Research Staff

Angelita has worked in public health practice, education and research since 1988, and holds a PhD, Master of Public Health, and Graduate Diploma of Education.

Her research is focused on the health needs of vulnerable Australians, including the elderly, people with disabilities, and families impacted by cancer. She has extensive experience in policy and health services research, leading to substantial influence on policy and practice through successful collaboration with community, government, industry and non-government organisations.

Elly completed a Bachelor of Biomedical Science in 2013, and Master of Public Health in 2015.

Elly has worked in the Brightwater research team since November 2015 on a range of projects across aged care and disability services. Her main research interests are public health and health service utilisation, and she is passionate about using research to inform and change service provision and clinical practice.

Elly’s work will now have a major focus on disability research, while providing statistical support within the research centre.

Katie graduated from Curtin University in 2017 with a Bachelor of Science (Occupational Therapy) (Honours).

Katie’s honours project explored the value of community-based recreation for young people with intellectual disabilities and their typically developing peers. She currently works part-time as an occupational therapist at Brightwater Oats Street on the community team. Katie is currently part of the ICWA continence project at Brightwater, looking at using assistive technologies to improve independence and reduce cost of care for residents with TBI undergoing community rehabilitation.

Katie is passionate about enabling people to engage in their local communities through promoting positive health outcomes, wellbeing and quality of life.

Joanne graduated from UWA in 2016 with a Bachelor of Arts (double major in psychology), and is completing a Master of Public Health.

Her background is in business management. Joanne is passionate about vulnerable populations and is currently working on the Lotterywest Families Project looking to develop an informed support intervention for children and youths whose parents have an acquired brain injury or younger onset dementia diagnosis.

To get in touch with Joanne, please contact (08) 9202 3561.

Alexandra obtained her medical degree at The Medical University of Graz, Austria in 2004.

Since qualifying she has worked as Neurology registrar in Austria, the Netherlands and Australia. She developed a special interest for neurodegenerative and neuro-inflammatory disorders, which led to PhD studies at the Free University in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, which focused on imaging and histopathology in Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis and stroke.

Alexandra is passionate about disease prevention and the influence of lifestyle choices, especially nutrition and exercise, on health and disease. Alexandra’s work is centred around nutrition in neurological disease.

Melissa holds a Master of Nutrition and Dietetics from Edith Cowan University, and a Bachelor of Health Science from University of Tasmania.

She has been working as a private practice dietitian since graduating in September 2017. Research formed a significant part of Melissa’s studies and has led to her developing a strong passion for research that improves health outcomes and quality of life of individuals within the local and broader community.

Melissa is currently working on a nutrition based project at Brightwater Care with Dr Alexandra Seewann and Dr Angelita Martini that aims to assess the influence of food additives on behaviour in elderly with dementia.

Robyn graduated from Murdoch University with a Master of Applied Psychology (Clinical) in 2003.

Since then Robyn has worked in government and non-government agencies providing psycho-therapeutic treatment for children, young people and families.

At Brightwater,  Robyn has the opportunity to use her experience of working with children in distress and her curiosity about what helps families thrive, within a project that aims to develop support for children with an acquired brain injury or younger onset dementia.  

To get in touch with Robyn, please contact (08) 9202 3527.