Research Team

Samantha Cronin is a spouse of a current serving member, conducting a research project for her honour’s thesis, as part of her Bachelor of Social Work degree with Griffith University. 

Her interest in this field comes from 15 years of lived experience as a Defence spouse and a regular volunteer within the Defence Community. 

Professor Elizabeth Kendall completed her Ph.D. in 1997 on the topic of adjustment following traumatic- injury, for which she won the Dean's Commendation for Outstanding Ph.D. Thesis in 1998 (UQ). She has continued to build a research agenda in rehabilitation and service systems for people who are managing the consequences of serious injuries, disabilities, or chronic conditions. She was an invited visiting Professor at the University of Manchester National Primary Care Research and Development Centre. She has designed and directed complex community-based evaluations and randomised controlled trials of major health reform projects over the last decade, including the Ambulatory Care demonstration projects the Queensland Self-Management Alliance, the Chronic Disease Place-based Initiative and the Logan-Beaudesert Health Coalition, the Qld Health Self-Management Working Party, the Coordinated Care Trials, the Sharing Healthcare Demonstration project, the Community Rehabilitation Workforce Reform Project, the Chronic Disease Smart State Working Party, the Spinal Injury Response Project on Integrated Services and the Young care Alternative Service Model trial. Elizabeth runs a collaborative research program with several significant partners including Queensland Health, General Practice Queensland, and Motor Accident Insurance Commission. She manages an interdisciplinary research center and has attracted over $50 million in research grants and consultancies, including nine large Australian Research Council grants. She has over two hundred publications in high-quality and impactful journals such as Social Science and Medicine, American Journal of Public Health, Rehabilitation Psychology, Disability and Rehabilitation, and has produced over 65 industry reports. She was a member of the ARC College of Experts and chaired the Social, Behavioural, and Economic Sciences panel. She has supervised 18 Ph.D. students to the completion of high-quality research outputs.

Stacey Gordon is a research assistant at Griffith University since 2021. She is also a tutor at the university since 2022. She has achieved academic excellence throughout her own Bachelor of Social Work with honours and received accolades for her achievements. Stacey previously completed her dissertation on the experiences of defence spouses and has successfully undergone ethics approval. She is an advocate for veteran spouses, specifically those who are caregivers for veterans with mental health concerns.