Rate My Professor Alexia Pavlis

Dr. Alexia Pavlis is a Senior Professional Practice Fellow in the Department of Psychological Medicine at the University of Otago, Wellington. She is a core member of the teaching team for the Postgraduate Diploma in Neuropsychology (PGDipNeuropsych), the first program of its kind in New Zealand, launched in 2024 as a part-time, remote two-year course leading to registration with the New Zealand Psychologists Board. Based in Melbourne, Australia, Pavlis is an experienced paediatric clinical neuropsychologist and neuropsychology educator with practice across academic, psychiatric, medical, and private settings. She contributes to addressing New Zealand's neuropsychology skills shortage through this innovative program, which integrates Western and Te Ao Māori perspectives and has enrolled strong cohorts since inception.

Pavlis earned a BA (Hons) from Monash University, a Graduate Diploma in Educational Psychology from Monash University, and a DPsych (Clinical Neuropsychology) from Victoria University Melbourne. She is AHPRA-registered as a psychologist with Clinical Neuropsychology endorsement and as a supervisor. Her career includes clinical neuropsychology roles at The Alfred Hospital, Royal Melbourne Hospital, The Melbourne Clinic, and private practice, specializing in mental health and neurology across the lifespan, particularly children and young people with developmental, mental health, and neurological conditions. She has held positions as an Honorary Fellow at Victoria University's Institute for Health & Sport and as Clinical Neuropsychology Lecturer and Supervisor at La Trobe University. Research interests encompass consumer experiences in mental health and medical contexts, carer burdens in progressive neurological disorders, evaluations of youth group therapy, and substance use among LGBTIQA+ and out-of-home care youth. Notable publications include "Better off alone? Comparing the substance use, mental health and trauma risks of youth alcohol and other drug service users either living in out of home care, living with parents or experiencing homelessness" (2021), "Revisiting the ‘manic defence hypothesis’: assessing explicit and implicit cognitive biases in euthymic bipolar disorder" (2021), "Increased mental health and psychosocial risks in LGBQ youth accessing Australian youth AOD services" (2019), "Which behaviours? Identifying the most common and burdensome behaviour changes in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis" (2016), and "Comparing neurocognition in severe chronic schizophrenia and frontotemporal dementia" (2014).