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Contact Details

Email
susanna.every-palmer@otago.ac.nz

University Links

Position
Professor and Head of Department, Department of Psychological Medicine, Wellington Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist, MHAIDs, 3DHB Director of Area Mental Health Services, Central Regional Forensic and Rehabilitation Services
Department
Department of Psychological Medicine (Wellington)
Qualifications
MBChB (Akld) MSc in Evidence-based Health Care (with Distinction, Oxon) FRANZCP Adv Cert Forensic Psychiatry (RANZCP)
Research summary
Mental health service development and co-design, reducing health inequities in mental health care, and multidisciplinary management of serious mental illness
Memberships
  • Deputy Chair of the New Zealand Committee of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists
  • Member of the New Zealand Forensic Psychiatry Advisory Group
  • Member of the New Zealand Medical Association Specialist Council
  • Director of the Pacific Rim College of Psychiatrists

Research

Susanna is an academic psychiatrist who is passionate about using multidisciplinary research collaborations to inform the highest quality evidence-based care for people with mental illness.

Alongside her role in the university, Susanna is concurrently employed as the Director of Area Mental Health Services (DAMHS) for the Central Regional and Forensic Services. She has worked in a number of different areas across the mental health sector, including as Acting Chief Advisor and Director of Mental Health at the Ministry of Health. She is the Deputy Chair of the New Zealand Committee of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists.

Susanna obtained RANZCP Fellowship in 2008 and her Advanced Certificate in Forensic Psychiatry in 2010. She has a master’s degree in Evidence Based Medicine from Oxford University and her PhD focussed on mitigating harms in the treatment of serious mental illness.

Susanna’s academic and clinical interests include:

  • Mental health service development and co-design
  • Reducing health inequities in mental health care
  • Multidisciplinary management of serious mental illness
  • Antipsychotic treatment and its side effects
  • Forensic psychiatry

Susanna is interested in supervising postgraduate students in any of the research areas listed above or related areas. Please contact her directly.

Publications

Levack, W. M., Gross, D. P., Martin, R. A., Every-Palmer, S., Kiekens, C., Cordani, C., … Participants in the 5th Cochrane Rehabilitation Methodological Meeting. (2024). Designing studies and reviews to produce informative, trustworthy evidence about complex interventions in rehabilitation: A narrative review and commentary. European Journal of Physical & Rehabilitation Medicine. Advance online publication. doi: 10.23736/s1973-9087.24.08459-4 Journal - Research Article

Korman, N., McMahon, L., Lappin, J., Every-Palmer, S., Northwood, K., & Siskind, D. (2024). State of the art approaches to management of treatment-resistant schizophrenia. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 58(Suppl. 1), (pp. 33-34). doi: 10.1177/00048674241241938 Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Watson, R., Hammans, L., Hansby, O., Barry-Walsh, J., & Every-Palmer, S. (2024). The psychological cost of holding office: Analysis of stalking, harassment, and gendered abuse of parliamentarians in the post-COVID era. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 58(Suppl. 1), (pp. 152-153). doi: 10.1177/00048674241241938 Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Rutledge, E., Ross, B., Bell, E., Flewett, T., Hansby, O., & Every-Palmer, S. (2024). 'And it worked!' Experiences of receiving Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy for PTSD among people with serious mental illness. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 58(Suppl. 1), (pp. 66-67). doi: 10.1177/00048674241241938 Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Every-Palmer, S., Hansby, O., Flewett, T., Dean, S., Weatherall, M., & Bell, E. (2024). A real-world randomised controlled trial of Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy compared to usual treatment for PTSD in adults with psychosis. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 58(Suppl. 1), (pp. 66). doi: 10.1177/00048674241241938 Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

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