INSOMNIA (oral session): Digital CBT-I and primary care delivery
Tracks
Track 4
| Friday, November 13, 2026 |
| 1:15 PM - 2:45 PM |
Speaker
Mr William Saunders
PhD Candidate & Research Assistant
Monash University
Engagement and dropout in a real-world behavioural sleep medicine clinic
1:20 PM - 1:32 PMBiography
William Saunders is a PhD candidate and provisional psychologist at Monash University. His research focuses on translating evidence to address clinical challenges impacting the implementation of cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia within real-world clinical services. His PhD applies mixed-methods and implementation science approaches to practice-based evidence, with the aim of enhancing treatment engagement and outcomes.
Ms Kate Maston
PhD Candidate
Black Dog Institute
A randomised controlled trial of digital CBT-I for child insomnia
1:32 PM - 1:44 PMBiography
Kate is a Senior Program Manager working in adolescent mental health at the Black Dog Institute in Sydney. Kate has a Masters in Clinical Psychology and is currently completing her PhD at UNSW in the field of adolescent sleep and wellbeing. Kate has worked in a diverse range of roles; first as a clinician supporting children and young people in the community, and then transitioning into mental health research with interests in youth and adolescence, school mental health, and the importance of lifestyle factors to promote health and wellbeing.
Dr Hannah Scott
Senior Research Fellow
Flinders University
Comparative efficacy of technology-enabled insomnia treatments: A randomised clinical trial
1:44 PM - 1:56 PMBiography
Dr Hannah Scott is a Senior Research Fellow at FHMRI: Sleep Health who specialises in using sleep technologies to better manage sleep disorders including insomnia.
Prof Robert Adams
Professor Of Respiratory And Sleep Medicine
Flinders University
Enhancing insomnia treatment in primary care – The MOSIP trial.
1:56 PM - 2:08 PMBiography
Robert Adams is a respiratory and sleep physician experienced in clinical, epidemiological and health services research. He is Professor of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine and Medical Director at FHMRI Sleep Health at Flinders University. He is Senior Consultant in Respiratory, Sleep and Ventilation Services and Director of Respiratory Clinical Trials Unit at Southern Adelaide Local Health Network. His translational research examines the impact of sleep disorders, such as OSA and insomnia, on mental and physical health and health services. He leads the AISH Sleep Health Clinic, a co-located and integrated multi-disciplinary team including sleep psychologists, sleep physicians, dentists, ENT surgeons.
Dr Janet Cheung
Senior Lecturer In Pharmacy Practice
University of Sydney
Recurrent Prescription Sleep Medication Use: A 5-Year Population-Based Survival Study
2:08 PM - 2:20 PMBiography
Janet Cheung is a Senior Lecturer specialising in sleep health and behavioural sleep research. Her work focuses on patterns of prescription sleep medication use, including recurrence, persistence, and factors influencing long-term reliance. She has a strong interest in deprescribing, behavioural sleep medicine, and the role of cognitive and psychological factors in medication use. Through her research, she aims to support safer, evidence-based approaches to insomnia management and improve long-term sleep outcomes. Her work contributes to understanding how medication-taking behaviours evolve and how non-pharmacological strategies can better support patients with insomnia.
Dr Sumedha Verma
Founder, Clinical Psychologist, Adjunct Research Fellow
Deep Sleep Health
Building a sleep-literate clinical workforce: A multi-site Australian needs assessment
2:20 PM - 2:32 PMBiography
Dr Sumedha Verma is a clinical psychologist, researcher and founder of Deep Sleep Health, a service delivering evidence-based programs and care across clinical, workplace, and community settings. She specialises in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia and circadian interventions, and holds adjunct appointments at Monash University and La Trobe University (Digital Health). Dr Verma is a member of the Australasian Sleep Association Research Committee.She regularly presents on workforce development, digital health innovation and translating research for systemic impact.
Ms Prudence Wall
Psychologist/Research Associate
Flinders University
A co-designed sleep health program for rural and remote Australia
2:32 PM - 2:44 PMBiography
Prue is a Psychologist (Clinical Registrar) and Research Associate at the Adelaide Institute for Sleep Health (AISH) Clinic within the Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute (FHMRI), as well as a Research Assistant at the University of the Sunshine Coast. Prue works clinically treating patients with sleep disorders, primarily insomnia and circadian rhythm disorders, at AISH. She works across two research projects at FHMRI, one investigating the sleep health of rural and remote Australians and another investigating the impact of antidepressants on light sensitivity in depression treatment. Finally, she works in wellbeing research at the University of the Sunshine Coast.
Melinda Jackson
Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University
Chair
Biography