Team.
Dr George Youssef
Dr Youssef is a cognitive neuropsychologist and biostatistician with expertise in the design and analysis of longitudinal studies of socioemotional and neurocognitive development, spanning childhood through to adulthood. His personal research interests are focused on understanding the phenomenology of exploratory behaviours in young people, including how engaging in these behaviours can promote healthy transition into adulthood.
Liam Graeme
Liam Graeme is a PhD candidate, Research Assistant and Undergraduate Psychology Tutor in the School of Psychology at Deakin University. Liam’s research focuses on the mental health and development of young people and athletes, and on the application of innovative data-analytic research methods to developmental research.
Dr Kate Hall
Dr Kate Hall is a clinical psychologist, senior academic and the Head of Mental Health and Wellbeing at the AFL. Her clinical research track record focusses on the mental health of adolescents and young adults and she has a national reputation in translating research into policy and practice to ultimately improve mental health and wellbeing outcomes for individuals and communities.
Dr Lisa Olive
Lisa is a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Social and Early Emotional Development (SEED), School of Psychology, Deakin University and is the recipient of an NHMRC Early Career Fellowship. Lisa is actively engaged in research and training in mental health in elite sport via her role as Senior Research Fellow at Deakin University and as part of the Mental Health in Elite Sport Unit at Orygen, University of Melbourne. Her work in this area focuses on understanding the drivers of mental health problems, developing new interventions and therapist training, and conducting research and training consultancies, including to the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS), the Australian Football League, Cricket Australia, Gymnastic Australia, and Tennis Australia. Lisa is also a practicing Clinical Psychologist. She has significant experience working with elite athletes over the last 15 years; first through her role as a live in Residential Athlete Welfare Supervisor at the AIS and then as a Clinical Psychologist with the ACT Academy of Sport and now via private practice, where she is an endorsed provider for the AIS Mental Health Referral Network.
Dr Simon Rice
A/Prof Simon Rice is a 2019-2022 National Health and Medical Research Council Career Development Fellow, and a University of Melbourne Dame Kate Campbell Fellow. Simon leads the Gender and Social Psychiatry Research Lab at the Orygen; Centre for Youth Mental Health, overseeing a team of Postdoctoral Fellows, PhD Candidates and Research Assistants examining social influences on mental health outcomes, with a particular focus on young men’s mental health, athlete mental health, digital mental health interventions, and the treatment of moderate-severe mood disorders and suicide prevention in young people.