Staff profile

Ms Sue Cowan

Research Officer

Faculty of Health Sciences

La Trobe Rural Health School John Richards Initiative

 

Qualifications

Bachelor of Social Work & Social Policy (Hons, First Class) (La Trobe University)

Membership of professional Associations

Accredited Member of Australian Association Social Work (MAASW) Member of Upper Murray Centre Against Sexual Assault Member of Cooroonya Women’s Domestic Violence Service Member of Women’s Health Goulburn North East

Brief Profile

Sue joined the John Richards Initiative in July 2011 as a research officer and continues to employ a number of JRI projects including ‘Community Based Aged Care Assessment Service Mapping; and ‘ Social Inclusion and Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs)’.  Since commencing with the JRI Sue has conducted research across the challenges of ICT adoption and adaption to facilitate social inclusion of older rural people.   Her further research in collaboration with the Central Hume Primary Care Partnership considers an extensive exploration of both the operationalisation and the challenges of the assessment processes as experienced by the key stakeholders of three aged related services of  North East Victoria; ACAS, HACC and Older Persons Mental Health Services.  This project will inform the future development of collaborative and effective interagency assessment processes and assessment tools across the agencies of the region. 

Sue has a clinical background working across all age tiers of Mental Health. Her ongoing role within Mental Health compliments her current research and extends the professional understanding of the JRI. Sue’s past research focus has included the exploration of vicarious trauma of refugee advocates (Social Work , Hons), and the co-authoring of research  project ‘Raped by a Partner’ by Women’s Health Goulburn North East. The later investigated the wide psychosocial implications of intimate partner rape which informed recent Victorian legislative reform.  

Recent Publications

2012

Warburton, J., Cowan, S., and Bathgate, T. (2012) Building Social capital among rural, older Australians through Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs): A review article, Australasian Journal on Ageing, (Submitted and reviewed 2012)  Warburton, J., Cowan ,S., Winterton, R., and Hodgkin, S., (2012) Building social inclusion for rural older people using information and communication technologies: The perspectives of rural practitioners,  Journal Australian Social Work (Pending submission 2012)

2008

Parkinson, D., and Cowan, S., (2008),  ‘Raped by a Partner: A research report’, Women’s Health Goulburn North East, Victoria.  Available from http://www.whealth.com.au/work_raped_by_partner.html