Perinatal mental health researcher awarded prestigious postdoctoral fellowship
St John of God Burwood Hospital perinatal mental health researcher Nicole Reilly has received a significant research boost after she was awarded a highly sought after fellowship early this year.
23 Feb 2018
23 February 2018
Ms Reilly is one of two recipients of an Australian Rotary Health Postdoctoral Fellowship awarded nationally this year.
She will use the four-year fellowship to investigate the impact of landmark Australian mental health initiatives which target pregnant women and new mums.
Ms Reilly said the fellowship would enable her to extend on the work she has completed at the St John of God Burwood Hospital Perinatal and Women’s Mental Health Unit, under Professor Marie-Paule Austin’s leadership, and build on her work with the Australian Longitudinal Study for Women’s Health.
Ultimately the research is designed to inform policy and clinical practice to give women better outcomes,” she said.
“Through this research I will evaluate the impact of national prevention and early intervention investments for maternal mental health – including the National Perinatal Depression Initiative, clinical practice guidelines for perinatal mental health, as well as new MBS items for obstetric services – on service use and mental health outcomes for women who have given birth in Australia over the past 20-25 years,” she said.
“I will also look to examine adherence to clinical best practice guidelines for perinatal mental health and will validate a revised version of the Antenatal Risk Questionnaire (ANRQ), a clinical tool that supports the early identification of psychosocial risk during pregnancy, which I have worked on closely with Prof Austin.”
St John of God Health Care Chair Perinatal and Women’s Mental Health Research Unit Professor Marie-Paule Austin said this was an exciting opportunity for Nicole and was a significant opportunity to further our understanding of interventions and their effectiveness for women who experience perinatal mental health.
“Nicole’s previous research, published in 2013, directly influenced the Commonwealth Government’s decision to fund the depression screening and psychosocial assessments through Medicare which will make a real difference into the lives of everyday Australians,” Professor Austin said.
“I look forward seeing how Nicole’s future research helps shape policies and practicing into the future to help more women and their children.”
Ms Reilly said that while this research work would significantly reduce her role at St John of God Burwood Hospital, she was excited to be able to extend the scope of the initial work she has completed at the hospital.
“My work though is still very much focussed in the perinatal mental health field, and will be an extension of key pieces of work we have completed in recent years,” she said.
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