Welcome: Heather McIntyre

Heather joined the BRIDGES at work team in early 2025 as a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow based at the University of South Australia. In addition to bringing her significant expertise to the project, Heather will be taking on a project management role, helping ensure we are as productive as possible to achieve great outcomes together.

Heather is an interdisciplinary mental health researcher and has worked in many interdisciplinary teams with projects that have partnered with industry: first responders, social workers, allied health, nurses, physicians, mental health service providers and people with lived experience. Her experience has included working with advisory groups and facilitating codesign within research. The PhD Heather undertook discovered current experiences and communication pathways for people with psychosocial disability within the NDIS at point of care and when presenting to the emergency department.  Her research was the first of its kind examining the different philosophies of care that collide in this interaction and has provided in depth knowledge from the perspectives of people with psychosocial disability, their carers, NDIS support workers and ED clinicians, and has provided evidence of current practices and recommendations for change.