Dr Maria Gonzalez

I’m Maria Gonzalez — an implementation-focused researcher who cares about making evidence useful in practice. My PhD in Supportive Cancer Care examined how yoga affects depression and anxiety in people with cancer; that work included a systematic review and meta-analysis that has been cited in clinical guidance and a survivor survey that directly shaped how interventions are designed to be acceptable and feasible.

At UNSW’s Implementation to Impact (i2i) team I apply mixed methods and implementation frameworks to real-world problems: I am leading a systematic review on process mapping, mapped service delivery across 17 sites for a national hepatitis C point-of-care testing program, run stakeholder workshops and focus groups, and contributed to trial design and feasibility planning. These activities feed directly into implementation strategies that clinicians and services can adopt.

I mentor students, present to clinical and community audiences, and translate complex findings into practical tools and workshop outputs. My work has been recognised with awards (MASCC Young Investigator Award, 2021) and invited talks, and I’ve been successful at building partnerships across clinicians, consumers and health services.

I’m now focused on developing an independent research line in implementation of exercise and supportive care in oncology — securing funding, publishing applied trials, and becoming a go-to collaborator for teams that want rigorous, practical implementation expertise.