Our Team

Professor Jane Speight PhD CPsychol AFBPsS

Foundation Director, Chair in Behavioural and Social Research in Diabetes at Deakin University Lead and NDSS National Development Program for Mental Health and Diabetes

 Professor Speight is a chartered psychologist and health psychologist (registered with the UK Health Professions Council). She leads a large and varied program of research in Australia and the UK, through which she aims to improve the quality of life of people with diabetes and encourage healthcare professionals to better understand the impact of diabetes and its treatment from the individual’s perspective. Her research focuses on optimising self-management, with a strong emphasis on:

• The optimal use and personal impact of new treatments and technologies.
• The development and evaluation of self-management / education / peer support programs.
• Recurrent severe hypoglycaemia: its impact on quality of life, prevention and drivers of severe hypoglycaemia, measurement of impaired awareness of hypoglycaemia.
• Therapeutic engagement, beliefs about illness and medications, and behavioural change.
• The experience of living with diabetes, including its impact on emotional well-being, quality of life and perceptions of social stigma.

E: jspeight@acbrd.org.au  T: +61 (0)3 8648 1850  

Read Professor Speight’s full profile

 

Claudia Gasch Dipl. Designer (FH)

Personal Assistant to Professor Speight; ACBRD Administrative Officer

Claudia provides administrative support to Prof Speight and other staff of the Centre. Claudia is the first point of contact for enquiries to the Centre and takes care of the day-to-day operations. She is responsible for establishing, managing and improving administrative procedures and systems within the Centre.

Before joining the ACBRD, Claudia worked at the Melbourne Graduate School of Education (University of Melbourne) where she provided administrative support and assisted in financial operations. She holds a Masters in Fashion Design from HTW Berlin.

E: cgasch@acbrd.org.au T: +61 (0)3 8648 1844

 

Dr Jessica Browne BPsyc(Hons), PhD

Research Fellow

Jessica has a PhD in health psychology from the University of Wollongong, and has a research background in the psychological aspects of prevention of chronic conditions. Jessica joined the ACBRD in January 2011. She is currently managing the Diabetes MILES – Australia study, and is involved in the Diabetes MILES international collaborative. She also manages the IDEAS Evaluation Study, and a study about the social experiences of living with diabetes. Jessica has a particular interest in the behavioural management of type 2 diabetes, and in the social impact of living with the condition.

E: jbrowne@acbrd.org.au T:+61 (0)3 8648 1845

 

Dr Christel Hendrieckx MSc PhD

Research Fellow

Christel is a registered clinical psychologist, trained at the Brussels Free University (Belgium). She completed her PhD in health psychology at Royal Holloway University of London. For many years, Christel had a dual role:

• Managing international research programs on new treatments for type 1 diabetes at the Diabetes Research Centre (Brussels Free University); and,
• counselling people with diabetes and people with obesity/eating disorders attending the University Hospital.

Christel moved to Australia and joined the ACBRD in June 2011. Her major interest is in people with type 1 diabetes and their perceptions of new treatments and technologies and in evaluating the impact of new therapies on psychological outcomes. Her key projects focus on interventions to improve the psychological well-being of people living with diabetes, and on the prevention of severe hypoglycaemia.

E: chendrieckx@acbrd.org.au T: +61 (0)3 8648 1860

 

Susanne Baxandall RN BSW MSW

Mental Health and Diabetes Network Coordinator

Susanne is a qualified social worker, a former registered nurse, and the inaugural Advocacy Coordinator at Diabetes Australia Vic (DA-Vic), a position she has held for more than ten years. On secondment from her advocacy role, Susanne joined the ACBRD in January 2013 to support the NDSS National Development Program for Mental Health and Diabetes, as the Network Coordinator.

Susanne is passionate about making sure that people with diabetes and their family members have access to their rights, as well of the very best of physical and emotional healthcare within their community. Susanne’s social work career spans over 30 years’ experience working in the health and not–for-profit sector.

E: SBaxandall@diabetesvic.org.au T: +61 (0)3 9667 1769

 

Virginia Hagger RN GDipVET MPH

PhD Candidate

Virginia is a registered nurse and credentialed diabetes educator, with post-graduate qualifications in vocational education and public health. Her professional and research interests have focused on innovative and effective models of diabetes self-management education, and improving the provision of diabetes care through health professional development and training. Formerly manager of diabetes education services at Diabetes Australia-Vic, in 2012 Virginia enrolled at Deakin University as a part-time PhD candidate. Her PhD focuses on educating and supporting adolescents with type 1 diabetes, through the development, national implementation and evaluation of the Teens Empowered to Actively Manage Type 1 diabetes (TEAM T1) project. TEAM T1 is a structured, self-management education program for adolescents with type 1 diabetes, and their parents.

