Gemma Skaczkowski PhD

Dr. Gemma Skaczkowski is a research fellow in the Department of Rural Health at the University of South Australia. Her current work examines the well-being of farmers and the management of mental health in primary care. This includes the evaluation of the www.ifarmwell.com.au intervention, designed by Dr. Kate Gunn, to help farmers better cope with things beyond their control (such as drought).

Gemma completed her Ph.D. in Psychology at the University of Melbourne, in collaboration with Cancer Council Victoria in the area of tobacco control and extrinsic influences on perception. Her pre-doctoral and post-doctoral work has examined patients’ experiences of care and well-being, with a focus on how we can better support cancer patients and survivors at all points in the cancer care pathway, from diagnosis to treatment, survivorship, and palliative care. This has included evaluating the effectiveness of supportive care programs and examining how patients are triaged to supportive care within a health service. Her work has also examined the impact of aggressive or confronting behavior on the well-being of healthcare staff. Her post-doctoral work was completed at La Trobe University and the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness & Research Centre, in Melbourne.

Gemma has worked alongside not-for-profit and healthcare organizations throughout her career. She is passionate about working with consumers and healthcare professionals to ensure that her research is relevant, addresses real-world problems, and produces recommendations that are acceptable in clinical practice.

Gemma is an early career member of the Psycho-Oncology Co-Operative Research Group (PoCoG) Scientific Advisory Committee and co-lead of the PoCoG Early Career Researcher Special Interest Group.