Dr Melissa Hayden

Major Qualification

BApp Sci (Hons) PhD

Current Position

Research Fellow

Track Record and Current Interests

Dr Melissa Hayden completed her doctoral thesis in 2006 from the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Melbourne. Her doctoral work was in the area of cognitive neuropsychiatry and focused on emotional processing in schizophrenia. Dr Hayden is currently enrolled in her Masters in Health Psychology at Monash University.

Dr Hayden began her work at CORE in 2005. She has been involved with and has led several psychological studies including; conducting an exploratory factor analysis of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), looking at improvement and change in BDI factors following weight loss and also conducting a large focus group study investigating stigmatisation and discrimination in the obese. Her current focus is on a study looking at the psychological effects of obesity and change following weight loss.

Dr Hayden is passionately committed to research in the psychological aspects of obesity and weight loss and has demonstrated there is enormous potential for quality research in this area. She brings critical skills in psychology, psychological assessment, data management and statistical analysis to the Centre.

Relevant references

Dixon, J.B., Laurie, C., Anderson, M., Hayden, M.J., Dixon, M.E., & O'Brien, P.E. (2009) Motivation, readiness to change and weight loss following adjustable gastric band surgery. Obesity. Obesity advance online publication, January 15, 2009; doi:10.1038/oby.2008.609.

Hayden, M.J., Dixon, J.B., Piterman, L. & O’Brien, P.E. (2008) Physician attitudes, beliefs and barriers towards the management and treatment of obesity. Australian Journal Primary Health, 14(3), 9-18.

Dixon, J.B., Hayden, M.J., Lambert, G.W., Dawood, T., Anderson, M.L., Dixon, M.E. & O’Brien, P.E. (2008). Symptoms of depression are associated with high CRP concentrations in obese subjects. Obesity, 16(9), 2010-2015.

Hayden, M.J., Piterman, L., Dixon, J.B. & O’Brien, P. (2006) Current Teaching about Obesity in Australian Universities, Specialist Medical Colleges and through Continuing Medical Education. Medical Journal of Australia, 185 (5), 293-4.