The QFCC is pleased to present its eighth Research in the Round forum.
The theme is Improving youth mental health. Presenters are: Professor
Brett McDermott, Professor of Psychiatry at James Cook University in
Townsville; Professor Pat Dudgeon, Professor and Poche Research Fellow
at the School of Indigenous Studies at the University of Western
Australia; and Dr Mark Wenitong, Adjunct Associate Professor, James
Cook University and Aboriginal Public Health Medical Officer at
Apunipima Cape York Health Council. The presentations will be followed
by a panel discussion to explore the topic further. The panel will
include the three presenters as well as Dr Leanne Geppert, Executive
Director with the Queensland Mental Health Commission; Ms Semara Jose,
Deadly Inspiring Youth Doing Good in Cairns, and Mr John Vaughan,
Manager of Diverse Learners, FNQ Regional Office of the Department of
Education. The panel discussion will finish at 5:00 pm with private
networking, drinks and snacks continuing until 6:00 pm. Professor
Brett McDermott Brett McDermott is an Australian medical graduate with
further qualifications in psychiatry, child and adolescent psychiatry
and research. Career highlights include a Fellow of Churchill College
Cambridge University; Executive Director of Mater CYMHS for 14 years
and 10 years as a Director of Beyondblue. Research interests are PTSD,
disaster responses, and child and adolescent mental health service
provision. He is Professor of Psychiatry at James Cook University,
Townsville and has published over 100 journal articles, chapters and
books. Presentation title: Embracing complexity: why youth mental
health problems require more than youth mental health interventions.
This century has commenced with two revolutions; the biological
explaining how stress changes our genome, and big data which drives
much of social media. This discussion will highlight how aspects of
both effect youth mental health. Professor Pat Dudgeon Pat Dudgeon is
from the Bardi people of the Kimberly area in Western Australia. She
is a psychologist and Fellow of the Australian Psychological Society.
Pat is a Professor and Poche Research Fellow at the School of
Indigenous Studies at the University of Western Australia in Perth,
Western Australia. Her area of research includes Indigenous social and
emotional wellbeing and suicide prevention. Amongst her many
commitments, she is a former Commissioner of the Australian National
Mental Health Commission (completed 5 year term July 2017), deputy
chair of the Australian Indigenous Psychologist’s Association, chair
of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Leaders Mental
Health, co-chair of the ministerial Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander
Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Advisory Group and member of
NHMRC Mental Health Research Advisory Committee. She is the executive
director of the National Empowerment Project: an Indigenous suicide
prevention project working with eleven sites in Aboriginal
communities across the country, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander Suicide Prevention Evaluation Project and the Centre of Best
Practice in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention.
Dr Mark Wenitong Dr Mark Wenitong (Adjunct Professor, QUT) is from the
Kabi Kabi tribal group of South Queensland, along with Vanuatu
heritage. He has been the Public Health Medical Advisor and senior
medical officer, at Apunipima Cape York Health Council since 2008,
where he continues to practice clinical medicine, research
translation, public health and remote health service program delivery.
