Turning Point hosts students across different levels and backgrounds, from Honours, Master’s and PhD students, to medical practitioners and clinicians undertaking research projects.
Learn more about the experiences and achievements of some of our current students, and what their research means to them.
Ramez Bathish
Candidacy: PhD
Supervisors: Dr Michael Savic, A/Prof Cameron Duff
Title of project: Examining discourses, practices and experiences of alcohol and other drug residential rehabilitation
Research group: Clinical & Social Research (CSR), Turning Point (Richmond), Eastern Health Clinical School (Monash University)
Background
Ramez Bathish is a PhD candidate and Research Officer at Monash University’s Eastern Health Clinical School, based at Turning Point in the Clinical & Social Research (CSR) team. Ramez has more than 15 years’ experience working in the alcohol and other drug (AOD) sector in Melbourne, with a background in AOD research, community development, harm reduction and community health.
Ramez has worked as a Research Officer at Monash University and Turning Point since 2014, working on a range of clinical trials and observational studies related to alcohol and other drug use. Ramez also teaches at Monash University in the Graduate Program of Addictive Behaviours (GPAB) and coordinates ASC5010 ‘Gambling, Gaming and Other Behavioural Addictions’.
Ramez is a member of the Eastern Health Human Research Ethics Committee, and is the Language Editor at the International Journal of Drug Policy. Ramez's research interests include social and cultural aspects of AOD use, experiences of care and treatment, addiction and recovery concepts, and stigma.
What’s your research about?
Alcohol and other drug residential rehabilitation forms a major part of the Australian alcohol and other drug treatment landscape. While alcohol and other drug residential rehabilitation is commonly thought of as a treatment of last resort, evidence around its efficacy remains mixed and treatment completion rates are typically very low.
Little is understood about the therapeutic process in residential rehabilitation, which is often referred to as a ‘black box’. Crucially, there remains a dearth of literature around the ways in which different treatment discourses and practices interact in residential rehabilitation and their effects on clients’ understanding of themselves, their concerns and their experiences of treatment.
My ethnographic study aims to collate and analyse qualitative information gathered at one residential rehabilitation service in Victoria, including policy data, observational data, and interviews with people who have accessed treatment and addiction professionals.
Data to be collected will seek to understand the views, perceptions and experiences of people who have sought treatment at Therapeutic Communities in Victoria; the different treatment models and practices at work in Therapeutic Communities; and the ways in which different treatment models and practices interact in Therapeutic Communities and their effects on clients’ understanding of themselves, their concerns and their experiences of treatment.
What are you passionate about?
Working with people who use drugs to build new knowledge that informs the development of alcohol and drug treatment systems that better address people’s needs and wellbeing over time.
Why did you choose Monash University and/or Turning Point for your studies?
Turning Point is a leading centre for alcohol and other drug treatment and research in Australia. As a place that specialises in alcohol and other drug related treatment, research and education, it is the perfect fit for me as my PhD research looks at the intersection of these three things.
My supervisor, Michael Savic, has specific expertise in alcohol and other drug recovery, treatment and care.
In combination, these things I feel best position me to contribute to enacting positive change with people accessing residential alcohol and other drug treatment and care in Victoria.
How has Monash University and/or Turning Point supported your studies?
Monash University and Turning Point have supported my studies by providing me with a very supportive learning environment, including very generous supervision, and networking opportunities in the AOD sector nationally and internationally, including through the Monash Addiction Research Centre and opportunities to attend conferences and meet other addiction researchers.
I’ve also had the opportunity to teach in the Master’s Program of Addictive Behaviours, which has been invaluable as both a top-up to my scholarship and a useful opportunity to think with and about the concepts I am working with across my PhD.
What did you do before starting your post-graduate studies?
I had been heavily involved in the alcohol and other drug (AOD) sector within Melbourne before my studies commenced, with a background in AOD research, community development, harm reduction and community health.
Do you have plans for what you’d like to do after your studies?
I would like to continue to pursue opportunities to undertake research into alcohol and other drug treatment and care.
Georgia Bolt
Candidacy: PhD
Supervisors: Prof Victoria Manning
Title of project: Personalised approach avoidance training for older adults with heavy alcohol use: A novel mHealth intervention
Research group: Clinical & Social Research (CSR), Turning Point (Richmond), Eastern Health Clinical School (Monash University)
Background
Georgia holds a Bachelor of Arts (University of Melbourne), Honours in Psychology (University of Melbourne), and Master of Psychology (Clinical Neuropsychology) (University of Melbourne). She is a Board-Approved psychologist (PBA), working as a Senior Clinical Neuropsychologist at Austin Health and Turning Point. She has experience working with individuals across the lifespan with a range of neurological, psychiatric, medical, and neuropsychological conditions. In her clinical work, she supports the management of clients presenting with cognitive and behavioural difficulties in the context of addiction, builds internal and external stakeholder relationships, and contributes to education and training within the Victorian AOD sector.
Georgia commenced further doctoral training with Monash University through the Eastern Health Clinical School and Turning Point in 2021 with a view to advancing her clinical-research career and translating research findings meaningfully into clinical practice. Her research interests relate to optimising diagnostic and treatment outcomes within the field of neuropsychology, with a specific focus on cognitive rehabilitation and remediation, addiction, acquired brain injury, and neurodevelopmental and degenerative disorders across the lifespan.
