Alexandra Parker BA, MPsych, PhD

Alexandra (Alex) is a Professor with the Institute of Sport, Exercise and Active Living (ISEAL).Prior to joining Victoria University in 2017, Alex was a Senior Research Fellow and Associate Director of Knowledge Translation at Orygen, The National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health at the University of Melbourne. Alex is also a psychologist and has worked as a sessional clinician in youth mental health services for the past 10 years.

Alex’s current field of research examines physical activity interventions for young people with mood disorders. She is leading a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) project grant for a large multi-site trial examining the integration of physical activity into standard care for young people with depression. She is also engaged in consultancy projects with national sporting bodies to examine the mental health and wellbeing of elite athletes/sportspeople.

Alex’s work has also focused on increasing the capacity and competence of the mental health workforce to implement evidence-informed practice to ensure better outcomes for those who are affected by mental ill-health. Her current research also involves the evaluation of youth mental health services and improving outcome measurement.