Dr Keely Bebbington is the Children's Diabetes Centre Mental Health and Wellbeing Lead, and a Clinical Psychologist. In 2022 she was awarded a JDRF (now Breakthrough T1D) Rebecca Davies Clinical Research Fellowship for her research that aims to prevent the onset of anxiety in children with T1D and their families.
We had a quick chat with Keely to find out more about her current research projects and what she thinks will be the biggest T1D research breakthroughs in the next 10 years.
How long have you been working in research for and give us a little bit of a summary of the highlights from your career so far?
I finished my PhD in 2018 and joined the Children’s Diabetes Centre soon after that. I was completely new to type 1 diabetes at the time and so it was a steep learning curve for me – and I’m still learning so much! One of the best parts of my job is being able to connect with the type 1 community and learn about their experiences – so a highlight would be being able to speak at some of our community events. I always leave them with so much energy and enthusiasm – and new ideas for research.
A recent highlight would have to be the launch of the new early stage T1D clinic at PCH. I was really fortunate to be involved in the co-design of this new clinical pathway with consumers, healthcare providers and the research team. Seeing this really important piece of work translated into something that can have immediate impact for families is incredibly rewarding.
Why did you get into T1D research and What are your current T1D research projects?
I’ve always had an interest in health psychology and I think a big part of that comes from wanting to understand how people respond to the challenges that life can throw at them. Living with a chronic condition like T1D has such a huge impact on a young person’s day to day life – as well as the lives of their family members - and so the opportunity to work in this space was really exciting for me. I’m fortunate that I get to work across a broad range of projects. I’m currently developing an intervention that aims to reduce anxiety in children with T1D by working with caregivers and hope to pilot that intervention early next year. Alongside the development of the new early stage T1D clinic at PCH, I have been working with Breakthrough T1D on a training package for mental health professionals to enhance their capacity to work with people living with diabetes. I am also involved with other projects focused on developing and trialling novel interventions, including one that targets medical trauma in youth with T1D.
What do you think will be the biggest T1D research breakthroughs in the next 10 years?
I think the biggest breakthroughs in the next 10 years will be in understanding the progression from early stage T1D (where patients have normal blood glucose levels) to symptomatic T1D, requiring lifelong insulin. Therapies to delay or even prevent the progression of T1D are on the horizon and will start to become part of diabetes management. For those living with diabetes now and in the future, I hope the next 10 years will see greater recognition and support for the mental health and wellbeing of patients and their families. In many places around the world, including here in Perth, we are still not adequately screening for mental health concerns and there is a lack of resourcing for appropriate psychological support. My vision for my work is to address this gap in care to ensure early identification of those in need of support and equitable access to appropriate care.
What do you like to do outside of your work?
Alongside my research role, I continue to work in private practice one-day a week, which I really enjoy. Outside of work, I’m a Mum to two little girls and so spend a lot of my time outdoors with my family. I love live music and am lucky enough to still get to concerts fairly regularly with my sister and I’m a tragic Dockers fan, so try to get to as many games as I can.