Robyn Shearer
Deputy Director-General
Mental Health and Addiction, Ministry of Health

Robyn comes to this role with a vast range of sector experience having been the CEO for Te Pou o te Whakaaro nui for the last ten years.
During her time Robyn has grown Te Pou to be internationally recognised for evidence based workforce programmes in mental health, addiction and disability and has created strong sector partnerships to enhance people’s lives through service improvement.
Robyn comes from a clinical background, beginning her experience with nursing and has worked in front line mental health services and leadership roles in District Health Boards.
She has also worked in the Health Research Council and Ministry of Health in workforce development, policy and leading the Mental Health Group.

Anil Thapliyal
Executive Director
eMental Health International Collaborative (eMHIC)

Anil is widely recognized for transformation in mental health and addiction domain through the application of innovative approaches seamlessly integrated within people’s care. In particular, he is known for shaping the use of digital technologies to improve access to care in mental health services which include significant programmes of work in New Zealand, Canada, USA and Australia. He says "We must focus on the service user, their families and carers. If it does not work for them, it does not work". 

Noted below are some of the national and international governance roles he holds:

1. Trustee, Health Navigator Charitable Trust, New Zealand;
2. International Advisor, The Centre for Applied Research and Evaluation International Foundation (CAREIF), University of London, England;
3. Member, eMental Health Section, World Psychiatric Association.

Karolina Stasiak
Senior Lecturer & Senior Research Fellow
Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland

Dr Karolina Stasiak is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Psychological Medicine, at the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland. She was a co-developer of SPARX and was involved in its national launch in 2014. Karolina has worked on a number of digital health projects, including a community implementation of BRAVE, an online anxiety tool, in Canterbury in the wake of the earthquakes. Since 2017, she’s worked on a Better Start/E Tipu e Rea (National Challenge Science, funded by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment). She has led the creation of a number of new digital health tools which are about to introduced in a school implementation trial. Karolina was born in Poland and she’s called Aotearoa/New Zealand her home for 25 years.

Terry Fleming
Senior Lecturer in Population Health
Faculty of Health, Victoria University of Wellington

Senior Lecturer, Population Health, Faculty of Health, Te Wāhanga Tātai Hauora, Victoria University of Wellington and Honorary Senior Lecturer, Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Auckland. Dr Terry (Theresa) Fleming is a senior lecturer in the School of Health at Victoria University of Wellington. Her clinical background is in working with adolescents in underserved communities. Terry is a co-developer of SPARX, she oversaw the clinical aspects of SPARX roll out and has been a member of the National Depression Initiative Advisory Group. Terry leads the ‘Integrating Survey and Intervention Research’ project and co-leads the Youth19 Rangatahi Smart Survey. @MadameOrrocks on Twitter and https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Theresa_Fleming on ResearchGate

Tania Cargo
Clinical Psychologist
University of Auckland

Tania Cargo (Ngāti Manu, Ngāti Maru, Tainui) is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Psychology and the Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Auckland. She is a strong advocate for ensuring Te Tiriti O Waitangi principles are upheld in bicultural research practices. She is on the New Zealand Psychologist Board, an executive member of  He Paiaka Tōtara (Māori Psychologists Association) and a past board member of ANZACBT. Tania was the CBT advisor to the SPARX programme, coordinates the post-graduate CBT programme and is the third year, clinical psychology training programme co-coordinator. Along with Associate Professor Sarah Hetrick, she is the co-theme leader of the Resilient Teens, A Better Start/E Tipu e Rea (National Challenge Science, funded by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment). Her expertise lies in working with Māori pēpi, tamariki, rangatahi me whānau to create culturally responsive, evidence-based wellbeing tools.

Webinar facilitator:

Rebecca McBeth
HiNZ News Editor

Rebecca McBeth joined the HiNZ team as editor of eHealthNews.nz in January 2018. Rebecca was previously news editor at Digital Health Intelligence in London and prior to that, was the senior health reporter at The Christchurch Press, where she won a NZ Canon Media Award and a NZ Reporting Diversity award. Based in Auckland, she is committed to communicating news, experience and knowledge throughout New Zealand’s data and digital health sector.