Back to
Professor Claire Wakefield
Professor

Professor Claire Wakefield

  • Registered Psychologist 
  • PhD (Psychology) 
  • Master of Public Health  
  • B Psychology (Hons I)
Medicine & Health
School of Clinical Medicine

Prof Wakefield has published, or had accepted, more than 260 journal articles and is named as Chief Investigator on competitive research grants totalling more than $50M. She has received numerous awards for her work, including being named as the NSW Premier’s Outstanding Cancer Research Fellow of the Year.

Prof Wakefield holds a Career Development Fellowship from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) as well as a Diamond Jubilee International Visiting Fellowship at the University of Southampton, UK. Her research interests include improving mental health and quality of life in families affected serious illness, using:

  • Cost-effective interventions
  • Novel technologies
  • Discovery research to identify at-risk and underserviced groups
  • Translational work to affect change in clinical practice

Research Interests:

Research interests include health psychology; the psychosocial issues faced by men and women with a strong family history of cancer; patient education; assisting patients to make difficult medical decisions such as decisions about genetic testing and deceased organ donation; and issues faced by children with medical illness. Currently focussing on paediatric oncology research, with projects ranging from newly diagnosed families, on treatment families, long term survivors and bereaved parents.

Broad Research Areas:

Cancer, Health Promotion

Qualifications:

BPsych(Hons1), MPH, PhD

Specific Research Keywords:

Childhood Cancer, Psychosocial Issues, Adolescence, Genetics, Mental Health, Psychology, Oncology, Paediatrics
Phone
(02) 9382 3113
E-mail
c.wakefield@unsw.edu.au
Location
Kids Cancer Centre, Level 1 South Sydney Children's Hospital, High Street Randwick NSW 2031

  • University Medal for Psychology.
  • Australian Psychological Society Prize.
  • Higher Degree Research Excellence Award, Macquarie University.
  • Cancer Research Network Innovation Award, NSW.
  • Macquarie University Research award for Excellence in Research – Social Sciences, Business & Humanities.
  • NSW Young Tall Poppy Science Award.
  • Dean’s Rising Star award.
  • International Psycho-Oncology Society (IPOS) Hiroomi Kawano New Investigator Award.
  • Premier’s Award for Outstanding Cancer Research Fellow of the Year.
  • Excellence in Postgraduate Research Supervision Award.
  • Diamond Jubilee International Visiting Fellowship at the University of Southampton, UK.

Society Memberships & Professional Activities:

  • International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP) (Continental President, Oceania).
  • International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP) (Board of Directors).
  • International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP) Advocacy Committee (Member).
  • International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP) Membership Committee (Member).
  • International Psycho-Oncology Society Early Career Professionals committee (Founding Chair).
  • International Psycho-Oncology Pediatrics Special Interest Group (Co-Chair).
  • The Australian New Zealand Chapter of the Li Fraumeni Syndrome Association, 2018 (Founding Co-Chair)
  • World Health Organisation Global Childhood Cancer Initiative (Committee Member)
  • Journal of Psychosocial Oncology Research and Practice (Associate Editor)
  • iCOPE (interegional Childhood Oncology Precision medicine Exploration) (Advisory Board Member)
  • Danish Cancer Society Research Centre for Pediatric Oncology, International Advisory Board Member
  • Starlight Children’s Foundation Health Professionals Advisory Board Member