E: vhagger@diabetesvic.org.au T: +61 (0)3 9667 1715

 

Jennifer Halliday BHSc (Hons)

Research Assistant

In 2008, Jennifer completed a Bachelor of Health Science with Honours at Deakin University. Jennifer’s Honours thesis focused on children’s perspectives of health in primary school settings. Since completing her thesis, Jennifer has worked part-time at the WHO Collaborating Centre for Obesity Prevention, where the focus of her research has been on migrant and refugee health and wellbeing. Jennifer joined the ACBRD in February 2011 as a part-time research assistant (0.4 EFT). Jennifer coordinated the 2011 Symposium for Behavioural Research in Diabetes. She is currently supporting an audit of psychological wellbeing in adults with type 1 diabetes at three tertiary metropolitan clinics and the development of the National Diabetes Services Scheme National Development Program for Mental Health and Diabetes.

E: jhalliday@acbrd.org.au T: +61 (0)3 8648 1846

 

Elizabeth Holmes-Truscott BSSc BPsyc(Hons)

PhD Candidate and Research Assistant

Elizabeth completed her undergraduate degree in 2010 at the Australian Catholic University and was awarded the Australian Psychological Society (APS) prize for Psychology Honours (1st class). Elizabeth joined the ACBRD in November 2010 as a full-time research assistant and project manager of the Diabetes MILES Study. In February 2012 Elizabeth enrolled at Deakin University to conduct her PhD exploring perceptions of insulin use among people living with type 2 diabetes and interventions to improve receptiveness to insulin initiation. Alongside her PhD research, Elizabeth continues to work for the Centre one day per week support various research projects and managing a qualitative study exploring perceptions of the language used in communication with and about people with diabetes.

E: etruscott@acbrd.org.au T: +61 (0)3 8648 1861

 

Rachel Isaacs BA(Hons)

Research Assistant

Rachel completed her Bachelor of Arts (Honours) at Monash University in 2012. Rachel plans to pursue postgraduate studies in 2014. During her years break from University, Rachel has commenced working for the ACBRD part-time as a research assistant on the IDEAS Evaluation Study. Her role is based primarily within diabetes clinics in a community setting, with participants who have recently commenced care at the clinics.

E: risaacs@acbrd.org.au T: +61 (0)3 9667 1781

 

Amelia Lake

PhD Candidate

Amelia Lake has worked as a Research Fellow (RF) in the School of Psychology at Deakin University since 2005. Key projects included the management of a 3 year alcohol education intervention RCT and the detailed evaluation of an integrated drug and alcohol service. During that time, Amelia became involved in an evaluation of a broad scale chronic condition management system redesign for a large Metropolitan health service. She developed a strong interest in chronic condition self management with a specific focus on people with chronic co-morbidities and complex psychosocial issues.  In early 2013, Amelia joined ACBRD as a PhD candidate, to manage the Diabetes and Eye Health project, which aims to increase rates of eye screening in people with Type 2 diabetes and improve the early detection and management of diabetic retinopathy.

E: alake@acbrd.org.au T: +61 (0)3 9667 1782

 

Lucy Morrish BA(Hons) GDipPsych

Research Assistant

Lucy is currently completing a Master’s degree in Psychology (Clinical) at Deakin University. She commenced work for the ACBRD as a student in November 2011, and has been employed as a part-time research assistant since March 2012. During this time she has contributed to a number of projects including the investigation of emotional wellbeing and support needs of young adults with type 2 diabetes, wellbeing and health-related experiences of adults with diabetes and intellectual disability, and developing diabetes wellbeing guidelines for healthcare professionals. She has a strong interest in the fields of health psychology and youth mental health.

E: lmorrish@acbrd.org.au T: +61 (0)3 8648 1846

 

Laura Smith BAppSc(Psych), BAppSc(Psych)(Hons)

Research Assistant

Laura has a bachelor’s degree in applied science and commenced her Doctorate in Psychology (Health) at Deakin University in 2009. As part of her degree, Laura completed a student placement at the ACBRD in 2011 where she was engaged in activities such as undertaking a systematic review and contributing to the development of a Young Adults Diabetes Service. Laura is currently completing the final stage of her doctorate and has returned to the Centre to work part-time as a research assistant on the IDEAS Evaluation Study, investigating the impact of collaborative care service for people with type 2 diabetes.

E: lsmith@acbrd.org.au T: +61 (0)3 9667 1781

 

Adriana Ventura BA, GDipPsych

Research Assistant

Adriana is currently undertaking the Doctor of Psychology (Health) program at Deakin University. As part of her doctoral degree, Adriana completed a student placement at the ACBRD in 2012, where she was engaged in a qualitative research study focusing on the social experience of living with type 2 diabetes. She completed her placement in late 2012 and stayed on at the Centre to work part-time as a research assistant, enabling her to see the qualitative social experiences study through to publication. Adriana is now also working on a similar study for people with type 1 diabetes.

E: aventura@acbrd.org.au T: +61 (0)3 9667 1793