Meet our team!

Please use the drop down menu above to learn more about our wonderful multidisciplinary team.
Absent: Andrea Chow, Barb Donnan, Emma Doolan, Donna Drew, Karen Johnston, Sanaa Mathur, Tracey O'Brien, Ryan Pieters, Eden Robertson, Vera Russell, Selena Russo, Helen Wilson, Eric Xu
The BSU team is currently recruiting survivors and families for over 15 studies, across five major themes:
1. Mental Health
2. Nutrition
3. Cognition and Education
4. Health Behaviours
5. Ethics and Genetics

To read more about the research in each stream, and their team members, please click here.

Management team

Prof Richard Cohn
Medical director
Prof Claire Wakefield
Head, Behavioural Sciences Unit
​​​Dr Joanna Fardell
Co-Deputy Program Leader
Dr Ursula Sansom-Daly
Co-Deputy Program Leader

Operational team

Jennifer Clough
Finance Officer
Mark Donoghoe
Statistician
Emma Doolan 
Statistician/Research Officer
Alyssa Wilson
Project Officer

Research Team

Dr Ursula Sansom-Daly
Team Leader- Mental Health
Lauren Carlson 
​Research Officer
​​Dr Kate Hetherington
Post-Doctoral Research Fellow
Sarah Ellis
PhD Candidate
Brittany McGill 
Clinical Psychologist
Holly Evans 
PhD Candidate
Helen Wilson
Research Officer
Theophila Hayes
ILP Student
Vania Raharjo
ILP Student
Dr Jennifer Cohen 
Team Leader - Nutrition
Paayal Gohil
PhD Candidate
Lauren Touyz 
PhD Candidate
​​​Dr Joanna Fardell
Team Leader - Cognition & Education
Barb Donnan
Educational Research Psychologist
Mary Burns
Research Officer
Clarissa Schilstra
Research Officer
Alistair Lum
Post-Doctoral Fellow
Clancy Read
ILP Student
​​​Dr Joanna Fardell
Team Leader - Health Behaviours
Karen Johnston
​Clinical Nurse Consultant
Dr Selena Russo
Research Consultant
Mary-Ellen Brierley
Research Officer
Rebecca Hill
PhD Candidate
David Mizrahi
PhD Candidate
Christina Signorelli 
PhD Candidate
Dr Janine Vetsch
Team Leader - Ethics & Genetics
Dr Leigh Donovan
Post-Doctoral Research Fellow
Dr Lauren Kelada
Post-Doctoral Research Fellow
Vera Russell 
Bereavement Counsellour
Donna Drew 
Clinical Nurse Consultant
Pete Techakesari
​Research Officer
 Eden Robertson 
PhD Candidate
Alison Young
​PhD Candidate
Brittany McGill
PhD Candidate

Current volunteers

Ellen Gan
Lianne Wong
Sophie Champion
Janice Yung
Hannah Yee
Yuki Wen
Fiona Lee
Stephanie Konings