The University of Western Australia

Assoc/Prof Colleen Fisher

Deputy Head of School
School of Population Health

Contact details

Address

School of Population Health
The University of Western Australia (M431)
35 Stirling Highway
CRAWLEY WA 6009
Australia

Phone

6488 2193

Fax

6488 1188

Email

colleen.fisher@uwa.edu.au

Qualifications

BA PhD Curtin

Biography

B.A (Soc Sci) Hons Curtin University of Technology 1993
PhD Curtin Univeristy of Technology 2001

Key research

Main Research Areas: family and domestic violence, including its health implications for women and children; support services for women and children; early intervention and prevention; and community and policy responses.

Other research interests: women’s health with particular focus on reproductive health, childbirth and chronic illness including cancer and the health impacts of caring.

Qualitative research methodologies.

Publications

Gausia, K. Fisher, C., Ali, M., & Oosthuizen, J. (in press). Depression in Pregnancy and suicidal ideation among rural Bangladeshi women: a community-based study. Archives of Women’s Mental Health.
Guilfoyle, A., Breen, L., Fisher, C., & O’Connor, M. (2008). Understanding the Burden on Palliative Care Home Carers. International Journal of Interdisciplinary Social Sciences 3,8, pp. 39-48.
Gausia, K., Fisher, C., Ali, M., & Oosthuizen, J., (2008). Magnitude and contributory factors of postnatal depression: A community-based cohort study from a rural sub-district of Bangladesh. Psychological Medicine. Available on line 24 September 2008

Fisher, C., O’Connor, M., & Abel, K., (2008) The Role of Palliative Day Care in Supporting Patients: A Therapeutic Community Space ‘International Journal of Palliative Nursing, 14,3, pp.117-125.

Gausia, K., Fisher, C., Algin, S., & Oosthuizen, J. (2007) Validation of the Bangla version of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale for Bangladeshi sample. Journal of Reproductive & Infant Psychology. 25,4, pp. 308-315.

Fisher C, Hunt L, Adamsam R & Thurston W (2007) ‘Health’s a difficult beast’: The interrelationship between family and domestic violence and health. The Western Australian situation. Social Science and Medicine, 65,8, 1742-1750

Fisher, C., O’Connor, M, Guilfoyle, A., & Maasen, M. (2007). ‘A Foot In Two Worlds': Young Women And Identity Construction In The Context Of Cancer. Paper presented to Joint SAANZ & TASA Conference, 4-7 December 2007, Auckland NZ.

Gausia, K., Hamadani, J., Islam, M.M., Ali, M., Algin, S., Yumus, M., Fisher, C., & Oosthuizen, J. (2007) Prevalence of and Risk Factors for Postnatal Depression (PND) among Bangladeshi Women. Psychiatry Investigation. 4 (Supplement 1), April 2007, pp. 107

O’Connor M, Guilfoyle A, Breen L, Mukhardt F, & Fisher C (2007) Relationships between Quality of Life, Spiritual Well-being and Psychological Adjustment Styles for People Living with Leukaemia: An Exploratory Study. Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 10,6, 631-647.

Gausia, K., Hamadani, J.D., Islan M.M., Ali, M., Aglin, S., Yunus, M. Fisher, C., & Oosthuizen, J. (2007) Bangla translation, adaptation and piloting of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Journal of the Bangladesh Medical Research Council, 33,1-6.

O’Connor, M., Fisher, C. & Guilfoyle, A. (2006). Interdisciplinary teams in palliative care: a critical reflection. International Journal of Palliative Nursing, Vol. 12, No. 3, pp. 132-137.

Fisher C, Fenwick J & Hauck Y (2006) How social context impacts on women fears of childbirth: a Western Australian example, Social Science & Medicine, Vol 63, No.1 (July), pp. 64-75.

Fisher, C., O’Connor, M., & Guilfoyle, A. (2006). Listening with the third ear and other expertises’: A case analysis of social work discourse in the context of the multidisciplinary palliative care team. Australian Community Psychologist, 18,2, 7-19.

Fisher, C. (2003). ‘The Invisible Dimension: Abuse in Palliative Care Families. A
Review’ Journal of Palliative Medicine 6,2: 257-264.

Funding received

Pharmacy Guild of Australia ($643,534) Jiwa, M., O’Connor, M., Girgis, A., Hughes, J., Shaw, T., Davidson, P., Wilkinson, A., Mullen , J., Fisher, C., & Halkett, G. Palliative Care in Community Pharmacy,


Lotterywest ($102,660-00). Fisher, C. in collaboration with ASSeTS. Understandings of Family & Domestic Violence in Emerging African Communities

Canadian Institutes for Health Research ($20,000) Thurston W, Hunt L, Kaosar A, Kovindha O, Razakh, Fisher C: Characteristics of women’s domestic violence health policy communities in five countries

The WA Nurses’ Memorial Trust ($8,355-00)White, K., Cousins, K., O’Connor, M., & Fisher, C.,: Meeting the Psychosocial Needs of Palliative Care Patients and Their Families: Palliative Care Nurses’ Concerns.

Telstra Foundation ($45,000) O’Connor, M., Sims, M., Fisher, C., Kristjanson, L., White, K., & Monterosso, L: Building Parenting Strengths to Enhance the Psychological Wellbeing of Families (Especially Adolescent Daughters) of Mothers with Breast Cancer.

Office of the Status of Women and Partnerships Against Domestic Violence ($55,000) Cant, R., Downie, R., Fisher, C., Froyland, I., & Henry, P: Evaluation of Perpetrator Programs for Mandated and Voluntary Participants in Western Australia



Department for Child Protection ($30,000-00) Fisher, C., Guilfoyle, A., & O’Connor, M., Evaluation of I&IE SAAP V Early Intervention Outreach Programmes.

WA Police ($40,000) Fisher, C., Ryder, D., Guilfoyle, A., O’Connor, M., Darby, Design, Conduct, Interpreting of Results and Report on an Evaluation Strategy for the “Fit for Life” Workplace Health Program.

Health Department of Western Australia. ($10,000) Health Promotion
Strategic Directions – Injury Prevention Guilfoyle, A. & Fisher C

Industrial relevance

Chairperson Orana House Inc

Member: Advisory Group on Prevention and Early Intervention of Family and Domestic Violence

Teaching

Health Promotion - Undergraduate
Qualitative Research Methods - Postgraduate
Practicum Coordinator - Undegraduate and Postgraduate

Current projects

Pharmacy Guild of Australia: Palliative Care in Community Pharmacy,

Lotterywest: In collaboration with ASSeTS. Understandings of Family & Domestic Violence in Emerging African Communities

Research profile

Research profile and publications