Emma Skellern

Background

About Emma Skellern

Trained in organisational and industrial psychology with 12 years workforce development experience, 7 years in the mental health and addiction field, and 8 years in applied research. Currently working as Network Liaison for Western Bay of Plenty Primary Health Organisation, supporting 11 of the 32 General Practices in our region. From 2016 to 2018 I worked in Unitec’s research management team. Firstly as Research Advisor and then as Research Partner - Development where I facilitated research and innovation within Community, Health, and Environmental and Animal Sciences. I also led the design and implementation of institute-wide programmes to develop research capability. Before Unitec I worked at Te Pou from 2010 to 2015, New Zealand's Workforce Development Centre for Mental Health and Addiction. During this time I held a diverse portfolio: applied research, project leadership, workforce development. My main areas of specialisation were Talking Therapies, Stepped Models of Care, Primary Care, and Family Inclusive Practice. I also contracted to Matua Raki and the Health Promotion Agency during this time. I started my professional life as a organisational psychologist and Product Manager for TestGrid, a tech company that provides online employee assessment systems to the Australian market. During this time I acquired expertise in consulting; psychometrics; mapping skills, behaviours, and aptitude to workforce requirements; and online platform development.