Our Team
The Centre’s team is passionate about providing high quality service to our stakeholders. We have administration, project support, multimedia, education, research and lecturing staff based in Mackay and Brisbane.
Dr Heather Lovatt
Director
PhD | Graduate Certificate in Tertiary Teaching | Graduate Diploma of Business | Bachelor of Community Welfare
Heather was appointed QCDFVR Director in March 2018, after working at the Centre as a Senior Researcher for several years. In this role Heather has led a diverse range of research projects relating to gendered violence. There is a tangible intersect between research and practice at QCDFVR epitomising an integrated approach that links education/training, sector development and research. With a background of working with community services in government and non-government sectors prior to her current role, Heather has a particular interest in applied research that has a social impact; ensuring the knowledge and wisdom of those impacted by gendered violence, priority populations and front-line practitioners are prioritised. She hopes that the integrated approach QCDFVR has adopted contributes to informed policy, practice and workforce development.
Professor Annabel Taylor
RESEARCH PROFESSOR IN GENDERED VIOLENCE (adjunct)
PhD | Bachelor of Arts | Diploma of Teaching | Master of Social Work
Annabel’s appointment to this flagship position in 2018 followed her tenure as Director of QCDFVR. Annabel joined the Director in late 2014. Prior to her arrival Annabel was based at the University of Canterbury and held the position of Director of the Te Awatea Violence Research Centre. During this time, Annabel was a Ministerial appointee to the Canterbury Benefit Review Committee and helped to establish and support community agencies providing services in child abuse prevention and support for women on release from prison. Annabel has published widely and in 2013 co-edited a book “Understanding Violence: Context and Practice in the Human Services” which has become a key resource for practitioners and students in a variety of university based learning. She has been a pioneer in introducing extensive domestic and family violence education and training options at both Higher Education and VET levels through QCDFVR’s relationship with CQUniversity.
Dr Emily Hurren Paterson
SENIOR LECTURER
PhD (Criminology) | Bachelor of Arts in Criminology and Criminal Justice Studies | Bachelor of Behavioural Science | Bachelor of Psychology (Honours)
Emily joined the QCDFVR lecturing team from the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Griffith University. She has a background in criminology and psychology and is passionate about teaching and research. Her primary research encompasses child maltreatment and cumulative risk, including the links between child maltreatment and subsequent youth offending, and the passage of individuals across multiple systems concerning child maltreatment, domestic and family violence, and general criminal offending. She is an active member of the Queensland Cross-Sector Research Collaboration (formerly known as the Queensland Linkage Project). Emily hopes that her research will assist in identifying opportunities for prevention and intervention across the life-course of individuals. She hopes to contribute towards research-informed policy and practice and the development of future practitioners.
Dr Marika Guggisberg
senior LECTURER (Adjunct)
PhD | Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) | Master of Criminology
Dr Guggisberg joined CQU in February 2017. She is a psychotherapist and family law practitioner in private practice continuing to contribute to CQU through research, research supervision and consultancy in her areas of expertise, specifically sexual abuse. After completing her PhD at the University of Western Australia, she collaborated with the Sexual Assault Resource Centre as part of her Post-Doctoral Fellowship at Curtin University where she taught into the Sexology Program. She has a background in Psychology and a Master’s Degree in Criminology. Her clinical and research interests focus on sexual victimisation and perpetration. Dr Guggisberg is an associate editor, peer reviewer of several academic journals and author of numerous books, book chapters and journal articles.
Dr Nicola Cheyne
senior LECTURER – Head of course
PhD in Criminology and Criminal Justice | Honours in Criminology and Criminal Justice | Bachelor of Arts in Criminology and Criminal Justice | Bachelor of Behavioural Sciences
For the past two years, Nicola has worked as a researcher at QCDFVR, working on projects such as an evaluation of Queensland Police Service domestic violence training and an evaluation of a sexual assault response team trial. Nicola’s current role forms a key part of the lecturing team, teaching into the two introductory units, DFVP20001 Domestic and Family Violence Theories and Perspectives and DVP20002 Domestic and Family Violence Responses and Interventions across Term 1 and Term 3. She has previous experience as a lecturer and tutor in Criminology and Criminal Justice at Griffith University for 11 years, teaching introductory units in forensic psychology, sociological theories and academic writing.
Dr Liane McDermott
Research Fellow
Graduate Certificate in Writing, Editing and Publishing | Graduate Certificate in Creative Industries (Creative Writing) | Dr of Philosophy | Master of Social Science (Health Practice) | Bachelor of Social Science (Human Services)
Liane is a Research Fellow with the Queensland Centre for Domestic and Family Violence Research. Since joining the Centre in 2016, Liane has led and managed several research projects evaluating programs for victim-survivors of domestic, family and/or sexual violence, as well as perpetrator programs that aim to improve the safety of women and their children. Her focus at the Centre is on understanding and improving service delivery and outcomes for those affected by gendered violence. With a background in community development and public health research, Liane has also worked extensively with communities, government and non-government organisations in the development, implementation and evaluation of programs focusing on health behaviour change, and the health and wellbeing needs of communities. She is a member of the Australian Evaluation Society and The Institute of Professional Editors. Liane hopes her research will contribute to the development of initiatives to prevent and reduce gendered violence, support front-line practitioners and the gendered violence sector more broadly, and improve the lives of individuals and communities.
