Miss Tanya Duckworth
Higher Degree by Research Candidate
PhD Candidate (Medicine); Casual Academic
School of Psychology
Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences
My academic background is in creative arts (visual arts, design & music), cognitive neuroscience (neuropsychology & neurophysiology) and psychology. I am completing my PhD in Medicine (Neuroscience) through the Faculty of Health & Medical Sciences, School of Psychology & Adelaide Medical School.
My project aims to investigate the neural mechanisms of creativity and the effects on cognitive outcomes including the potentially protective effects against cognitive decline and neurodegeneration in people with PTSD.
I have 12-years combined experience working in research administration, data collection and coordination as an AA (UNSW), RA (UNSW & USYD) and currently Lab Manager in the Applied Cognition and Experimental Psychology Lab and the Stellar Psychology Lab (Andy Thomas Centre for Space Resources) at the University of Adelaide. I am also a Chief Investigator and Associate Investigator on several endometriosis research projects at Macquarie University.
Research interests:
In addition to the neural mechanisms of creativity and trauma, I also have a strong interest in endometriosis research, particularly in extra-pelvic endometriosis involving the nerves, brain and cognitive impact of the disease; overall disease aetiology and treatment efficacy. I am an "Endo Champion" (an endometriosis advocate) for Endometriosis Australia; and a collaborator on multiple endometriosis research projects at Macquarie University, roles as an Associate Investigator on the BEKind Study (Body Image and Psychological Wellbeing in Women with Endometriosis), endometriosis NHMRC grant applications, and a Chief Investigator on the Endometriosis Australia grant funded project ENDOTEXT (now EndoSMS) led by Professor Kerry Sherman. I am also a peer reviewer of endometriosis and neuroscience research at several journals.
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Appointments
Date Position Institution name 2020 - ongoing Casual Academic University of Adelaide 2019 - ongoing Casual Academic University of Sydney 2019 - 2021 Research Assistant University of Sydney 2010 - 2018 Research Assistant UNSW Australia -
Education
Date Institution name Country Title 2012 Central Queensland University (Thesis: UNSW Sydney) Australia Bachelor of Arts in Psychology (Honours) (Minor Cognitive Neuroscience) -
Postgraduate Training
Date Title Institution Country 2019 PhD in Medicine University of Adelaide Australia 2016 - 2017 Master of Brain and Mind Sciences University of Sydney Australia -
Research Interests
Animal Neurobiology Biological Psychology Cognitive Science Creative Arts Design History and Theory Design Innovation Design Practice and Management Experimental Psychology Neurocognitive Patterns and Neural Networks Neurogenetics Neurology and Neuromuscular Diseases Neurosciences Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Psychology and Cognitive Sciences Child and Adolescent Health Fertility and Conception Neuroscience, Behaviour and Brain Health Surgical and Health Systems Innovation Translational Health Outcomes
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Journals
Year Citation 2025 Horn, M., Sherman, K. A., Pehlivan, M. J., Basson, M., Lin, Z., & Duckworth, T. J. (2025). Perceived cognitive functioning difficulties in individuals living with endometriosis. Journal of Health Psychology, 19 pages.
2025 Fallon, L., Lau, A., Ciccia, D., Duckworth, T., Pereira, C., Kopp, E., . . . Sherman, K. A. (2025). Health-related decision-making experiences of people with endometriosis: a qualitative analysis. Psychology and Health, 26 pages.
2024 Fallon, L., Lau, A. Y. S., Ciccia, D., Duckworth, T. J., Pereira, C., Kopp, E., . . . Sherman, K. A. (2024). Perceived challenges in treatment decision-making for endometriosis: healthcare professional perspectives. Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine, 12(1), 20 pages.
Scopus2 Europe PMC12024 Sherman, K. A., Pehlivan, M. J., Pereira, C., Hawkey, A., Singleton, A. C., Redfern, J., . . . Cooper, M. (2024). Randomised controlled pilot trial of the EndoSMS supportive text message intervention for individuals with endometriosis: Feasibility and acceptability results. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 187, 9 pages.
