | Research areas include skin integrity, chronic wounds, patient engagement and self-treatmentsuzanne.kapp@unimelb.edu.auDr Celene Yap
Research Fellow | Research areas include behavioral disturbance management, drug and alcohol related emergency department presentation, evaluation new model of care in the acute care settingyen.yap@unimelb.edu.au -
Optometry and Vision Sciences
Prof Allison McKendrick
Professor | Research areas include improving the understanding and clinical assessment of visual disorder of the eye and brain (specific interests in glaucoma, migraine, and ageing).allisonm@unimelb.edu.auA/Prof Laura Downie
Associate Professor and Dame Kate Campbell Fellow | Research areas include ocular diagnostics and therapeutics, tear biomarkers, clinical trials and research translation.ldownie@unimelb.edu.auA/Prof Andrew Metha
Assoc. Professor | Research areas include cellular-resolution imaging of the retina to investigate the essential structure-function relationships required for vision and how this is supported by vascular and neural processes.ametha@unimelb.edu.auA/Prof Lauren Ayton
Principal Research Fellow | Research areas include retinal disease, gene therapy, and low vision medical devices (bionic eyes, sensory substitution). Also research translation and commercialisation, as Director of SPARK Melbourne.layton@unimelb.edu.auDr Ceecee Britten-Jones
Postdoctoral Research Fellow and Optometrist | Research interests include inherited retinal diseases, ocular imaging, gene therapy trials, and evidence synthesis.ac.brittenjones@unimelb.edu.auA/Prof Andrew Anderson
Associate Professor | Behavioural investigation of human vision, both in health and disease; Factors affecting decision-making processes in the brain.aaj@unimelb.edu.auDr Phillip Bedggood
Postdoctoral Research Fellow | Research areas include cellular-resolution imaging of the eye to understand the earliest stages of vision and the supply of nutrients to tissue. Also technological developments in optical imaging and image processing.pabedg@unimelb.edu.auA/Prof Anthea Cochrane
Assoc. Professor, Teaching Specialist, 3rd, 4th year OD and Placement Coordinator | Research: low vision, clinical training and assessment, failure to fail, training educators.antheac@unimelb.edu.auDr Bao Nguyen
Lecturer, optometrist and human visual neuroscientist | Research areas include understanding eye and brain changes with healthy and pathological ageing, childhood and adolescent development, vision anomalies in ophthalmic and neurological disorders.bnguyen@unimelb.edu.auDr Flora Hui
Research Fellow (Industry Engagement) and Optometrist | Research areas include neurodegeneration, diagnostics and therapies, research translation, improving health services.huif@unimelb.edu.au
Dr Virginia Liu
Research Fellow | Translational, technolgoical developments and clinical assessment of the visual neural system.ping.liu@unimelb.edu.auProf Trichur Vidyasagar
Professor | Research areas include neural basis of visual perception, attention and predictive coding, disorders of communication across the brain and dyslexia.trv@unimelb.edu.auDr Sumeer Singh
Postdoctoral Clinical Research Fellow | Research areas include dry eye disease, blue light and ocular health, evidence synthesis and translational research.sumeer.singh@unimelb.edu.auA/Prof Bang Bui
Assoc. Professor | Research areas include preclinical investigation of vision and the retinal vasculature in healthy ageing; mechanisms of age-related susceptibility to neurodegeneration.bvb@unimelb.edu.auDr Christine Nguyen
Senior Lecturer and Optometric Clinician | Research areas using the eye as a marker for brain disease (specific interests in Parkinsons and Alzheimers disease) in preclinical and clinical space.christine.nguyen@unimelb.edu.auDr Kwang Cham
Senior Lecturer | Research areas include digital technologies for feedback and assessment, inter-professional education, and inter-disciplinary object-based learning engaging with material culture.ckwang@unimelb.edu.au
Senuri Karunaratne
Clinical Research Optometrist | Research areas include management of dry eye disease, childhood myopia and developement of myopia control devices.senuri.karunaratne@unimelb.edu.auDr Andrew Huhtanen
