Vera Camoes Da Costa, PhD
Monash University (Australia)
I am an implementation scientist and former mental health practitioner with clinical experience, and a long-standing interest in primary mental health care. As a Research Fellow at Monash University, with a strong passion in evidence-based clinical practice for mental health conditions, I focus on designing, implementing and evaluating effective interventions in primary care. In my current role in the Department of General Practice, I manage the ‘Implementing work-related Mental health guidelines in general PRacticE’ (IMPRovE) trial, which aims to improve health and return to work outcomes for injured workers with mental health conditions (MHC) by transforming the care provided by their general practitioner (GP). This large NHMRC Partnership trial helps GPs adhere to a work-related Mental health guideline recommendation, using academic detailing, resource provision and support through a digital community of practice. This work brings together a collaboration of international and national researchers from compensation injury, psychology, general practice, PHC and specialist backgrounds. My research interests are psychological injury and return-to-work, models of care in primary care, and the integration of allied health services to positively impact patient health outcomes.
