The ALIVE National Centre Lived-Experience Research Collective provides a tailored Lived-Experience research capacity building program, supporting career development pathways for Lived-Experience researchers and researchers who identify as bringing family, carer, or kinship group expertise to their work. The Lived-Experience Research Collective also recognises that some people bring dual expertise.
The Collective offers a place to grow expertise to share skills and knowledge and an opportunity to be involved in the strengthening and integration of Lived-Experience within mental health research and translation activities. The aim is to grow Lived-Experience and carer/family/kinship group peer research communities online as well through our discussion Forum.
Membership of the Collective is open to people with Lived-Experience enrolled in university higher-degree programs, and all researchers at all stages of their career who identify as Lived-Experience researchers or as researchers bringing carer, family, and kinship group experiences to their research and roles. This includes people with Lived-Experience based in community or government organisations engaged in research. We suggest that people who partner for co-design and co-production in mental health research who identify as having Lived-Experience either as someone living with mental ill-health and distress, or as a carer, family or kinship group member might like to join activities for public co-design and the Co-Design Network https://alivenetwork.com.au/our-networks/co-design-living-labs-network/.
Collective Involvement in Research
As described our aim is to bring together people with lived-experience together as a community, for research capacity-building and networking. This includes opportunities to contribute to research projects as co-researchers within the ALIVE National Centre across all stages of research, from design to translation. However, please note that we do not advertise or recruit for research projects that are outside of the ALIVE National Centre. Requests to circulate email invitations, post to noticeboards or identify Collective members for external research project roles will not be progressed at this time.
Lived-Experience Research Co-Leads
Hayley Purdon
Lived Experience Research Collective Co-Lead
University of New England
Hayley is an advocate for people with lived experience of suicide. After surviving a suicide attempt, Hayley got involved in many advisory groups in order to change the way we prevent suicide in Australia. She has worked with organisations such as Suicide Prevention Australia, Black Dog Institute, Lifeline, Commonwealth Department of Health, Roses in the Ocean and many University institutions in her work. Hayley is also a PhD candidate at the University of New England and holds postgraduate qualifications in suicidology, applied data analytics and human factors (aviation). She has recently launched CriticLE to promote critical thought in how people with lived experience of suicide are engaged in suicide prevention activities.
Hayley does all this in her spare time with her full-time role being in aviation regulation with the Commonwealth Government. Her work would not be possible without the company of her dog, cat and partner who provide all forms of support.
Heshani De Silva
Lived-Experience Research Collective Co-Lead
Australian National University
Heshani (she/her) works, lives and plays on Gadigal land. She is a clinical psychologist and researcher specialising in family, domestic and sexual violence (FDSV). As a child survivor of family violence, she is committed to improving mental health support for people of colour affected by FDSV in Australia. She brings an intersectional cultural and feminist lens to address systemic gaps and promote culturally responsive care in both her research and clinical practice. On her research days, she works remotely for University of Melbourne (on Wurundjeri land) and in-person at Anti-Slavery Australia (situated at the University of Technology, Sydney). She then works with adults in private practice. Outside of these roles, she loves to read, run, play soccer, crochet and explore new neighbourhoods (mainly to check out new cafes).
Heather Lamb
Carer Family Kinship Group Co-Lead
Griffith University
Heather has lifelong experience supporting family members who have experienced long term mental health conditions. She worked in Perth in the 1990’s as an Occupational Therapist in both hospital and community settings in the area of mental health. Over the past 20 years in Canberra, Heather has worked in home and community care (aged care focus), in a carer advisory role, as a peer educator with the ACT Recovery College trial, and as a casual Research Officer with the Lived Experience Research Unit, Centre for Mental Health, at the Australian National University. She also completed a Graduate Diploma in Pastoral Counselling in 2017. Heather values the opportunity to work with others while reserving time to support family and maintain community volunteering connections including carer advocacy and a low-cost food pantry. Heather’s combined experience in personal, volunteer and professional roles gives her insights from a number of perspectives which will provide a valuable contribution to both ALIVE and the wider community.
Michael Elwan
Carer Family Kinship Group Co-Lead
Monash University
Michael Elwan is an Accredited Social Worker, therapist, and Founder of Lived Experience Solutions (LEXs), an Australian practice providing therapy, supervision, training, and consultancy grounded in lived and living experience, cultural humility, and human dignity.
Michael brings lived and living experience as a long-term family carer, migrant, and suicide-bereaved son. From adolescence into adulthood, he cared for both parents in Egypt in the absence of formal support. These experiences continue to shape his focus on how mental health systems understand and respond to families, caregiving, and distress.
He has held senior leadership roles across mental health services in Australia and contributes to suicide prevention through state and national advisory work. His work centres on strengthening culturally responsive approaches and ensuring systems remain connected to the realities of individuals, families, and communities.
Michael’s contributions have received national and state awards. He is currently completing a PhD in Mental Health, focusing on lived and living experience leadership, and serves as Carer/Family/Kinship Co-Lead with the ALIVE National Centre.
