Melissa Petrakis
dedicated, compassionate mental health practice-based co-production researcher
Specialty Areas
Community Service and Engagement, Cultural Diversity, Families, Mental Health and Wellbeing, Mentoring, Organisation Change Management
About Me
Dr Melissa Petrakis is a Senior Lecturer at Monash University, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences. She has worked in mental health services for over 20 years, the first decade as a clinician and the second as a practice-based researcher (PBR), engaged in health services research on the implementation of evidence-based practice (EBP).
She is the author of over 40 publications and has delivered more than 70 national and international conference presentations. For the last nine years she has been Chief Investigator of a longitudinal cohort study into evidence-based public mental health early psychosis treatment with St Vincent’s Hospital (Melbourne). Her research resulted in a national award win for Exceptional Care – Research Excellence 2012. Her strengths-based mental health research contributed to a Silver Award win at the Australian and New Zealand Mental Health Service Achievement Awards 2011, a Special Judges Commendation 2013 and Highly Commended at the Victorian Public Healthcare Awards 2011.
She was last year awarded The Tom Trauer Evaluation and Research Award in the Australian and New Zealand 2016 The MHS Awards program for service to mental health. It was given in recognition of academic mentoring, collaboration and co-production in mental health services research. The award acknowledges excellence in her approach to research and how she champions co-design, co-production and co-authorship, with clinicians and people with lived experience of mental ill health.
To find out more about Melissa you can find her research profile at researchgate.net/Melissa and monashuniversity.edu
Qualifications
PhDMaster Social Work Research
Bachelor or Social Work
Bachelor of Arts Psychology and English
