
PhD in psychology - Monash University
First Class Bachelor of Arts (Honours) – Monash University
Dr Lauren Kelada is a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow with the Behavioural Sciences Unit (BSU), School of Women’s and Children’s Health at UNSW Sydney and the Sydney Children’s Hospital. Dr Kelada is the Team Leader of the Family Systems and Relationships team of the BSU and leads a busy team of eight (a research fellow, three research officers and four students). Dr Kelada's research focuses on improving family functioning and mental health outcomes for family members affected by child chronic illness or disability. She works closely with the community sector to implement and evaluate family-based interventions when a child has a chronic illness or disability.
She completed her PhD in psychology at Monash University. Her PhD examined adolescent self-injury and recovery, and how this relates to parent- and adolescent-reported family functioning. Dr Kelada is particularly interested in research which aims to improve the health and wellbeing of children and families. Her other research interests and expertise include suicide prevention, family violence and emotion regulation.
Please see www.behaviouralsciencesunit.org.
Dr Kelada has been CIA on numerous grants, including project grants and individual fellowships/scholarships. She has been awarded >$430,000 in funding.
Most recently, Dr Kelada was awarded a prestigious Golda Meir Fellowship at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, to improve resilience among Australian, Israeli and Palestinian families affected by child chronic illness.
Selected recent awards
2021 Winner of the best Early Career Researcher presentation at the Australasian Society of Behavioural Health and Medicine conference, 3-5 February 2021.
2021 Society of Pediatric Psychology International Award
2020 Donald Cohen Fellowship for the 2020 International Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professionals Congress
Dr Kelada is leading the following research studies:
SIBS-ONLINE: Pilot of an online program for siblings and parents of children living with chronic illness
Cascade: An implementation trial to allow community organisation to implement a resilience intervention for parents of children with cancer