PROFILE
Dr Deena Ashoorian
Pharmacy academic and mental health researcher
Dr Deena Ashoorian is an academic and researcher in the Pharmacy program at UWA’s School of Allied Health. During her career, Dr Ashoorian has worked many years as a community pharmacist in Australia and overseas. Finding better ways to care for mental health consumers has been the subject of her research interest for several years.
Dr Ashoorian is currently collaborating with the State’s Chief Psychiatrist and peak mental health consumer body Western Australia Consumers of Mental Health WA (CoMHWA) in a project promoting the concept of ‘shared decision making.’ This is part of an 18-month project funded by Lotterywest. Dr Ashoorian is a trainer of the Mental Health First Aid course and offers it to staff and students throughout the year via the Health Promotion Unit.
I am passionate about finding a better way to care for mental health consumers and this has been the subject of my research for several years. Dr Deena Ashoorian
Funding
2019
Pharmaceutical Society of Australia- WA Branch
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Project: Shared decision making for psychiatric medication management: individual and clinician perspectives
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Project: The My Medicines and Me (M3Q) Project- Development of an electronic application: an exploratory study
2017
Lotterywest
- Project Plan for the My Medicines and Me Questionnaire
- Deena Ashoorian for CoMHWA
2013
Mental Health Commission of WA, Richmond Fellowship WA
- Investigations into the Side Effects of Medications in Mental Health Consumers
- Deena Ashoorian, Rhonda Clifford, Rowan Davidson, Danny Rock
2012
PSWA
- Identifying a role for the community pharmacist in the management of mental health consumers
- Deena Ashoorian, Rhonda Clifford, Rowan Davidson, Daniel Rock
News
Lotterywest grant enables further development of mental health resource
On 5 December 2017 the My Medicines and Me (M3Q) Tool, the PhD project of UWA staff member Dr Deena Ashoorian, was officially launched by the Deputy Premier and Minister for Health the Hon. Mr Roger Cook MLA.
Read moreNew collaborative tool to help improve mental and physical health of Western Australians
The McGowan Government has provided a $239,450 Lotterywest grant to Consumers of Mental Health Western Australia (CoMHWA) to help disseminate and implement the My Medicines and Me (M3Q) tool in the community.
Read moreSupporting people to effectively manage their mental health medications
The My Medicines and Me Questionnaire (M3Q) (PDF 369KB) is a consumer tool to encourage deeper conversations around the side effects of mental health medication. The self-report questionnaire proactively provides clinicians with critical information about side effects and the perception of them.
These side effects are a major contributor to non-adherence of prescribed medicines which can have potentially negative outcomes for consumers, including reducing the effectiveness of the medicines or a worsening of the condition.
Developed by Dr Deena Ashoorian in conjunction with previous Chief Psychiatrist Associate Professor Rowan Davidson, Professor Danny Rock and UWA’s Professor Rhonda Clifford, and endorsed by the WA Psychotropic Drug Committee, the M3Q is a useful, validated tool which can assist the therapeutic discussion around medication side effects.
Current projects
