For my postdoc, I am investigating ways to promote responsible innovation and facilitate greater diversity, inclusivity, and equity in Australian precision health research and technology development. I am also interested in determining ethical, legal, regulatory, and societal issues in personalised and population health research involving culturally and linguistically diverse populations, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and individuals from various Asian backgrounds. My work will eventually involve engagement with laboratories and centres conducting health research and/or clinical trials to investigate the perspectives of researchers on equity and diversity questions, and to facilitate reflexive discussions among scientists on how to make their current and future projects more inclusive and culturally sensitive. 

I also have a great interest in the societal aspects of neuroscience and biotechnology development. My PhD thesis investigated ethical, legal, and societal issues associated with clinical trials of of invasive neurosurgical procedures for people with Alzheimer's disease. Furthermore, I have worked on other bioethical issues such as media portrayal of novel technologies, application of new neuroimaging modalities, and patient experience and perception of neurotherapeutic interventions. 

I have a Ph.D. in Bioethics (Society and Culture Program) and a Graduate Certificate of Research from the University of Tasmania, with a thesis exploring ethical and societal issues in clinical trials of deep brain stimulation, cell implantation, and gene therapy for people with Alzheimer’s disease. I also have a NEURASMUS Erasmus Mundus master’s degree in Neurosciences from the University of Bordeaux and VU University Amsterdam and a bachelor’s degree in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology from the University of the Philippines Diliman. In addition, I was a visiting bioethicist at the Brocher Foundation and a visiting student in neuroethics at Monash University, University of British Columbia, University of Washington, and Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin. I have also completed the 2017 Sherwin B. Nuland Summer Institute in Bioethics at Yale University. While at the University of Tasmania, I have assisted in teaching units in Nursing Ethics, Exploring Science and the Humanities, and Reasoning Skills.

Mindful mindfulness reporting: media portrayals of scientific evidence for meditation mobile apps

Stacey Walker (CPAS Master's student, 2021 to 2022)

This project systematically evaluated whether evidence from academic research is being used to communicate the health effects of two mindfulness apps, Calm and Smiling Mind. A scoping review mapped research findings from academic publications, and a media analysis examined the types of evidence used in news reports indexed in the Weslaw Classic database. Our findings revealed that 98% of media articles did not use evidence from academic research on app-based meditation to support the health claims made. Only 28.5% of articles included advice from a health expert, and 9.5% mentioned potential risks and alternative treatments. These results highlight the need for greater evidence-based reporting on the health effects of mindfulness apps to enable people to make more informed and unbiased decisions for mental health maintenance.