What’s your research about?
We know that heavy alcohol use is a problem, not just in Australia but globally. Of particular concern is alcohol use amongst middle-age to older adults. This group is more likely to drink at risky levels and experience alcohol-related harms, including cognitive impairment. As a neuropsychologist, I often speak to patients about the importance of modifying lifestyle-related factors to improve brain health, with alcohol intake being a potentially modifiable treatment target.
Unfortunately, there is no ‘silver bullet’ with respect to treatment options for hazardous alcohol use.
The challenge I often confront within the clinical practice setting is how best to support individuals with alcohol use disorders and who frequently re-present to hospital with a range of associated health-related conditions, such as falls, cardiovascular disease, poor mental health, cognitive impairments. There are multiple barriers that limit access to formal alcohol treatment services, particularly for older adults, and existing psychological and pharmacological therapies are not always clinically indicated. To address these issues and optimise patient outcomes, I seek to find a new way forward within the field of alcohol treatments, specifically focusing on novel forms and delivery of cognitive remediation.
My doctoral studies include a systematic review & meta-analysis to understand the efficacy of cognitive bias modification for reducing relapse rates amongst treatment seekers and inform clinical treatment guidelines; qualitatively exploring participants’ experiences of using a mobile-delivered form of cognitive-bias modification to inform development of future initiatives and better understand mechanisms of behavioural change; and a clinical trial exploring acceptability, feasibility, and preliminary effectiveness of a novel and personalised cognitive intervention amongst middle-age to older adults. It is hoped that findings can guide clinical practice models in the future.
What are you passionate about?
I am passionate about optimising outcomes and addressing systemic barriers for individuals with cognitive impairment within the AOD sector. I have a particular interest in translating research into evidence-based practice.
Why did you choose Monash University and/or Turning Point for your studies?
I commenced doctoral training through Monash University’s Eastern Health Clinical School and Turning Point to supplement my position within the clinical services stream at Turning Point. Monash University and Turning Point offer a highly sought PhD program, with world-class research and supervision, and opportunities to work with leading experts in the AOD field and translate findings into clinical practice.
How has Monash University and/or Turning Point supported your studies?
I have really appreciated Monash University and Turning Point’s flexibility with study loading and attendance modes to accommodate my clinical work.
What did you do before starting your post-graduate studies?
I had experience working as a clinical neuropsychologist across a number of health services within the private and public sector. I also had previous experience as a research assistant experience, and had tutored across undergraduate and post-graduate courses at the University of Melbourne.
Do you have plans for what you’d like to do after your studies?
I hope my doctoral studies will advance my clinical-research career to contribute to evidence-based practice and optimise outcomes for clients.
Anthony Hew
Candidacy: PhD
Supervisors: Prof Dan Lubman, A/Prof Debbie Scott, A/Prof Shalini Arunogiri, Dr Jesse Young
Title of project: Revolutionizing system reform in mental health: Addressing gaps in the system through big data and data linkage
Research group: National Addiction and Mental Health Surveillance Unit (NAMHSU), Turning Point (Richmond), Eastern Health Clinical School (Monash University)
Background
Anthony is a general and addiction psychiatrist. He has broad research interests but is particularly interested in public health and psychiatric epidemiology. He commenced his PhD in 2021 and is supported by a NHMRC Postgraduate Scholarship.
What’s your research about?
The aim of my research project is to understand the clinical needs of individuals who are presenting repeatedly to emergency services for mental health-related reasons, and to explore the gaps in the health system that are driving these presentations. This will be achieved through analysing a population-level dataset of paramedic records through, and using data linkage to hospital and community service datasets to track the journey of individuals through the health system.
What are you passionate about?
I am passionate about improving the clinical care provided to individuals experiencing mental health and addiction difficulties. I believe that this should be addressed at a population level as well as individual level. I also have a longstanding passion for data and statistics that developed from a childhood fascination with sport statistics. My PhD will enable me to combine these two passions.
Why did you choose Monash University and/or Turning Point for your studies?
Having completed the final stages of my psychiatry training through Turning Point, I was drawn towards the integration of research into clinical care and services. This was heavily inspired by clinician researchers and leaders such as Professor Dan Lubman and Associate Professor Shalini Arunogiri. Ultimately, I chose Monash University and Turning Point as I wanted to be involved in innovative research that has impact at both a clinical and systems’ policy level.
How has Monash University and/or Turning Point supported your studies?
Monash University and Turning Point have provided me with an opportunity to access and utilise their unique population-level ‘Ambo Project’ dataset as part of my PhD project, along with the resources required for data linkage. Additionally, he has benefitted from the regular supervision and mentorship from clinical and research leaders in the field of addictions and mental health.
What did you do before starting your post-graduate studies?
Before commencing my further studies, I was working as a general and addiction psychiatrist.
Do you have plans for what you’d like to do after your studies?
Following the completion of my studies, I plan to become a clinician-researcher, combining clinical work in addictions and mental health with novel research. In particular, I hope to use my research to inform service development in mental health and addictions and improve the provision of care.