Clinic Director, Melbourne Eyecare Clinic | Research areas include anterior ocular disease and advanced contact lenses, clinical training and assessment, and evidence-based practice.andrew.huhtanen@unimelb.edu.auA/Prof Michael Pianta
Associate Professor, 4th year OD Coordinator | Evidence-based practice.mjp@unimelb.edu.auDr Holly Chinnery
Senior Lecturer | Research areas include corneal neuroimmunology, neuropathology in corneal injury and disease, ocular surface immune cells in homeostasis and nerve regeneration.holly.chinnery@unimelb.edu.auDr Vickie Wong
Research Fellow | Research areas include understanding ocular changes in neurodegenerative diseases (e.g. Parkinson's, Diabetes and Glaucoma), and using ocular biomarkers to test drug efficacy and monitoring.vickie.wong@unimelb.edu.au
Janet Chan
Postdoctoral Researcher | Research areas include healthy ageing, migraine, magnetic resonance spectroscopy and visual snow.yu.chan@unimelb.edu.auDr Jia Jia Lek
Lecturer (Teaching Specialist) | Research interest areas: Educational research including interprofessional education, cultural competency, student engagement and wellbeing.jjlek@unimelb.edu.au
Anh Hoang
Resesarch Assistant | Research areas include retinal structure-function relationship in various preclinical models and ocular biomarkers for Parkinson and Alzheimers disease.anh.hoang@unimelb.edu.au
Darren Zhao
Postdoctoral Research Fellow | Research areas include the reversibility of retinal ganglion cells and the effects of brain pressure modification on the eye.da.zhao@unimelb.edu.au
Dr Ekaterina Levichkina
Research Fellow | Research areas include Neural mechanisms of visual attention and predictive coding; visual perception; sleep research.ele@unimelb.edu.au -
Physiotherapy
Dr Kade Paterson
NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow, Dame Kate Campbell Senior Research Fellow | Research includes lower limb biomechanics of walking and running, and the clinical and biomechanical effects of foot-based interventions for musculoskeletal conditionskade.paterson@unimelb.edu.auA/Prof Catherine Granger
Associate Professor and Dame Kate Campbell Fellow | Research areas include exercise and physical activity for patients with lung cancer, other cancers, critical illness and respiratory diseasescatherine.granger@unimelb.edu.auDr Lara Edbrooke
Lecturer | Research areas include health services research, multi-disciplinary models of allied health care for people with cancer, measurement of physical activitylarae@unimelb.edu.auA/Prof Jane Fitzpatrick
Honorary | Research areas include Sport and Exercise Medicine, tendinopathy and osteoarthritisjane.fitzpatrick@unimelb.edu.auDr Jennifer Jones
Clinical Research Fellow | Research areas include critical care recovery and rehabilitation, frailty and digital healthjennifer.jones@unimelb.edu.auDr Mark Merolli
Physiotherapist, Senior Lecturer, Research Fellow | Digital Technologiesmerollim@unimelb.edu.auDr Kate Hayward
Senior Research Fellow | Research areas include the brain-behaviour nexus during rehabilitation after strokekate.hayward@unimelb.edu.auDr Stephanie Filbay
NHMRC Research Fellow | Research expertise includes anterior cruciate ligament injury and knee osteoarthritis outcomes and interventionsstephanie.filbay@unimelb.edu.auProf David Berlowitz
Chair in Physiotherapy at Austin Health | Research areas include sleep and breathing disorders in neuromuscular disease, health systems and data research, clinical trials of therapies and care modelsdjberl@unimelb.edu.auDr Natalie Fini
Senior Lecturer, Post-Doctoral Researcher | Research areas include physical activity after neurological injury, stroke recovery and rehabilitationnatalie.fini@unimelb.edu.auDr Michelle Hall
Senior Research Fellow, NHMRC Emerging Leader, Dame Kate Campbell Fellow | Research areas include osteoarthritis. exercise, biomechanics; meta-analyses, clinical trialshalm@unimelb.edu.auProf Rana Hinman
Research areas include improving the health of people with chronic musculoskeletal conditions, especially osteoarthritis, implementation science, and increasing access to care, including telerehabilitation and digital healthranash@unimelb.edu.auA/Prof Fiona Dobson
