Associate Professor Judy Pickard is Director of Research and Education at Early Start and a researcher in the School of Psychology at the University of Wollongong. She brings over 25 years of experience as a Clinical Psychologist, with demonstrated leadership in the design, implementation, and evaluation of evidence-based models of care. Judy’s research advances child and family wellbeing, mental health, and relational development. She examines the intergenerational transmission of attachment and its implications for mental health and investigates the mechanisms that support social and emotional wellbeing, particularly mindfulness and self-compassion in intrapersonal and interpersonal functioning. Her work also focuses on the application of these approaches within clinical training, evaluating impacts on clinician wellbeing and therapeutic outcomes. In her leadership role, Judy promotes the translation of high-quality research into education and practice, strengthening research capacity and impact across Early Start’s interdisciplinary community.