Dr Catherine McMahon

Cathy McMahon is the Principal Investigator for the PATPA research project and is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia. She was formerly a developmental physiotherapist and childbirth educator. Her research focuses on the wellbeing of parents and infants during pregnancy and the early postnatal period and on the development and evaluation of evidence-based support services for families with young children.

Dr Frances Gibson

Frances Gibson is a Chief Investigator on the PATPA research project. She is a lecturer for the Institute of Early Childhood at Macquarie University, Sydney Australia. She has extensive clinical and research experience in child development and mother-infant attachment. Dr Gibson is a Developmental and Counselling Psychologist who provides a consultancy to agencies concerning the evaluation of developmental outcomes following intervention programs and training in developmental assessment for health professionals. As a practising psychologist she consults with parents concerning their child’s learning and development.

Associate Professor Jane Fisher

Jane Fisher is a Chief Investigator on the PATPA research project and is Associate Professor at the Key Centre for Women’s Health in Society in the School of Population Health at the University of Melbourne. She has longstanding interests in the links between reproductive health and mental health, in particular the determinants of psychological wellbeing in early parenthood. She has been Consultant Clinical Psychologist to Masada Private Hospital’s Mother Baby Unit since 1996. 

Dr Jacky Boivin

Jacky Boivin, Reader in Psychology at Cardiff University, Wales is a Partner Investigator for the PATPA project.  She is a leading European researcher on infertility and infertility treatment and a member of the Editorial Board of Human Reproduction Update. Jacky is currently involved in several large European collaborative studies on the experiences of couples during fertility treatment.

Emeritus Professor Douglas Saunders

Emeritus Professor Saunders is a Partner Investigator for the PATPA research project, representing IVFAustralia. Professor Saunders was formerly Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Sydney and was one of the pioneers of Assisted Reproduction Technology (ART) treatment and research in Australia.  He has extensive experience in all facets of women’s reproductive health and ART in particular.

Dr Karin Hammarberg

Karin Hammarberg is a Research Fellow at the Key Centre for Women’s Health in Society, School of Population Health at the University of Melbourne. She has extensive clinical experience in women’s reproductive health and has conducted research on adjustment to pregnancy and the transition to parenthood after infertility and assisted conception. 

Ms Anna-Lisa Camberis

Anna-Lisa is a PhD candidate working with the PATPA team in Sydney. Anna-Lisa is a provisionally registered clinical psychologist enrolled in a doctorate of psychology at Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia. Her research focuses on the experience of pregnancy and early parenthood for women of different ages.

Ms Jeanette Lightfoot

Jeanette is a PhD candidate working with the PATPA team in Sydney.

Jeannette is a registered clinical psychologist with over ten years experience in clinical practice in a child and family health service. Her research focuses on the experiences of fathers, their developing attachment to their child in pregnancy and their adjustment during the transition to parenthood.

Ms Helene Seddon-Glass.

Helene is the Project Officer for the PATPA project and is the main co-ordinator of the project across both states. As such, she is the key contact person for enquiries about the study. Helene has extensive research and project management experience most recently for a large longitudinal European Commission funded study for the University College of London in the UK. helene.seddon-glass@mq.edu.au