Deputy Head of Physiotherapy | Research areas include exercise for chronic musculoskeletal conditions, hip & knee osteoarthritis, outcome measurement, meta-analysisfdobson@unimelb.edu.auDr Thorlene Egerton
Senior Lecturer | Research focus is on design of models of health service delivery to implement evidence-based practice for osteoarthritis and other chronic conditionsthorlene.egerton@unimelb.edu.auA/Prof Helena Frawley
Associate Professor | Research expertise in expertise in women’s health, specifically disorders related to the pelvic floorh.frawley@unimelb.edu.auProf Jennifer McGinley
Head, Department of Physiotherapy | Research areas include movement and function across the lifespan in healthy people and those with neurological conditions including stroke, Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy and autism spectrum disordermcginley@unimelb.edu.auProf Gavin Williams
Professor of Physiotherapy Rehabilitation | Research areas include neurological gait disorders, running, task-specific strength training and focal spasticity managementgavinw@unimelb.edu.auDr Kelly Bower
Lecturer | Research areas include stroke rehabilitation, balance training, falls prevention, motion-tracking technologies and telehealthbower@unimelb.edu.auMs Shaza Abo
Clinical Research Fellow (Acute Cardiorespiratory) | Researching physical activity and exercise in cancer and critical illness; interested in quantitative and qualitative methodologies, co-design and sustainabilityshaza.abo@unimelb.edu.au
Dr Abbey Eeles
Research Fellow | Research areas include the impact of developmental therapy and early intervention on brain development and rehabilitation in the newborn period and beyond, and the role parents play in delivering this interventionabbey.eeles@unimelb.edu.auA/Prof Cathy Said
A/Professor Physiotherapy Western Health | Research interests include rehabilitation and fall prevention in older people and people with neurological disorderscsaid@unimelb.edu.auProf Kim Bennell
Redmond Barry Distinguished Professor, NHMRC Investigator Fellow and Dame Kate Campbell Fellow. Director of the Centre for Health, Exercise and Sports Medicine | Research focus is on the management of musculoskeletal conditions particularly osteoarthritisk.bennell@unimelb.edu.auDr Belinda Lawford
Research Assistant | Areas of research include telehealth and implementation of health services to help improve the lives of those with chronic musculoskeletal pain (e.g. osteoarthritis)belinda.lawford@unimelb.edu.au -
Social Work
Prof Louise Harms
Chair and Head, Department of Social Work, and Deputy Head, School of Health Sciences | Research interests include health, mental health and disabilitylouisekh@unimelb.edu.auA/Prof Ralph Hampson
Associate Professor | Research areas include health, ageing and community servicesralph.hampson@unimelb.edu.auA/Prof 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 systemsdrose@unimelb.edu.auProf 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 factorsljoubert@unimelb.edu.auDr 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 wellbeingjennifer.davidson@unimelb.edu.auA/Prof Sarah Wise
Associate Professor | Research areas include Child Protection during the perinatal period, Out-of-Home Care and human service system governance and changesarah.wise@unimelb.edu.auA/Prof Kristin Diemer
Associate Professor | kNOwVAWdata; safe, ethical and inclusive measurement of violence against women and children with a focus in Asia and the Pacifick.diemer@unimelb.edu.auDr 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 globegemma.mckibbin@unimelb.edu.auProf Cathy Humphreys
Professor | Dedicated to optimising the health of all family members where there is domestic and family violencecathy.humphreys@unimelb.edu.auDr 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 violencemkertesz@unimelb.edu.auDr 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 contextslauren.kosta@unimelb.edu.auDr David Gallant
Lecturer | Research areas include family violence, sport development, custodial settings, and Indigenous communitiesdavid.gallant@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 researchersdavid.denborough@unimelb.edu.auDr 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 inclusionkathryn.sellick@unimelb.edu.au