Myfanwy Maple

Professor Myfanwy Maple is leading the Regional Australia Mental Health Research Training Institute and Discipline Lead for Social Work and Community Services in the Faculty of Medicine and Health at the University of New England, Australia. For 20 years, Professor Maple’s research has focused on trauma and loss, with a particular emphasis on understanding risk and resilience following exposure to suicide. A focus on lived experience underlies all of Professor Maple’s work where her emphasis remains on authentically including the voices of those with firsthand experience to better inform policy, research and teaching.

While research is her key activity, she is also involved internationally, nationally and locally in activities to prevent suicide and the distress associated with suicide. Professor Maple is a member of the Board of Batyr, a social enterprise championing young people’s mental health. She was a member of the Prime Ministers Suicide Prevention Advisor’s expert advisory group (2019-20), is Deputy Chair of the National Suicide Prevention Research Fund and was a member-elected Director of Suicide Prevention Australia (2013-2018), during which time she also chaired the National Suicide Prevention Conference (2015-2018). From 2015-21 she was co-chair of the International Association of Suicide Prevention Bereavement and Postvention Special Interest Group. In her spare time, she is an ASIST trainer, delivering suicide intervention skills training to members of rural communities.