Meet the Speakers
Dr Mandy O’Connor
Dr Mandy O’Connor (PhD MAPS) is a Developmental Psychologist and Senior Research Fellow at Monash University, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Health and Social Care Unit (HSCU). She is an expert in Intervention Mapping, Implementation Science, evaluations and program, framework and model development. Her research interests include parenting, parent-child relationships, child development, family violence, disability, and women’s health and wellbeing.
Dr O’Connor is a leader within the HSCU Strengthening Implementation Research and Practice with Equity (SEMPRE) program of research. She leads the Advancing Methodology body of research, and is a co-developer and co-facilitator of the Intervention Mapping – Equity. An extensively utilised and internationally recognised program planning, implementation and evaluation methodology focused on equity. She also leads the Advancing Theories body of research through the development of the Model of Equitable Transdisciplinary Implementation Science (METIS). Proposing the integration of Transdisciplinary Science and Relational Theories with Implementation Science to centrally embed equity at the core of implementation research, evidence and practice.
Dr Michelle Gooey
Dr Michelle Gooey MBBS(Hons) MPH PhD FAFPHM is a Research Fellow and Public Health Physician in the Health and Social Care Unit, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University. Dr Gooey's PhD focused on the prevention of childhood obesity in clinical settings.
The focus of Dr Gooey's work is equitable implementation in health and social care settings, with a focus on "how" to operationalise the principle of equity. She currently holds a postdoctoral appointment in the Health and Social Care Unit under Head of Unit, Professor Helen Skouteris, as project lead of the internationally recognised program, SEMPRE (Strengthening Implementation Practice and Research with Equity). Dr Gooey is also a co-founder of the international EQUitable Implementation research and Practice network (EQUIP Network) and an Associate Editor for Obesity Reviews.
Dr Heather Morris
Dr Heather Morris is a Senior Research Fellow at the Health and Social Care Unit, Monash University. Using a researcher in residence model, she supports program implementation and service delivery by being an independent voice and system disrupter. She champions the expertise of frontline workers who engage with vulnerable populations, and she bridges the gap between academic research and the practice of social care. Dr Morris uses her expertise in implementation science, qualitative research, and experience-based co-design to establish a shared language and commitment towards change within organisational teams. She is a founding member of the SEMPRE (Strengthening implEMentation Practice and Research with Equity) team which is advancing equity in implementation science.
Dr Dimity Dutch
Dr Dimity Dutch (BNutDiet Hons, PhD) is a postdoctoral researcher in the School of Public Health at University College Cork. Her research with the Standardised Measurement for Childhood Obesity Prevention (SCOPE) Project aims to develop evidence-based guidance to support more consistent and appropriate measurement of infant feeding outcomes across research, policy, and practice. Within the SCOPE Project, Dimits leads Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) activities, partnering with parents and caregivers to ensure project recommendations are relevant, acceptable, and applicable across diverse caregiving and cultural contexts. Dr Dutch's broader research focuses on early childhood health promotion, outcome measurement, implementation science, and equitable and inclusive approaches to research and healthcare.
Dr Dutch is committed to building capacity in implementation science and health measurement methodology. She is a co-host of the COSMIN-EU Research Club, part of the international COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) initiative. Dr Dutch is also a Steering Committee Member of the EQUitable Implementation Research and Practice (EQUIP) Network and serves on the Management Committee for the 2027 European Implementation Event (EIE), which will be held in Limerick, Ireland, from 14-16 June 2027.
