After completing an honours degree in Psychology, and with interests in child development and the relationship between mental and physical health, Amelia decided to continue her studies with a PhD in the Department of Women's and Children's Health, Section of Paediatrics and Child Health.
Her primary supervisor, Associate Professor Barbara Galland, is located in the Section of Paediatrics and Child Health; while her secondary supervisor, Dr Elizabeth Schaughency, is located in the Department of Psychology. Completing a PhD that spanned two departments enabled Amelia to participate in different research communities while pursuing her particular interests.
Amelia's PhD was an investigation of the relationship between snoring, learning and behavioural development, in pre-school children. During her PhD she was able to publish two papers in peer-reviewed journals as well as present her work at the Annual Conference of the Society for the Scientific Study of Reading in Berlin.
Since completing her PhD, Amelia has found the skills gained during her study have made her an attractive candidate to a variety of employers, and are a great foundation for a varied and interesting career. Upon completing her thesis Amelia started working for the Ministry of Social Development, first in Policy, then in the Research and Evaluation team.
Amelia recently spent six months working at the Hospital For Sick Children in Toronto, Canada. This role involved conducting research and evaluation within the Department of Endocrinology. Having no endocrinology experience Amelia found this role both challenging and hugely rewarding, but was able to effectively transfer the skills she'd learned at the Dunedin School of Medicine to this new environment.
Recently Amelia returned to the Ministry of Social Development where she is part of a team providing research and evaluation to support the development of the new 'Children's Entity'.