Ms Susannah Runci - Researcher Profile

Biography

Dr Susannah Runci is a Psychologist and Research Fellow who works part time (0.4EFT) at the Aged Mental Health Research Unit. She received her Doctorate of Clinical Psychology at Monash University in 2004. Her thesis was entitled ‘Older persons from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) backgrounds in residential care: Language use, service provision and language-relevant interventions for dementia’. The results of this study were published in two refereed journal articles and one Research letter (in International Psychogeriatrics and The Australasian Journal on Ageing). Findings were also presented at national and international conferences and received notable media attention (including radio interviews and newspaper articles).

As CIB, she received a NHMRC Dementia Research Grant (#465125) to complete an extension of her doctoral thesis research, comparing communication of residents from CALD backgrounds with dementia in mainstream and ethno-specific care. She has since managed this project to completion, submitted one journal article to an international peer reviewed journal and is in the process of submitting a second article. She presented findings in the form of a poster presentation at the Dementia-CRC conference in 2010. She is also Chief Investigator and advisor on two other currently funded NHMRC projects (CIC on Project Grants #545843 and #606639). She is a project advisor on two projects being conducted at the National Ageing Research Institute focusing on culturally appropriate assessment of persons from CALD backgrounds (these projects are funded by the Dementia-CRC and Department of Health). Susannah will be co-author on the subsequent publication describing the findings of a review of culturally appropriate cognitive assessment tools.

She recently received funding from the Lions John Cockayne Memorial Trust (as joint Chief Investigator, alongside Professor O’Connor) to complete a Victoria-wide questionnaire focusing on the language needs and culturally appropriate service provision for residents from CALD backgrounds in aged care facilities.

Research & Supervision Interests

Aged residential care

Minority and diverse populations

Language use

Aged mental health

Keywords

Ageing, Cultural Diversity, Dementia, Language, Nursing Homes

Qualifications

CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY

Institution: Monash University

Year awarded: 2004

ARTS HONOURS, ITALIAN LANGUAGE

Institution: Monash University

Year awarded: 1996

SCIENCE HONOURS, PSYCHOLOGY

Institution: Monash University

Year awarded: 1995

ARTS

Institution: Monash University

Year awarded: 1994