Symposia, panel, round table style (max 55 mins) National Suicide Prevention Conference 2025

Lifeways: leveraging collective strengths to mobilise the evidence and drive concerted research translation in Australia (#16)

Lennart Reifels 1 , Alison Asche 2 , Dr Fiona Shand 3 , Mohammed Owais Qureshi 3 , Jaelea Skehan 4 , Max Tran 4 , Claudia Pagliaro 5 , Jane Pirkis 1 , Karl Andriessen 1 , Karolina Krysinka 1 , Bronwen Edwards 6 , Sandra Diminic 5 , Manuel Wailan 5 , Eryn Wright 5 , Kate Campbell 4 , Michelle Tye 3 , Mark Larsen 3 , Kairi Kolves 7 , Amanda Neil 8 , Gregory Carter 9 , Jo Robinson 10 , Dianne Currier 1 , Andrea Phelps 11 , Sandra Eades 12 , Mark Bekerman 2
  1. Centre for Mental Health and Community Wellbeing, The University of Melbourne, Carlton, Victoria, Australia
  2. Eastern Melbourne PHN, Box Hill, VIC, Australia
  3. Black Dog Institute, UNSW, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  4. Everymind, Newcastle, NSW, Australia
  5. Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
  6. Roses in the Ocean, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
  7. Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention, Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
  8. Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
  9. Calvary Mater, Newcastle, NSW, Australia
  10. Orygen, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
  11. Phoenix Australia, The University of Melbourne, Carlton, Victoria, Australia
  12. Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Carlton, Victoria, Australia

LIFEWAYS is a national consortium led by The University of Melbourne and conducted with key partners from seven other universities and non-government organisations with the aim to strengthen Australian suicide prevention research and facilitate its effective translation into policy and practice. LIFEWAYS is delivered via five interrelated workstreams that focus on consulting with stakeholders, strengthening the evidence base, creating translational tools, implementing change, and building capacity. To enhance broader utility and impact, all LIFEWAYS initiatives are directly informed by identified sector needs, lived experience perspectives, and conducted with relevant stakeholders, experts, and end users in mind.

This symposium will feature four presentations that showcase key initiatives to mobilise the evidence, drive effective research translation, and support practical implementation and evidence-informed decision making in suicide prevention. The featured initiatives will further outline useful tools and share practical resources to advance research translation in the Australian suicide prevention sector.

1. Harnessing practice-based wisdom and evidence to guide the implementation of regional postvention protocols

2. A novel framework to address regional social determinants of suicide

3. A world-first hub of implementation resources for the suicide prevention sector

4. Developing an evidence-informed and needs-based model for suicide prevention service planning

This symposium will be of relevance to a wide range of sector stakeholders (including, service providers, people with lived experience, policy makers, and researchers) with an interest or role in advancing the collective impact of suicide prevention in Australia.