Dr Laura Tirlea

Biography

Dr. Laura Tirlea has received her PhD degree from Monash University, Australia in 2017. She has obtained her Bachelor in Social Science (Psychology) degree from Swinburne University of Technology, in 2005, and Postgraduate Diploma in Psychology also from Swinburne University of Technology, in 2007. Laura also obtained a Diploma in Community Develompent and Welfare Studies from Chisholm Institute of Technology, Australia in 2000. She is a registered member of the International Association for Statistical Education.

Many years, she has worked as a youth health worker in community health services and hospitals in Australia. She has extensive clinical experience in groupwork, youth health and youth matters, counselling in the area of disordered eating and self-esteem and self-confidence in young women. Prior to undertaking her PhD study in 2012, she has spent 12 years working as a youth health worker in Monash Health, Australia. Currently, she is a Lecturer in Applied statistics with the School of Health Science in the Department of Health Science and Biostatistics in Swinburne University of Technology, Australia.

Her research interests are prevention of disordered eating and the role of self-esteem as a protective factor for positive body image in young women, evidence-based practice by health professionals and health promotion in general as well as statistics education. She has published several papers in reputable journals since 2013. She has presented her research in many national and international conferences including the Australian Psychology Society Annual (APS) conferences, Australian Conference on Teaching Statistics (OZCOTS) and International Conference on Teaching Statistics (ICOTS). She was a recipient of the Monash Health Emerging Researcher Fellowship from 2009 to 2010; and of a research grant from Butterfly Foundation through The Butterfly Research Institute to conduct collaborative research project entitled: “Evaluating the efficacy of the program “Girls on the Go!” to improve self-esteem, body satisfaction and  physical activity in a multicultural environment: a randomized controlled trial” in Australia from 2011 to 2013. In 2014 she received a nomination for the Vice-Chancellor's Diversity and Inclusions Awards, Monash University.