PIRI Staff
Professor Jeannette Milgrom
Director
Professor Milgrom has been involved in clinical practice and research on difficulties in the mother-infant interaction and postnatal depression (PND) since 1978, and has held a Harkness Fellowship in the USA as well as an O'Rouke Fellowship in Paris for work with families and infants. She has developed a model centre for families and infants, the "Infant Clinic", and the H.U.G.S. intervention program targeting the parent-infant relationship. Professor Milgrom has just established the Parent-Infant Research Institute, which aims to become the pre-eminent body in Australia conducting research in parent-infant difficulties. Professor Milgrom has published widely in the area and held a number of long-term research grants having just completed a large randomized controlled trial of screening (n=5000) and evaluating comparative treatments of postnatal depression. She is also active professionally, holding positions in the Australian Association for Infant Mental Health (Victorian Branch) and the College of Health Psychologists of the Australian Psychological Society
Ms Jennifer Ericksen
Infant Clinic Coordinator
Jennie Ericksen is Coordinator of the Infant Clinic of the Parent-Infant Research Institute. She is a psychologist specialising in early childhood assessment, parent support and skills training, cognitive behaviour therapy, service planning and implementation. She has worked in a variety of specialist children's services Currently she works with families during the child's first two years of life. She has a strong interest in training other health professionals, and has been project manager on a number of the Parent-Infant Research Institute research studies, playing a key role in the beyondblue projects and leading a multidisciplinary team of parent-infant specialists. She has published a number of articles and contributed to improving awareness in the media of the needs of mothers, fathers and infants.
Dr Alan Gemmill
Senior Research Officer
Alan Gemmill has strong interests in reproductive biology, human health, psychology and biomedical statistics. His published work has modelled the reproductive ecology of infectious, disease-causing organisms in the light of modern evolutionary theory and has focussed on direct experimental tests of theoretical predictions. In recent years his interests have covered diverse biomedical topics from the genetics of malaria parasite to issues of mother-infant mental health. As Senior Research Officer at the Department of Clinical and Health Psychology Austin Health, Dr Gemmill oversees the design, conduct and analysis of various research studies, clinical trials and public health initiatives.
Ms Elizabeth Loughlin
Dance Therapist
Ms Loughlin is a professional dance therapist who has worked with mothers and infants in dance in the community, studio and clinical setting for many years. At the Austin Health Infant Clinic, she offers dance and movement with music as a therapeutic intervention for mothers with postnatal depression and their infants. The aim is to build on the mother's intuitive processes that may have been dampened by postnatal depression and to encourage expressive communication between infant and mother. Ms Loughlin has published in the area and also teaches about this work at the International Dance Therapy Institute of Australia and creative arts therapies in the University of Melbourne School of Social Work.
Dr Bronwyn Leigh
Clinical Health Psychologist
Dr Leigh works clinically with women, infants and families through the Infant Clinic and is involved in a range of research studies related to maternal mood and prematurity through PIRI. Her doctoral thesis, which was conducted through PIRI, explored risk factors for antenatal depression, postnatal depression and parenting stress and the relationship between them. Dr Leigh's areas of specific interest include perinatal maternal mood disturbance, adjustment to parenthood, adjustment following a premature birth, perinatal loss, mother-infant interaction and maintaining intimacy between couples in the transition to parenthood. She is also an honorary psychologist to the Bonnie Babes Foundation.
Dr Carol Newnham
Research Officer
Dr Newnham trained as a neuropsychologist and her main area of interest is optimising the development of premature babies. She is currently running two research projects. The first involves helping mothers understand the unique behaviours and needs of their still-hospitalised infants. The second project is to compare two forums in which parents of premature babies are given a host of information about prematurity: a 3-hour workshop versus an 8-week therapeutic playgroup. In addition, Dr Newnham edits a quarterly PIRI magazine called Premiepress. Premiepress also aims to educate parents about the issues their premature baby (and themselves) may face and ways in which they can be proactive in helping their family. A premature-baby clinic, to which parents can bring their child for assessment or themselves for counselling is also co-ordinated by Dr Newnham.
Chris Holt
Research Assistant
Mr Christopher Holt graduated with a Bachelor of Social Science (Psychology) at Australian Catholic University, Melbourne in 2003 He is currently a PHD student within the school of Psychology at Australian Catholic University. His interests include, workplace engagement, mental health and positive psychology. In 2004 he joined the research team at the Infant Clinic (Austin Health, Melbourne) as a research assistant. He co-ordinates the Beating the Blues Before Birth Program, which is a research trial evaluating a group based cognitive behavioural intervention, which aims to treat pregnant women experiencing Antenatal depression
Dr Charlene Schembri
Clinical Psychologist
Dr Schembri graduated with a Bachelor of Social Science (Psychology) at RMIT University, Melbourne in 2001 and a Postgraduate Diploma in Psychology at the University of Melbourne in 2002. She completed her Doctor of Clinical Psychology degree at La Trobe University, Melbourne in 2007. Charlene joined the PIRI team in February 2006. She co-ordinates the Toward Parenthood Program, which is a research trial aiming to prepare expectant parents for parenthood. Charlene also provides individual and group treatment to mothers/families attending the Infant Clinic.
Ms Lisa Bates
Postgraduate Student
Ms Bates is currently undertaking a Doctorate in Clinical and Health Psychology at the University of Melbourne. The focus of her research is comparing patterns of emotional distress, particularly depression, anxiety and PTSD following fullterm and preterm childbirth. In addition, she is also very interested in how mothers of preterm infants cope with the unexpected birth of their baby and its NICU hospitalisation.
Ms Jessica Ross
Postgraduate Student