2024 Frontline Mental Health Conference

Associate Professor Jacqueline Drew

Dr Jacqueline Drew is an Associate Professor with the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice and Griffith Criminology Institute, Griffith University. Jacki has over 20 years of experience in law enforcement, as a practitioner and researcher. Jacki began her career in law enforcement with the Queensland Police Service (QPS). Jacki’s work focuses on police organisational practice and experiences of police personnel, specifically the areas of police mental health, suicide, police leadership, career paths of women police and recruitment and retention. Jacki has been awarded an Australian Research Council (Linkage) Grant, working with the Queensland Police Commissioner, to develop a workplace health and wellbeing early warning system to improve the mental health and wellbeing of police personnel. Jacki works internationally with law enforcement in the United States (US), she is a lead investigator on a national (US) biennial survey research program with the National Fraternal Order of Police focused on police wellbeing.

Dr Kate Martin

Dr Kate Martin is the Director of CLET Training and has over 17 years experience working with former and current police, military and emergency services workers. With a background in law and raised in a police family, Kate completed her doctoral studies with Charles Sturt University in 2020 having researched the transition processes for first responders and how this impacts their post service employment satisfaction. In her pursuit of answers for the challenges faced by service personnel Kate holds 11 higher education qualifications including a Master of Disaster and Emergency Response from Edith Cowan University, a Master of Policing, Intelligence and Counter Terrorism from Macquarie University and a Bachelor of Psychological Science from Swinburne University.

Kate’s work with CLET Training directly applies evidence-based research to support police, military and emergency services, and more recently corrections, personnel in understanding their reality, both in and out of the job, and to help with the transition process, when it occurs. Acknowledging that physical and mental health injuries are only part of the challenge faced by this group, Kate’s work has a direct focus on the diverse and complex nature of the service-based experiences and seeks to offer an informed approach to pave the way both within and without service.

Professor Zachary Steel

Prof Zachary Steel holds the St John of God Chair of Trauma and Mental Health a partnership between Richmond and Burwood Hospital in NSW and the School of Psychiatry UNSW. He has a 30 year history of work with populations affected by trauma, including veterans, emergency service workers. refugees, asylum seekers as well as those affected by mass conflict. He is the immediate past president of the Australasian Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (2019-2021) and sits on the Board for the Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors (STARTTS).

Dr Nikki Jamieson

Dr Nikki Jamieson is a suicidologist, author, researcher and AASW registered social worker in Australia. Nikki’s interest in military suicide and moral injury, was born from lived experience and has led to pioneering research on moral injury and suicide, several publications, a book and national and international keynotes and workshops.

Nikki is an established leader in suicide prevention and moral injury, and has worked strategically within suicide prevention across a range of government departments including DVA, Health, Education and more recently for the Department of Defence where she currently holds a key role in suicide prevention.

CAPT Malcolm Roberts

CAPT Malcolm Roberts is in his 20th year in the Australian Army. In 2009/10 he deployed to Afghanistan on Operation Slipper as a company medic. It was during this deployment that he encountered a number of traumatic incidents including the death of a fellow soldier. CAPT Roberts continued his career in Army and in 2013 he completed his Bachelor of Nursing, commissioning as a Nursing Officer. It wasn’t until 10 years after his deployment that CAPT Roberts was diagnosed with PTSD. Since then he has had to navigate the challenges of maintaining a fulltime career in Defence with his recovery.

CAPT Roberts is a firm believer in the benefits of Lived Experience and finding purpose as a way of navigating the challenges of PTSD. He continues to deliver his Lived Experience talks to Defence members and advocates for destigmatising Mental Health in Defence and the wider community. CAPT Roberts is posted to HQ 2nd Health Brigade as the Long Term Schooling Manager for SE Qld, NSW & ACT. He is married to his ever patient wife Rachael and between them have four amazing children.

Scientia Professor Richard Bryant

Bio coming soon.

Chaplain Rob Sutherland, CSC

Bio coming soon.