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Dr Sue Carswell
SENIOR RESEARCH OFFICER (adjunct)
Special Postgraduate Paper : Evaluating Social Programmes in ‘Real World’ Contexts | Doctor of Philosophy : Social Anthropology | Bachelor of Arts (First Class Honours) : Social Anthropology
Dr Sue Carswell is an Adjunct Senior Researcher at QCDFVR. Sue is a social anthropologist (BA Hons First Class and PhD) and has a post graduate qualification in evaluating social programs in ‘Real World’ contexts. She has over 20 years research and evaluation experience working for government agencies, community organisations, and universities. Sue’s focus is on how good outcomes can be achieved for individuals and families experiencing complex issues such as domestic and family violence, sexual violence, child safety, poverty, mental health and addictions. Sue is a specialist in research and evaluation of service development and delivery to provide information on implementation, effectiveness, and to inform good practice. She believes that developing collaborative relationships with funders, service providers and users and other stakeholders is critical to the success of implementing any project. She has authored or co-authored over 70 reports including peer reviewed journal articles, government and community research and evaluation reports, and literature reviews.
Dr Vicki Lowik
RESEARCH OFFICER
Bachelor of Social Science: Sociology (First Class Honours)
Following a career in banking and educational administration, Vicki entered the tertiary education sector with a goal to examine gendered violence. She completed a Bachelor of Social Science (Sociology) (Honours Class 1) prior to engaging in her doctoral studies.
Vicki’s doctoral thesis was titled: “I was just feeding the baby and he ripped her off my breast”: A case study of a Christian woman’s lived experience of domestic violence. The research that provided the foundation for Vicki’s thesis was a retrospective longitudinal examination of the development of domestic violence in a Christian woman’s marriage over a 27-year period. It identified the Christian doctrine of male headship as an ‘umbrella’ form of coercive control that enabled not only the woman’s husband, but also other men in her faith community, to actively coerce and control aspects of her life.
Liz Boardman
RESEARCH PROJECT OFFICER
Bachelor of Arts : Psychology | Diploma Community Service work
Liz Boardman has spent over 15 years working directly with women and children who have experienced gender-based violence in Southeast Queensland and in the United Kingdom. In 2019 she was excited to transition to QCDFVR to take on a new role supporting practitioners within the sector through facilitating Communities of Practice and upskilling generalist practitioners through training.
Liz’s years working as a domestic violence advocate in Queensland equipped her with a thorough and practical knowledge of the challenges Queensland women, children, and families face. She looks forward to applying this knowledge and developing her research skills within the dedicated QCDFVR team.
Colleen Gunning
Coordinator, Education & Development
Graduate Certificate in Impact Assessment (Health) | Graduate Diploma Health Science (Health Promotion) | Master of Education | Diploma in Education | Bachelor of Arts
Colleen has had a variety of roles in the education and health sectors. Her work has included teaching and tuition in primary, secondary and tertiary education settings, and contributing to a range of public health areas, including mental health promotion, alcohol and other drugs and injury prevention. In her current role, Colleen works with the broader QCDFVR team to coordinate the delivery of accredited and non-accredited training. Given the interrelationship between research, practice and education, Colleen also contributes to the Centre’s sector development and research endeavours where feasible.
Mark Walters
ASSOCIATE LECTURER
Masters Candidate | Bachelor of Psychological Science | Cert IV in Training and Assessment
Mark’s work in behavioural change spans 30 years in which he has delivered front line interventions in the form of client counselling, behavioural change programs, professional development and training. Mark is one of the principle trainers in the Common Risk and Safety Framework as part of establishment of the High-Risk Teams in the Queensland trial sites. He has served as a board member on the Queensland Death Review and Advisory Board that works with the coroner to make recommendations to Government on improving service provision for those who have died as a result of domestic and family violence.
Suewellyn Kelly
ASSOCIATE Lecturer
Masters Candidate | BVocEd | GradCertTEd | DipCommServMgmt | CertYthWorkPrac | Cert 4 TAE
CQUniversity Associate Suewellyn Kelly is an educator and practitioner with 30 years’ experience in the health, community, and education sectors. She has worked with the Youth Affairs Network Queensland, the Queensland Council of Social of Service, the Mackay Community Crime Prevention Action Team, and the Mackay and District Youth Connect Panel.
Suewellyn has a keen interest in integrated, holistic work practices that reduce ‘silo’ responses in young people and families facing complex issues in their lives. Her roles have included both advocacy and program development, addressing domestic violence, sexual assault, homelessness, mental health, substance misuse, generational trauma, as well as educational, social, and financial exclusion.
Patrice Zarzecki
CONTRACT RESOURCE OFFICER
Bachelor of International Business (International Relations)
Patrice Zarzecki, Contract Resource Officer for the School of Nursing and Midwifery procures and manages contracts between QCDFVR and various stakeholders in the areas of education, research and sector development. This includes tendering for grants, costing projects, allocating resources and working with various funders, partners and stakeholders to achieve project outcomes. Patrice has previously worked for the Queensland State Government in the area of Procurement and Contract Management. Patrice’s work within State Government also included developing and implementing costing tools used in the procurement of services rolling out training on these tools throughout Queensland. Patrice is a Mackay local and has returned after several years in South East Queensland where she attained her degree in International Business with an International Business Economics major through Griffith University.
Janine Hicks
PROJECT SUPPORT OFFICER
Commencing with the Centre in 2017, Janine has worked in administration, purchasing and human resource sectors.
Janine is now the Project Support Officer for research, education and event planning with the Centre.
Margaret Roche
ADMINISTRATION OFFICER
Certificate IV in Accounting
Prior to commencing with the Centre in 2016, Margaret worked in local government and the media.
Margaret supports the research, education and sector development arms of QCDFVR.
Monique Blundell
Research administration Assistant
Commencing at the Centre in 2016 as a casual Administration Officer, Monique has grown to a pivotal role supporting projects, multimedia resource development, and event planning.
IN AN
EMERGENCY
FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SUPPORT
