Researcher

Dr Kate Hetherington

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Fields of Research (FoR)

Paediatrics, Health, Clinical and Counselling Psychology, Cancer Therapy (excl. Chemotherapy and Radiation Therapy)

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Biography

Kate is a Clinical Psychologist and Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in the Behavioural Sciences Unit (BSU) in the School of Clinical Medicine, UNSW. Her research focuses on understanding the psychosocial impact of cancer on children and their parents, and the development of interventions and supports to ameliorate its negative impacts. Since June 2019 Kate has been Ethics and Genetics Team Leader within the BSU, co-leading a number of...view more

Kate is a Clinical Psychologist and Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in the Behavioural Sciences Unit (BSU) in the School of Clinical Medicine, UNSW. Her research focuses on understanding the psychosocial impact of cancer on children and their parents, and the development of interventions and supports to ameliorate its negative impacts. Since June 2019 Kate has been Ethics and Genetics Team Leader within the BSU, co-leading a number of large-scale projects focused on understanding families' and health professionals' experiences of precision medicine and genetic testing for childhood cancer. 

Prior to joining the BSU, Kate completed both her Masters of Psychology (Clinical) and PhD in the School of Psychology at UNSW. Her doctoral research investigated psychological mechanisms involved in the onset and maintenance of depressed mood, with a particular focus on repetitive thinking. Kate has experience in a variety of clinical and research settings. 


My Grants

  • Cerebral Palsy Alliance Project Grant (2022-2023)
  • NHMRC LOGGIC: A phase III, randomised international multi-centre trial for Low Grade Glioma In Children and adolescents (2021-2025)
  • Paediatrio funding PPM6 (2019-2021)
  • Children’s Cancer Institute Zero Childhood Cancer Program funding (2019-2021)
  • UNSW Career Advancement Fund (2018)
  • NSW Health SESLHD Multicultural Health Grants Program (2018-2019)
  • Ronald McDonald House Charities (2016)
  • Postgraduate Research Support Scheme funding (2014)
  • Inaugural Faculty of Science Research Student Maternity Scholarship (2012)
  • Postgraduate Research Support Scheme funding (2012) (Awarded but not taken up)
  • Australian Postgraduate Award (2010-2015)

My Qualifications

  • B. Science Psyc (1st Class Hons) UNSW
  • M. Psyc (Clinical) UNSW
  • PhD (Experimental Clinical Psychology) UNSW

My Research Activities

Kate leads the Ethics & Genetics team in the Behavioural Sciences Unit, overseeing the psychosocial substudies of PRISM (PRISM-Impact), ZERO2 (ZERO2-Experiences), PREDICT and SMOC-Junior, as well as the evaluation of the By My Side and Walking Alongside resources for bereaved families and the health professionals who support them. More recently Kate has expanded her research focus to include the psychosocial impact of novel and emerging treatment of other childhood illnesses, including genetic vision loss and neurodevelopmental disorders. 


My Research Supervision


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Areas of supervision

ILP, Honours, Masters, PhD


Currently supervising

2022

  • PhD Helping families to understand and talk about paediatric precision medicine: A parent and adolescent communication aid
  • PhD (co-supervisor): Clinical utility of whole-genome sequencing to identify inherited cancer risk in paediatric cancer patients
  • Honours student project: Parents' and clinicians' perspectives on the novel procedural aspects of precision medicine for high-risk childhood cancer

2021

  • PhD (co-supervisor): Clinical utility of whole-genome sequencing to identify inherited cancer risk in paediatric cancer patients
  • Honours student project: Quality of life in children undergoing precision medicine for high-risk childhood cancer
  • Masters student project: The psychosocial impact of genetic services on families affected by childhood cancer: A study of genetic counselling experiences 
  • Masters student project: Parents' experience of family-based whole-genome sequencing for cancer predisposition testing in newly diagnosed paediatric cancer patients

2020

  • PhD Helping families to understand and talk about paediatric precision medicine: A parent and adolescent communication aid
  • ILP Student project: Evaluation of the Walking Alongside resources for health professionals
  • Honours student project (co-supervisor): Health-service and medication use of parents of young cancer survivors: A controlled study of prevalence and predictors of engagement and use
  • Masters student project: Surgeons' experiences delivering precision medicine to children with high-risk cancer

2019/2020

  • Masters student project: A qualitative study of clinicians' and scientists' experiences two years into and PRISM
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Contact

02 9382 3114