Meet the team

David is a Research Capacity Building Professor and Director of Research for the School of Psychology and Counselling at QUT, and an Honorary Professor at UQ. He is the Director of the eMHPrac project. 

As a psychologist, David has a strong commitment to improving outcomes for people with problems involving mental health or substance use. Over the last 11 years, he has been developing and testing web programs, apps and robotic interventions.  With a keen interest in innovative solutions, David brings over 40 years’ experience in clinical psychology research, education and practice. He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Social Sciences and the Australian Psychological Society and sits on the editorial boards of a number of top tier journals, including Addiction.

David has made significant contributions to policy and strategic planning through participation in committees of Queensland Health, the Australian Department of Health and the Australian Psychological Society. He has also held leadership positions in community mental health and in universities.

Heidi is the Deputy Director of the eMHPrac (e-Mental Health in Practice) project. Heidi delivers national training and support on digital mental health resources to GPs, allied health practitioners and service providers working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.  She has a Masters in Organisational Psychology and 25 years’ experience in applied mental health research. Her areas of interest include how to integrate appropriate digital technologies into health care, rural and remote mental health, and wellbeing of health practitioners.

Ruth is a Senior Research Fellow on the eMHPrac (e-Mental Health in Practice) team and an Honorary Senior Lecturer at UQ. Ruth’s role is to develop, deliver and evaluate national training on digital mental health resources to allied health practitioners and service providers. Her research interests include the integration of digital mental health resources into healthcare, and effective implementation of evidence based mental health policy. Ruth has over twenty years experience in applied mental health research, public health and teaching in both the UK and Australia and is currently completing her Master’s in Clinical Psychology at UQ. She is a member of the APS E-Psychology and Buddhism and Psychology Interest Groups.

Lauren Murase is a Research Assistant on the eMHPrac (e-Mental Health in Practice) team and has recently completed a Bachelor of Business (Marking) and a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Interactive and Visual Design) at the Queensland University of Technology. This degree has helped Lauren to develop and maintain the various resources offered by the eMHPrac project. She has always had a lot of interest in mental health and love working with the eMHPrac team to explore this passion further.

Ashleigh has completed a Bachelor in Communication (Social Inquiry) at the University of Technology Sydney and is currently studying for her Bachelor of Behavioral Science degree  at the Queensland University of Technology. Ashleigh works as a research assistant on the eMHPrac project and is hoping to become a researcher in the Psychology field. ‘I am very passionate about mental health and believe everyone should have access to the help they need. I love working as part of the eMHPrac team’. 

Tania is a Senior Research Officer within the eMHPrac Team and a registered Clinical Psychologist. She has been a part of Professor David Kavanagh’s ePsychology Research Team for over a decade, helping develop and test a range of innovative therapies and technologies, including telephone-based treatments, online programs and apps, to help improve mental health and wellbeing.

Outside of the team, Tania works in a private practice setting treating adolescents and adults, and is an enthusiastic advocate of e-Mental Health services and resources to complement the treatment she provides and support her clients between sessions.