Directors

Phyllis Butow
Martin Tattersall
Alexandra Barratt

Professor Phyllis Butow

BA(Hons)Dip Ed, M Clin Psych, MPH, PhD

Faculty: Psychology
Positions:
Co-Director of CeMPED
Professor
NHMRC Principle Research Fellow

With my colleagues, I have built up a strong group of 40 researchers who came together under the banner of the Centre for Medical Psychology and Evidence-based Medicine in 2007 at the University of Sydney. I am committed to developing Psycho-Oncology research in Australia. I have been honoured to work with many medical, nursing and psychosocial colleagues around Australia and very much enjoy collaborative research. My research interests are within the field of Health Psychology, including psychological impact of disease, factors influencing coping and adjustment to disease, evaluation of health services, health education and behavioural interventions, and health professional-patient communication.

Contact information
Centre for Medical Psychology & Evidence-based Decision-making
Brennan MacCallum Building (A18)
University of Sydney NSW 2006

Phone: +61 2 9351 2859
Fax: +61 2 9036 5292
Email: phyllisb@psych.usyd.edu.au
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Professor Martin Tattersall

MA, MD, MSc, FRCP, FRACP

Faculty: Medicine
Position: Director of CeMPED

I am an academic cancer physician with a large experience in cancer patient care and clinical cancer research. My research interest in the past 10 years has been focused on means of enhancing communication in the cancer consultation, and I have worked closely with Phyllis Butow in this period.

I have pioneered the development, evaluation and use of question prompt lists provided to cancer patients before medical consultations. I have also promoted the use of consultation audiotapes to study communication in cancer and palliative care consultations, and have reported them to be an information aid for patients and their carers. I have developed interventions to enhance doctors' consultation skills and investigated means of enhancing the content and format of letters between oncologists and referring doctors.

Contact information
Centre for Medical Psychology & Evidence-based Decision-making
Blackburn Building (D06)
University of Sydney NSW 2006

Phone: +61 2 9351 3675 / 9515 8953
Fax: +61 2 9351 4317
Email: mtatt@med.usyd.edu.au
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Associate Professor Alexandra Barratt

MBBS, MPH, PhD

Faculty: Public Health
Positions:
Director of CeMPED
Associate Professor in Epidemiology

I am an Associate Professor of Epidemiology and responsible for teaching epidemiology and evidence based medicine within the Faculty of Medicine. In 2002-2005 I was a chief investigator on an NHMRC program grant, the Screening and Test Evaluation Program, leaving in 2006 to pursue research in evidence based shared decision making in a broader context. My research interests are in developing and evaluating methods to help people improve their decision-making by making better use of research evidence. Other interests include assessment of screening programmes, and development and evaluation of patient decision aids. In 2005 I produced and presented a three-part radio series on the benefits and harms of cancer screening for ABC Radio National's "The Health Report" for which I was awarded the 2006 Australian Museum Eureka prize for health medical journalism. In 2006 I produced and presented a radio series called Facing the Evidence, which won the same prize in 2007. Over the past 5 years, I have published over 70 book chapters and papers in peer reviewed journals and have won 10 peer reviewed grants, in addition to my involvement in the program grant.

Contact information
Centre for Medical Psychology & Evidence-based Decision-making
School of Public Health
Edward Ford Building, A27
University of Sydney NSW 2006

Phone: +61 2 9351 5103
Fax: +61 2 9351 7420
Email: alexb@health.usyd.edu.au
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