Dr Susie Fletcher

Dr Susie Fletcher is an experienced health services researcher with expertise in mental health, primary care, and service integration. Her track record spans process, outcome and economic evaluations using experimental, quasi-experimental and mixed-method designs and is demonstrated through almost 60 peer‑reviewed journal articles.

Susie’s qualifications include a PhD, postgraduate diploma in psychology, and a bachelor of applied science in psychology. Her PhD examined whether different personality traits predict the development of different psychiatric disorders and related conditions in people who are hospitalised with a serious injury.

Since joining AHA in 2020, she has employed her skills in designing, conducting and reporting high-quality yet pragmatic evaluations to deliver a range of important projects in the health, disability and aged care sectors.

Prior to joining AHA, Susie was a senior research fellow at the Department of General Practice at the University of Melbourne. In this role, she worked closely with government and health sector stakeholders, including Primary Health Networks (PHNs), to design and evaluate health system innovations. Examples include:

• trialling new models of depression management and mental health care in general practice, using an online clinical prediction tool to match the focus and intensity of treatment to an individual’s prognosis
• helping to develop the National PHN Guidance – Initial Assessment and Referral for Mental Health Care, and evaluating its early implementation.

Previously, Susie worked at Phoenix Australia – the Australian National Centre for Excellence in Post-traumatic Mental Health. There, she played a key role in major projects such as the development of the Australian Guidelines for the Management of Acute Stress Disorder and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and mental health screening and evaluation frameworks for the Australian Defence Force.