Dr Gemma Skaczkowski is a behavioural researcher in the Department of Rural Health at the University of South Australia. Her current work mainly examines the wellbeing of farmers and people in rural communities. This includes the evaluation of www.ifarmwell.com.au, designed by Dr Kate Gunn, to help farmers better cope with things beyond their control (such as drought). She is also involved in the co-design of www.icanactnow.com.au (a free, self-guided wellbeing resource for the general population) and in the Department of Rural Health Research Scheme, which gives health practitioners the opportunity to undertake a short-term research project under the supervision of academic staff.
Gemma completed her PhD in Psychology at the University of Melbourne, in collaboration with Cancer Council Victoria in the area of tobacco control and extrinsic influences on perception. Her pre-doctoral and post-doctoral work has examined patients’ experiences of care and wellbeing, with a focus on how we can better support cancer patients and survivors from diagnosis, to treatment, survivorship, and into palliative care. This has included evaluating the effectiveness of supportive care programs and examining how patients are triaged to supportive care within a health service. Her post-doctoral work was completed at La Trobe University and the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness & Research Centre, in Melbourne.  
Gemma has worked alongside not-for-profit and healthcare organisations throughout her career. She is passionate about working with consumers and healthcare professionals to ensure that her research is relevant, addresses real-world problems and produces recommendations that are acceptable in clinical practice.