About Us

Background

I have a nursing and midwifery background and have worked as a clinician, manager and project manager within health services. Over the past 15+ years I have expanded my skills and knowledge into public health research, working in operational roles on a population-based study and two randomised controlled trials. During this time, I also completed a Master of Public Health and a PhD. I am currently a Research Fellow in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Deakin University.

 

Research Focus

My current research focus is on improving patient safety, patient experience and the health workforce within a range of healthcare settings at Barwon Health. Other areas of interest are mother and child health, smoking cessation and equity.

 

 Awards & Achievements

• Perlen, S., Kerr, C., Yelland, J., & Brown, S. (2014) A new multifaceted approach to smoking cessation advice and support in pregnancy at Sunshine Hospital. Major Research Grant ($20,000). Nurses Board of Victoria Legacy Limited.

Feature Publications

• Pittet, L.F. et al. (2023) ‘Randomized Trial of BCG Vaccine to Protect against Covid-19 in Health Care Workers’, New England Journal of Medicine, 388(17), pp. 1582–1596. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2212616
• Goldfeld S, Bryson H, Mensah F, Price A, Gold L, Orsini F, et al. (2022) Nurse home visiting to improve child and maternal outcomes: 5-year follow-up of an Australian randomised controlled trial. PLoS ONE 17(11): e0277773. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0277773.
• Bryson, H., Perlen, S., Price, A., Mensah, F., Gold, L., Dakin, P., & Goldfeld, S. (2021). Patterns of maternal depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms from pregnancy to 5 years postpartum in an Australian cohort experiencing adversity. Archives of women's mental health, 24(6), 987–997. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-021-01145-0
• Chamberlain, C., O'Mara-Eves, A., Porter, J., Coleman, T., Perlen, S. M., Thomas, J., & McKenzie, J. E. (2017). Psychosocial interventions for supporting women to stop smoking in pregnancy. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews, 2(2), CD001055. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD001055.pub5
• Chamberlain, C., Perlen, S., Brennan, S. et al.Evidence for a comprehensive approach to Aboriginal tobacco control to maintain the decline in smoking: an overview of reviews among Indigenous peoples. Syst Rev6, 135 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13643-017-0520-9

How you can help

Donate

Research requires ongoing investment and there are several ways to support our work. You can make a donation today and contribute to an item on our research group’s wish list, consider a bequest in your will, or establish a lasting legacy fund in your name. No matter what size, your philanthropic support will deliver an immediate impact to this important work. To donate now or for more information, please contact the Barwon Health Foundation.