Dr Wenitong was the Aboriginal Public Health Medical Officer, and the
acting CEO, at the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health
Organisation (NACCHO) in 2012 and Prior to working at Apunipima, Dr
Wenitong was Senior Medical Officer at Wuchopperen Health Service in
Cairns for nine years. His key interest areas are very broad and
include, clinical, food security, Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander SEWB and MH as well as men’s health and youth SEWB,
especially in remote communities. He is a ministerial champion for
QH’s rapid response areas. He was one of the founders and is a past
president of the Australian Indigenous Doctors Association. Dr
Wenitong has worked as the medical advisor for OATSIH in Canberra. He
is a member of the IPAG (national Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander health plan implementation group), the National Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander Leadership in Mental Health group, and
chairs the Andrology Australia- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Male Reference group. He was a ministerial appointee to the PHN MH
evaluation panel, and currently co-chairs the co-design of the
national evaluation of the IAHP. He is an advisory board member of
Thirrili (National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander critical
response service), the Stars Foundation (for young Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander women), and the Northern Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander Health Alliance. He also sits on the advisory board
for AHTV (Aboriginal Health TV) He chairs the Lowitja Health Systems
research theme for the Lowitja Institute. He was previously a board
member of AIATSIS (Australian Institute for Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander Studies, the AITHM (Australian Institute of Tropical
Health and Medicine), the NCIG (National Center for Indigenous
Genomics) He was a member of the Northern Territory Emergency Response
Review Expert Advisory Group in 2008, and has Dr Wenitong received the
2011 Australian Medical Association Presidents National Award for
Excellence in Healthcare and the Queensland Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander Health Council Hall of Fame Award in 2010. The Medical
Journal of Australia recognised Dr Wenitong and his colleagues’ (all
Chief Investigators) multi - centre, randomised control trial on
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander antenatal smoking cessation as
their Best Research Publication of 2013. He is a CI on several NHMRC
funded research projects including an early childhood CRE and,
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth resilience, and the MK
study on cultural determinants with ANU. His key interest is in
ensuring that policy at both federal and state/territory level
reflects the evidence base, is implemented across all levels of
government and can actually work in Aboriginal and Torres Strait
communities. He recently sat on the reference group for the latest
AIHW report on the wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
youth. He presents regularly both nationally and internationally on
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and wellbeing as well as
workforce, and the current application of the evidence base in
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander chronic disease and mental
health, and social and emotional wellbeing. Additional panel members
Dr Leanne Geppert Dr Leanne Geppert was appointed Executive Director
of the Queensland Mental Health Commission on 1 February 2019. She
brings to the Commission more than 20 years’ experience in
developing, delivering and improving high quality mental health
services, most recently as Executive Director of Mental Health and
Specialised Services at West Moreton Hospital and Health Service. In
this role she was responsible for the region’s mental health
services, drug and alcohol services and primary health services in
prisons, as well as statewide programs for forensic mental health,
learning, research and benchmarking. As the Commission’s Executive
Director, Dr Geppert’s role is to oversee the implementation of
Shifting minds: Queensland Mental Health Alcohol and Other Drugs
Strategic Plan 2018-2023 and shape the development of policies and
strategies that support and guide its implementation. She also
provides high-level analysis and advice to the Commissioner regarding
the strategic policy and program direction for mental health and
substance misuse reform in Queensland. Dr Geppert holds a Masters and
Doctorate of Clinical Psychology. Her clinical and executive
leadership experience spans child, youth, young adult and adult
consumer groups, while her corporate roles have been relevant to all
age groups and all types of mental health service delivery across the
state, including non-government organisations, and the private and
public sectors. Dr Geppert is a registered psychologist with
endorsement in clinical psychology. She is also a member of the
Australian Psychological Society and the Australian College of
Clinical Psychologists. A lifelong commitment to mental health and
drug and alcohol system reform positions Dr Geppert perfectly to lead
the Commission team during such an exciting time in Queensland. This
will be supported by her strong, established networks across the
sector, and her passion for driving change and innovation through
partnerships. Mr John Vaughan John Vaughan is the Manager of Diverse
Learners for the FNQ Regional Office of the Department of Education.
John has over 25 years within the education sector as a teacher,
administrator and guidance officer. He has worked throughout his
career in education to create a better understanding of the mental
health in schools and in developing innovative responses to mental
health issues affecting young people. As a long serving senior coach
for Queensland Athletics, John also understands the influence positive
wellbeing has on participation, resilience and success of young
people. John currently leads teams of senior guidance officers,
inclusion support and mental health coach in providing strategies to
support the wellbeing and mental health of students in the region.
This year projects relating to mental health include suicide
prevention and postvention strategies, trauma informed practice and
better mental health pathways. Ms Semara Jose Ms Semara Jose is a
proud Gudjul, Eastern-Kuku Yalanji and Darnley Island woman. Despite
limited formal mental health education, she has designed and
delivered grassroots well-being projects for young people in the
Cairns region. Semara has a passion for peer to peer well-being
support and continues to advocate for capacity building opportunities
for young people. Semara has worked over the past 8 years refining
her skills in cultural leadership development to empower young people
to be the best that they can be. She co-founded and is currently the
chair-person and coordinator of the Deadly Inspiring Youth Doing Good
(DIYDG) Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander corporation. Currently
studying a Bachelor of Business Administration, she hopes to
contribute to building sustainable organisations and businesses that
best serve the needs of young people in our community.
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27/06/2019 Last update