Career highlights

• Donna is the Professor, School of Exercise, Biomedical and Health Science, Edith Cowan University, Western Australia and the Director, Child Health Promotion Research Centre, Faculty of Computing Health and Science, Edith Cowan University, Western Australia
• Since 2005, she has also held the position of Adjunct Professor, School of Public Health, Western Australian Centre for Health Promotion Research, Curtin University of Technology
• Donna has an international profile in school health promotion intervention research
• From 1989 to 2011, she has secured over $12 million in school-based research funding to address school health related issues including mental health (youth bullying, body image, depression and suicide); drug use (smoking cessation, marijuana use); injury control (youth pedestrian injury, seniors pedestrian injury, general road safety and bicycle safety); and nutrition education
• Her most significant research contributions relate to her work on aggression and bullying among young people. While much of this research has been conducted in Australia, Donna has also been involved in youth-based research throughout the USA, as well as South Africa, Canada, Eastern Europe, Japan and Israel, with organisations including WHO, UNICEF and the American Health Foundation
• Donna has published a total of 67 refereed articles, 82 major reports and professional articles, 15 books/chapters in collective works and over 60 school-based curriculum. She has given 481 invited research presentations in Australia and internationally

• In 2011, Donna was named the West Australian of the Year.

Question and answer

Why is the issue of bullying of particular interest to you?

The ways the school community can intervene at a whole-school, classroom and home level to prevent, as well as effectively respond to, all types of bullying incidents.

Where do you believe you have made a difference in your field?

Most of my professional activities are directed to knowledge transfer from research evidence to practice. I am committed to bridging the gap between university research and school and community programs.

How has your area of expertise helped you to contribute to NCAB over the years?

I have helped to provide high quality, empirical evidence from randomised controlled trials of the impact of bullying prevention interventions on student bullying behaviour and mobilising new knowledge about the prevalence bullying behaviour and protective factors.