2023 Low, L. -F., Duckworth, T. J., King, L., Gresham, M., Phillipson, L., Jeon, Y. -H., & Brodaty, H. (2023). Care Planning for Community-Dwelling People with Dementia: A Systematic Scoping Review. Health and Social Care in the Community, 2023, 4674120-1-4674120-23.
WoS12023 Sullivan-Myers, C., Sherman, K. A., Beath, A. P., Cooper, M. J. W., & Duckworth, T. J. (2023). Body image, self-compassion, and sexual distress in individuals living with endometriosis. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 167, 7 pages.
Scopus31 WoS2 Europe PMC212023 Sherman, K. A., Pehlivan, M. J., Redfern, J., Armour, M., Dear, B., Singleton, A., . . . Gandhi, E. (2023). A supportive text message intervention for individuals living with endometriosis (EndoSMS): Randomized controlled pilot and feasibility trial. Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications, 32, 6 pages.
Scopus6 Europe PMC32023 Goh, A. M. Y., Dang, C., Savvas, S., Doyle, C., Batchelor, F., Tan, E., . . . Dow, B. (2023). Baseline data from the Australian PITCH study: Characteristics of home care workers providing dementia care. Alzheimer's & Dementia, 19(S5).
2022 Pehlivan, M. J., Sherman, K. A., Wuthrich, V., Horn, M., Basson, M., & Duckworth, T. (2022). Body image and depression in endometriosis: Examining self-esteem and rumination as mediators. Body Image, 43, 463-473.
Scopus22 WoS1 Europe PMC142022 Sherman, K. A., Pehlivan, M. J., Singleton, A., Hawkey, A., Redfern, J., Armour, M., . . . Imani, S. A. (2022). Co-design and Development of EndoSMS, a Supportive Text Message Intervention for Individuals Living with Endometriosis: Mixed Methods Study. Jmir Formative Research, 6(12), 16 pages.
Scopus15 WoS2 Europe PMC112021 Sullivan-Myers, C., Sherman, K. A., Beath, A. P., Duckworth, T. J., & Cooper, M. J. W. (2021). Delineating sociodemographic, medical and quality of life factors associated with psychological distress in individuals with endometriosis. Human Reproduction, 36(8), 2170-2180.
Scopus29 WoS14 Europe PMC172017 Evans, L., & Duckworth, T. J. (2017). Dementia in people with Down syndrome: What does the research tell us?. Voice, (December 2017), 5-8. 2016 Sachdev, P., Thalamuthu, A., Mather, K., Ames, D., Wright, M., Wen, W., . . . Lemmon, C. (2016). White matter hyperintensities are under strong genetic influence. Stroke, 47(6), 1422-1428.
Scopus42 WoS26 Europe PMC31 -
Conference Papers
Year Citation 2019 Duckworth, T. (2019). The Effects of Creativity on Neuroplasticity and Cognition in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). In ACOTS 2019 Poster Presentation. Sydney, NSW Australia. -
Internet Publications
Year Citation 2023 Duckworth, T., Ellender, G., Kerr, F., Koehne, G., Krstic, M., & Moynihan, P. (2023). The effects of music on olfaction, nutrition and cognitive decline. OSF Registries.
DOI2021 Duckworth, T., Semmler, C., Onarheim, B., & Kerr, F. (2021). The neuropsychological correlates of creativity: A scoping review of the neuropsychological cognitive domains associated with creativity. OSF Registries.
DOI
2020 Endometriosis Australia Research Grant, ENDOTEXT - Chief Investigator
2012 NHMRC/ARC Strategic Award Grant, The Older Australian Twins Study - Named as Researcher
2020 Casual Academic at the University of Adelaide
2019 Casual Academic at the University of Sydney
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External Profiles
