Victoria University
The Pathways in Place program is hosted by Victoria University's Mitchell Institute. Known as the University of Melbourne's West, Victoria University has eight campuses, two of which are situated in the City of Brimbank, giving us a close connection with the community we are aiming to strengthen through our work.
Through the Pathways in Place program, staff at Victoria University will strengthen partnerships with service providers, educators, industry and youth support organisations to improve opportunities for young people living in Brimbank. Central to the program’s goals is the production of transformative, actionable research that can be utilised by practitioners and decision-makers in similar communities both nationally and internationally.
Our team
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Therese Riley
Associate Professor of Complex Community Interventions
Therese has a national and international track record in research and evaluation of complex interventions. She has been at the forefront of advances in the application of complexity and systems thinking to intervention and research design and implementation. She has worked with research teams across Australia and Canada. Therese also loves spending time at the beach, playing with two naughty Labradors and listening to podcasts.
P: (03) 9919 5409
E: therese.riley@vu.edu.au -
Bo Klepac
Senior Research Fellow
Bo is passionate about reducing health and education inequities and achieving better health and education outcomes through policy change. She holds a PhD in public health policy, a PhD in political science, a masters degree in political science and a masters degree in European studies. In 2020, she received a Victoria University Medal for Academic Excellence in Research. Bo has been involved in (inter)national multi-disciplinary and transdisciplinary projects, and has extensive experience in health promotion, policy analysis, and research to policy/practice translation. Bo loves music and nature so when she can’t sing at the beach she plays piano at home.P: (03) 9919 5457
E: bo.klepacpogrmilovic@vu.edu.au -
Amy Mowle
Research Fellow
Amy is an early career researcher with an interest in social theory and digital media. She holds a PhD in Sociology and has worked across a range of disciplines, from public health to media and communications. A Brimbank local, Amy is employed full time on the Pathways in Place program, working to strengthen the community of which she’s part. When not at work, Amy enjoys reading, gardening, and playing videogames.
P: (03) 9919 6146
E: amy.mowle@vu.edu.au -
Téa O'Driscoll
Research Fellow (Complex Community Interventions)
Téa is a researcher who has worked in community development before undertaking her PhD. She has an interest in the sociology of health and wellbeing, and culturally and linguistically diverse populations. Téa has enjoyed working on lots of different projects across different disciplines from psychology to public health. Outside of work, she loves adventuring with her family, from beach to bush, with a very rascally poodle tagging along.
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Erin Fitzpatrick
Research Assistant & PhD Student
Erin is a PhD student at Victoria University and is currently working as a research assistant with Pathways in Place. She holds a masters degree in community psychology and has worked across a range of settings, including community mental health services. In her free time, Erin loves playing games of all kinds, spending time with her cat, and dancing.
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Alex Flux
Project Manager
Alex is working with the Pathways in Place-VU team as a project manager. She comes to the team with experience in a range of different environments including records management and administration for government agencies. She is currently completing a masters degree in cultural heritage and museum studies. In her spare time she likes to make art, and volunteers at a museum focused on preserving the stories and experiences of people in Melbourne's west.
E: alex.flux@vu.edu.au -
Lauri Pavlovich
Lived Experience Researcher
Lauri is a young person from Brimbank, they are involved with Pathways in Place as a lived experience researcher, providing direct insight on the experiences of young people in employment. They have worked on a diverse array of projects mostly focused on youth and disability. Lauri also loves all things creative and wherever they can, they link these interests together. Working on creative projects that encourage the audience to question systems and personal bias.
E: Lauri.Pavlovich@vu.edu.au -
Melinda Craike
Professor
Melinda is an internationally recognised behavioural researcher with over 20 years’ research experience. Her research is transdisciplinary, she works across disciplines and sectors to produce actionable and robust research evidence. Her work has advanced scientific knowledge and impacted on policy and practice in a range of areas including public health. Throughout her career, she has initiated and led several research collaborations. She has strong motivation for continual learning and strives for innovation. Melinda has a breadth of methodological expertise and has applied a range of research designs and methods in her research. In her spare time, Melinda loves to keep active and spend time with her family and friends.P: (03) 9919 5659
E: melinda.craike@vu.edu.au -
Illustrations in this section have been created by @mawnitor
In addition to our core team, Pathways in Place employ young people from Brimbank who draw on their valuable lived experience perspectives and expertise to support our work. This means they are involved in opportunities for sensemaking and decision-making, research processes and outputs, and broader team planning and idea generation activities. Working together in this way ensures that we are working with diverse perspectives around the table and aligning our work with the reality of young people’s experiences and needs.