Researchers
Our research is structured into research themes, programs of work and teams. We are committed to collaboration and to work together.
Research theme leaders
BA (Education) PhD Candidate
Director of First Nations Strategy and Leadership; Head, First Nations Health and Equity Research
BSc (Hons) PhD
Head, Brain and Behaviour Research
MBBS FRACP PhD
Co-director of Children’s Diabetes Centre
BMedSci (Dist) MBBS, PhD (Dist) FRACP
Research Theme Head, Early Environment; Team Lead, Chronobiology
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Help shape our researchReports & findings
Effect of methylphenidate exposure on glutamate and glutamate-related metabolites in patients with ADHD: a systematic review
Dysfunctional glutamatergic neurotransmission has been implicated in the underlying pathogenesis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The psychostimulant methylphenidate (MPH), which is used as a first line treatment for ADHD, has been shown to have both acute and chronic effects on prefrontal cortex glutamatergic afferents. Animal studies have also identified an effect of MPH and glutamate in prefrontal areas. Despite this there are ongoing questions as to the extent and direction of this effect, as well as its impact on other neurobiological processes.
Postsepsis Care Needs in Children and Families: Single-Center, Codesign Qualitative Research from Western Australia
Sepsis, for children and their parents, is a life-altering illness with far-reaching psychosocial and physical impacts. We aimed to explore the needs of such patients and their parents after hospital admission for sepsis to inform the development of a Western Australian postsepsis care service.
Predicting Problem Gambling in Young Men: The Impact of Sports Gambling Frequency and Internalizing Symptoms
Young men aged 18-25 years are at disproportionately increased risk for gambling problems compared to their older or female counterparts. The unique mechanisms that precipitate these problems in this group remain unclear. Data from the largest longitudinal cohort study on Australian men's health (the Ten to Men Study) were used to identify the psychosocial, health-related, and gambling-related behavioral predictors of problem gambling severity in 265 young men aged 18-25 years. Hierarchical multiple ordinal logistic regression analyses found these predictors to explain a moderate proportion of variance in problem gambling severity.
Norm Misperception and Witnessing Bullying: The Role of Individual and Contextual Characteristics
Previous studies have shown that when young people witness bullying, perceived social norms of their peer group affect their behavior. However, few studies have examined the specificity of norm misperception (i.e., overestimation of peer antisocial responses and the underestimation of prosocial responses relative to the objective group norm) on specific witness responses (joining in, bystanding or active defending).