Reflecting her strong track record in driving community-led research, Dr Rochelle Hine of Warragul recently received an inaugural award for consumer and community involvement from Monash Partners.

Presented by National Health and Medical Research Council chief executive officer Professor Steve Wesselingh, the award recognised Dr Hine's tireless social justice approach and collaborative work with community members at Monash Rural Health to deliver insightful research in the field of mental health.
Dr Hine came to research after 20 years as a social work clinician and manager in mental health, women's health promotion and public health.
Working as a senior researcher and lecturer at Monash Rural Health since 2020, Dr Hine led five research projects, including two international projects. She is also the current deputy chair of the Parental and Family Mental Health Worldwide Collaborative, which meets every two years in Prato, Italy.
An example of one of Dr Hine's research projects is "StigmaBeat", which grew from a partnership between an international research team and young people from rural Gippsland.
"StigmaBeat" aimed to identify and address the structural drivers of mental illness stigma, as experienced by young people in families where parents experience mental health challenges. The project recruited 18 rural young people who had lived experience of parental mental illness to co-design a series of short films.
"We were guided from the outset by young people who have parents with mental health challenges, incorporating their suggestions on how to maximise safety and inclusivity to promote engagement and participation," Dr Hine said.
The "StigmaBeat" project involved trauma-informed workshops, resulting in two publications to date, another two on the way, and co-presented at a national mental health conference by young participants.
Working with the Parental and Family Mental Health Worldwide Collaborative in Italy, Dr Hine leads a sub-group that is conducting a co-design project on stigma as experienced by families living with parental mental illness.
"Importantly, this work has exposed the core pervasive social mechanisms influencing how intersectional stigma impacts upon the experiences of families where a parent has a mental illness, highlighting how parenting is impacted by mental illness stigma and how it leads to bullying, embarrassment, guilt and social isolation for children and young people," Dr Hine said.
Dr Hine also leads a project examining a culturally responsive model of mental health care for African women living in Australia.
"My passion drives me to continue to engage in co-design research that creates meaningful and sustainable change," she said.
Professor Shane Bullock, Head of School of Monash Rural Health, congratulated Dr Hine on her achievements.
"Rochelle's research work continues to demonstrate her strong commitment to social justice and accountability, and recognises the importance of how lived experience informs her research design and findings," Professor Bullock said. "This award recognises the significant impact of her research in supporting vulnerable and marginalised community members."