Viviana’s approach to mentoring is informed by her background in psychology. She has strong listening skills and believes that her curiosity is a key tool in enabling mentees to explore their issues and find ways to move forward. Viv melds this essential skill of encouraging reflection with her deep experience in research leadership and her ability to think strategically.

After completing her clinical training, Viv went on to complete a PhD whilst working clinically in a range of settings including her own private psychology practice. Early in her research career she juggled young children, clinical work and various part-time postdoctoral roles that included an NHMRC early-career fellowship. When her youngest started school she moved to full-time academia. She has held several significant leadership roles, and understands acutely the struggle of balancing these roles with the demands of maintaining a successful research track.

Her transition to leadership roles was somewhat accidental. Although she had served as an Executive member in the research centre where she worked, these didn’t feel like leadership positions at the time. Her first leadership roles came when she was asked to take on the role as the Core Clinical Member of the Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC). This also entailed serving as a member of the HREC Executive Committee. This turned out to be both an incredibly rewarding but also very time demanding. In a brave moment she asked her Head of Department if there might be another less time intensive way she could fulfill her Departmental service commitments. Fortuitously, there was an opening, and so Viv became the Chair of the Research Committee. Subsequent restructuring of roles at the faculty level meant she became the Deputy Head (Research) in the Department. This role was extremely rewarding and played a key role in developing her leadership skills. She went on to establish a faculty-funded research Centre that she directed, and to secure a second research fellowship which helped to support her research ambitions.

Due to a DVCR restructure of the research centre scheme Viv subsequently formed a new and much larger DVCR-funded research centre by merging two other research centres and expanding its membership to seven other disciplines across campus. This leadership role also includes providing oversight over the Centre’s large clinic where she and her colleagues run clinical trials to develop novel mental health interventions across the lifespan, as well as the Centre’s dissemination strategy that supports the training of professionals and distribution of the therapy programs developed through the Centre nationally and internationally. This role has led to tremendous learning opportunities, that are still ongoing.