Dr Rachael Cvejic
- Bachelor of Psychology (Honours), Southern Cross University
- Master of Brain and Mind Sciences, The University of Sydney
- PhD (Psychiatry), UNSW Sydney
I am a registered psychologist and early career researcher with broad research interests including neuropsychology and neuropsychiatry. My clinical and research experience includes working with people with intellectual and developmental disability, mental health conditions, and progressive neurological conditions including people living with dementia. I am currently involved in a number of educational and research activities in the National Centre of Excellence in Intellectual Disability Health which aim to improve health outcomes for people with complex support needs. My current projects utilise a broad range of research methods including surveys, interviews, Delphi method, and data linkage.
- Publications
- Media
- Grants
- Awards
- Research Activities
- Engagement
- Teaching and Supervision
2024 Michalski, S., Trollor, J., Gustin, S., Darejeh, A., & Cvejic, R. C. Using virtual reality to prepare people with intellectual disability for healthcare interactions. UNSW Disability Innovation Institute Research Seed Funding ($20,000)
2024 Cvejic, R. C. Understanding responsive behaviours among people with intellectual disability living with dementia. Dementia Australia Research Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship ($417,000).
2023 Cvejic, R. C., Srasuebkul, P., & Trollor, J. Palliative care service use by people with intellectual disability in South Eastern Sydney Local Health District. South Eastern Sydney Local Health District ($16,232.70).
2022 Cvejic, R. C. Understanding the perinatal mental health of people with intellectual disability. Psychiatry and Mental Health Career Development Seed Grants ($8,000).
2021 Trollor, J. N., & Cvejic, R. C. Improving palliative care services for people with intellectual disability. UNSW Stop Gap Funds for projects impacted by COVID-19 ($69,763.42).
2020 Reppermund, S., Trollor, J. N., Draper, B., Cvejic, R. C. Self-harm in people with dementia – using big data to improve outcomes and inform strategies to prevent self-harm and suicide. Dementia Australia Research Foundation ($75,000).
2019 Trollor, J. N., Agar, M., Cvejic, R. C., Currow, D., Strutt, R., Vajdic, C., Chye, R., Srasuebkul, P., Weise, J., Reppermund, S., Szanto, T., Harlum, J., Tuffrey Wijne, I. Improving palliative care for people with intellectual disability. Australian Government Department of Health National Palliative Care Projects ($1,140,915).
2019 Trollor, J. N., Cvejic, R. C., Reppermund, S., Srasuebkul, P., Draper, B., & Withall, A. Understanding the health needs of younger people with disabilities discharged from hospital to residential aged care. Summer Foundation Competitive Research Grant ($402,187.79).
2019 Trollor, J. N., Cvejic, R. C., & Kiernan, M. Using big data to understand the health status and service use of people with motor neurone disease. Motor Neurone Disease Research Institute of Australia Innovation Grant ($95,476.04).
2018 Trollor, J. N., Cvejic, R. C., Ward, P., Srasuebkul, P., Reppermund, S., Curtis, J., Samaras, K., Lappin, J., & Dean, K. Addressing preventable disease burden to improve health outcomes for people with schizophrenia and related psychoses. UNSW Medicine Neuroscience, Mental Health and Addiction Theme and the Sydney Partnership for Health, Education & Enterprise Clinical Academic Group Collaborative Research Seed Funding ($39,500).
2018 Cvejic, R. C., Chitty, K. M., Trollor, J. N., Buckley, N., Srasuebkul, P., Morley, K., Dawson, A., Carter, G. Using big data to understand the predictors of repeated self-harm in people with mental health and drug and alcohol comorbidity. UNSW-Sydney Mental Health, Drug and Alcohol Comorbidity Seed Funding Scheme ($20,000).
2018 Cvejic, R. C., Trollor, J. N., Reppermund, S., Draper, B. Using big data to understand the health status, service use, and service pathways of people with less common types of dementia. Dementia Australia Research Foundation ($50,000).
2016 Weise, J., Birch, R. C., Trollor, J. N. Equipping Future Australian and New Zealand Psychiatrists to Meet the Mental Health needs of People with an Intellectual Disability. Ageing, Disability & Home Care ($100,000).
2023 UNSW School of Clinical Medicine Early-Mid Career Research Conference Travel Grant
2019 Dementia Centre for Research Collaboration Conference Travel Grant
2018 Travel Grant Award, Society for the Study of Behavioural Phenotypes
2017 Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research Travel Bursary
2014 UNSW McConaghy Prize for Postgraduate Research
2013 NSW Institute of Psychiatry Research Training Fellowship
2012 NSW Institute of Psychiatry Research Training Fellowship
2012 Dementia Collaborative Research Centres PhD Scholarship
2011 Les Fountain Travel Bursary, Society for the Study of Behavioural Phenotypes
Selection of current research projects
- Understanding responsive behaviours among people with intellectual disability living with dementia
- Understanding the perinatal mental health of people with intellectual disability
Past projects
- Improving palliative care services for people with an intellectual disability.
- Health profiles, health services use and transition to dementia in individuals with self-harm.
- Understanding the health and support needs of younger people with disabilities discharged from hospital to residential aged care.
- Using big data to understand the health status, service use, and service pathways of people with less common types of dementia.
- Addressing preventable disease burden to improve health outcomes for people with schizophrenia and related psychoses.
- Equipping future psychiatrists to meet the mental health needs of people with intellectual and developmental disability.
- Scoping work for a State-wide tertiary intellectual disability mental health service.
- Thinking and motor skills in premutation carriers of Fragile X.
- Using big data to understand the health status and service use of people with motor neurone disease.
- Using big data to understand the predictors of repeated self-harm in people with mental health and drug and alcohol comorbidity.
Membership
- Co-Chair, UNSW Women in Research Network (WiRN)
- Member, UNSW Medicine & Health Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee
- Student Coordinator, Department of Developmental Disability Neuropsychiatry, UNSW Sydney
- Member, The Fragile X Association of Australia Research and Scientific Committee
In the media
My Research Supervision
My Teaching
I currently teach into Phase 3 Medicine (Psychiatry, MFAC3503).