Enhancing adolescent mental health through positive education. Positive education is a preventative, strengths-based approach to address the mental health needs of young people in schools. This project will use innovative methods to examine the contribution of positive education to adolescent mental health, and to social and learning outcomes; and will also guide effective and widespread dissemination of positive education, more generally.
Bushfires, social connectedness and mental health. The 2009 Victorian bushfires caused much loss of life, property destruction, and community disturbance. It is important for Promoting Better Health and Strengthening the Social and Economic Fabric that an accurate understanding is achieved of the factors that contribute to optimal recovery from natural disasters. This project will survey people affected by the fires over 5 years to both profile adaptation after the fires and to identify the i ....Bushfires, social connectedness and mental health. The 2009 Victorian bushfires caused much loss of life, property destruction, and community disturbance. It is important for Promoting Better Health and Strengthening the Social and Economic Fabric that an accurate understanding is achieved of the factors that contribute to optimal recovery from natural disasters. This project will survey people affected by the fires over 5 years to both profile adaptation after the fires and to identify the individual and community processes that influence outcome. This project being undertaken in partnership by academic, disaster management, health and community organisations will provide crucial information for shaping policy for disaster management in the years ahead.Read moreRead less
Investigating the dynamics of migration and health in Australia: a longitudinal study. This project will investigate the dynamics of changes in health and the factors that moderate or otherwise influence those changes over time among immigrants relative to non-immigrants in Australia. This understanding will contribute to several areas of policy formulation, in turn allowing the question 'how can we best intervene' to be answered.
The human mind in prediction: conceptual, experimental and practical implications of the theory that the brain is a hypothesis-tester. The relation between the mind and the body is investigated through analysis and experimental studies of the idea that the human brain is essentially a hypothesis-tester. This could radically change our understanding of experience, self and belief, and has the potential to lead to clinical and technological discovery and innovation.