Dr Keely Bebbington awarded Stan Perron Charitable Foundation Fellowship

Congratulations to Dr Keely Bebbington from the Rio Tinto Children’s Diabetes Centre based at The Kids Research Institute Australia, who has been awarded a Stan Perron Charitable Foundation People Grant to implement and evaluate an enhanced psychosocial model of care for young people with T1D in WA.  

Type 1 diabetes is a lifelong, incurable condition, and the daily demands of disease management place a significant psychological burden on individuals. This persistent strain contributes to disproportionately high rates of poor mental health, particularly among young people.

Dr Bebbington said Western Australian research showed that youth with T1D were twice as likely to experience anxiety, mood disorders, and eating disorders, and were 1.8 times more likely to die by suicide. 

“Unfortunately, here in WA, like many places in Australia and globally, we are not meeting the mental health needs of these vulnerable kids,” Dr Bebbington said. 

“Despite international clinical guidelines recommending early and regular monitoring of mental health concerns, this is not routinely done. Current barriers include unclear referral pathways, limited access to trained mental health professionals and inadequate resourcing to support screening and triage. As a result, many young people in need of care are going unsupported.”

Her program will bridge a critical service gap and improve health and wellbeing outcomes for young people and their families. “My work focuses on ensuring that the mental health needs of young people living with T1D and their families are identified early and that vital support is accessible when they need it most.” 

The program includes developing and evaluating co-designed interventions to improve mental health outcomes for this vulnerable population. These include strategies to address medical trauma, promote wellbeing through physical activity, and prevent anxiety in children with T1D,” Dr Bebbington said.

“The benefits of this funding to WA youth living with T1D are extensive but perhaps most important is that this work will significantly reduce the mental health burden of living with T1D for the 1,200 WA youth living with T1D and their families.”