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.

Professor Zachary Steel

Professor 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 Discipline of Psychiatry & Mental Health at University of New South Wales. He has more than 30 years’ experience as a researcher and clinician with a focus on the impact of trauma on veterans, first responders, frontline workers, refugees, asylum seekers, and civilian populations. He is also the immediate past president of the Australasian Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (2019-2021) and is 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.

Professor Richard Bryant AC

Richard Bryant is a Scientia Professor of Psychology at the University of New South Wales, Sydney and Director of the Traumatic Stress Clinic. Professor Bryant’s research has focused on the nature and treatment of stress reactions. He has identified key genetic, neural, and psychological factors underpinning stress reactions and strategies to manage them. His assessment and treatment protocols have been translated into over 15 languages and used in many countries. Professor Bryant has written 6 books, 87 book chapters, and 760 journal articles. He has worked with many first responder agencies in managing traumatic stress, as well as working with the World Health Organization to develop programs to manage stress reactions in countries affected by trauma and adversity. He also served on panels to develop traumatic stress diagnoses for ICD-11 and DSM-5.

Chaplain Rob Sutherland CSC

Chaplain Rob Sutherland, CSC, BTh, MMin is the Principal Veterans Chaplain in the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA).

As an Infantry Officer, Rob studied theology and was ordained an Anglican priest. He has been part-time and full-time Army chaplain since 1998.

Rob has deployed overseas on operations as a chaplain seven times, mainly with Special Operations Task Groups. Seeing the effects of combat and operations on soldiers, Rob looked for recovery and healing options for veterans.

Rob has been to the US and Canada (including a Churchill Fellowship) studying programs for recovery. He has developed or worked on numerous Moral Injury, spiritual wounds, suicide prevention, mental health and resilience programs. He has contributed to books and numerous articles and presentations on healing for veterans and families.

Rob has been a prison chaplain (Goulburn CC) and Parish priest and is Director of Warrior Welcome Home, a faith-based recovery program for Moral Injury and spiritual wounds.

He wrote the 2021 Report into the need for Pastoral Support, Spiritual Health and Chaplaincy Effects for Former Serving Members and Families. He is seconded to DVA as Principal Veterans Chaplain leading the Veterans Chaplaincy Pilot Program.

Tara Lal

Tara is a professional firefighter and peer support officer with Fire and Rescue NSW. She is also a PhD candidate at the University of New England and was awarded the inaugural Australian Rotary Health scholarship for research into the mental health of emergency service workers in 2018. Her research focusses on understanding the impact of suicide on firefighters. She is also the internationally published author of Standing on My Brother’s Shoulders – Making peace with Grief and Suicide. Tara is a Mental Health First Aid instructor and has managed the psychological wellbeing program in Fire and Rescue NSW working with researchers at the Black Dog Institute to implement programs aimed at building resilience and improving mental health outcomes in firefighters. She was a finalist in the Rotary Inspirational Woman of the Year awards in 2017 and was awarded the Australian Fire Service Medal in 2022 for her work supporting the mental health of firefighters. In March 2021 Tara cycled 5000km unsupported from the western most point to the eastern most point of Australia raising over $21k for Lifeline and awareness for two organisations for which is an ambassador - Fortem Australia and StandBy Support After Suicide. Her mission is to use the voice of lived experience in her research to effect meaningful change at individual, organisational and community level.

Derrick McManus

Derrick McManus was a Sniper, Tactical Diver and trained by the military elite SAS (Special Air Service) as a Counter-Terrorist Operative in the SA Police STAR Group (Special Tasks And Rescue Group). As you would well imagine, his work required 100% effort and Peak Performance.

Now, after an extreme workplace injury, Derrick has experienced Post-Traumatic Growth, is an international speaker and facilitator and founded The Australian Centre for Human Durability - The Ability to Go Beyond Resilience to Sustainable Optimal Performance.

Through lived experience, he has distilled a mental well-being methodology that allows Frontline Operators to also experience Post-Traumatic Growth from their service.

He has worked with police, the Army and the RAAF including fighter pilots with great success. His methodologies apply equally to the general public too.

James Hill

James Hill is a passionate Mental Health Advocate whose background is in the electricity industry. James has successfully implemented positive systemic and cultural change regarding workplace mental health and is the Mental Health Manager for Energy Queensland, leading a dedicated mental health team. Outside the workplace James is a lived experience advisor for the Queensland Mental Health Commission and a lived experience advocate for UniSc Thompson Institute.

His achievements in the mental health sector have earned him the Individual Contribution to Mental Health Award in Queensland Australia, along with the Large Workplace Mental Health Award. In addition, he was a finalist for the Queensland Local Hero category in the Australian of the Year awards and awarded the Chancellors Medal at UniSC for his contribution to mental health.