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Dr Simon Baker professional headshot against a pale background.

Dr Simon Baker

Research Fellow

BPsychMgt/Mkt, BSc(Hons), PhD

Dr Simon Baker researches and develops the psychological scales in NovoPsych’s assessment library, giving clinicians scientifically validated and clinically useful psychometric tools. Simon joined NovoPsych after 15 years in mental health research, spanning neuroimaging, digital mental health, prevention, implementation science, and service evaluation at Monash University, the Black Dog Institute, and Orygen.

Areas of expertise

Psychometric scale development and validation; scoring, norming, and the interpretation of assessment results; statistical computing; data visualisation; adaptive testing; systematic review and meta-analysis; neuroimaging; digital mental health interventions; implementation science; program and service evaluation.

Psychological assessments developed

Personality Inventory for DSM-5 – Adaptive (PID-5-A) — an adaptive administration of the PID-5-SF, developed from data on more than 15,000 respondents. It reduces the number of items administered by 27% and completion time by 18%, while holding false negative rates below 5% across all 25 personality facets.

MSS-Dynamic — an adaptive administration of the Maladaptive Schema Scale, developed from data on more than 7,800 respondents, achieving a 31% reduction in items and a 35% saving in completion time.

Recent articles by Dr Simon Baker

Research and evaluation experience

Simon completed his PhD at Monash University, examining the relationship between the development of brain connectivity and alcohol use during adolescence as part of the Orygen Adolescent Development Study. This work required the development of a novel computational approach for processing and analysing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain connectivity data. Prior to this, his Honours research examined semantic and associative priming in schizophrenia using behavioural and electroencephalographic (EEG) data.

At the Black Dog Institute, Simon worked on a pioneering research program using smartphone apps, online games, and social media data to help prevent and treat common mental health conditions. He then managed a partnership between the Black Dog Institute and Everymind focused on refining, implementing, and evaluating technology-enabled preventive mental health interventions in workplace, school, and healthcare settings. During this time, Simon also worked on the Smooth Sailing school-based mental health service, including an implementation trial across 24 schools involving more than 2,000 students, as well as the Future Proofing Study, evaluating whether cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) based digital interventions can prevent depression and anxiety at scale when delivered in schools.

At Orygen — Australia’s National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health — Simon was responsible for research and evaluation strategy, data management, analysis, and reporting for Orygen Digital’s Moderated Online Social Therapy (MOST) service.

Selected peer-reviewed publications

  • Subotic-Kerry, M., Mackinnon, A., Gallen, D., Baker, S., Parker, B. L., Achilles, M. R., … (2025). Optimising the implementation of a universal web-based mental health service for Australian secondary schools: A cluster randomised controlled trial. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health, 20(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13034-025-00975-5
  • Cross, S., Liu, P., Scott, I., O’Sullivan, S., Nicholas, J., Valentine, L., Mangelsdorf, S., Baker, S., … (2025). Predicting clinical improvement in youth using a national-scale multicomponent digital mental health intervention. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 186, 104703. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2025.104703
  • Alvarez-Jimenez, M., Nicholas, J., Valentine, L., Liu, P., Mangelsdorf, S., Baker, S., … (2025). A national evaluation of a multi-modal, blended, digital intervention integrated within Australian youth mental health services. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 151(3), 317–331. https://doi.org/10.1111/acps.13751
  • Cross, S., Bell, I., Nicholas, J., Valentine, L., Mangelsdorf, S., Baker, S., Titov, N., … (2024). Use of AI in mental health care: Community and mental health professionals survey. JMIR Mental Health, 11(1), e60589. https://doi.org/10.2196/60589
  • Braund, T. A., Baker, S. T. E., Subotic-Kerry, M., Tillman, G., Evans, N. J., … (2024). Potential mental health-related harms associated with the universal screening of anxiety and depressive symptoms in Australian secondary schools. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health, 18(1), 46. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13034-024-00734-y
  • Cross, S., Nicholas, J., Mangelsdorf, S., Valentine, L., Baker, S. T. E., McGorry, P., Gleeson, J., & Alvarez-Jimenez, M. (2023). Developing a Theory of Change for a digital youth mental health service (Moderated Online Social Therapy): Mixed methods knowledge synthesis study. JMIR Formative Research, 7, e49846. https://doi.org/10.2196/49846
  • Subotic-Kerry, M., Braund, T. A., Gallen, D., Li, S. H., Parker, B. L., Achilles, M. R., Chakouch, C., Baker, S., Werner-Seidler, A., & O'Dea, B. (2023). Examining the impact of a universal positive psychology program on mental health outcomes among Australian secondary students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health, 17(1), 70. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13034-023-00623-w
  • Baker, S. T. E., Deady, M., Birrell, L., Ross, K., Fitzpatrick, S., Newton, N., … Chapman, C. (2021). Prevention of mental and substance use disorders: Shaping priorities for research and implementation. Mental Health & Prevention, 24, 200211. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mhp.2021.200211
  • O’Dea, B., Subotic-Kerry, M., King, C., Mackinnon, A., Achilles, M. R., Anderson, M., … Baker, S. T. E., … Christensen, H. (2021). A cluster randomised controlled trial of a web-based youth mental health service in Australian schools. The Lancet Regional Health – Western Pacific, 12, 100178. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lanwpc.2021.100178
  • Torok, M., Han, J., Baker, S., Werner-Seidler, A., Wong, I., Larsen, M. E., & Christensen, H. (2020). Suicide prevention using self-guided digital interventions: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. The Lancet Digital Health, 2(1), e25–e36. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2589-7500(19)30199-2
  • Petrie, K., Crawford, J., Baker, S. T. E., Dean, K., Robinson, J., Veness, B. G., … Harvey, S. B. (2019). Interventions to reduce symptoms of common mental disorders and suicidal ideation in physicians: A systematic review and meta-analysis. The Lancet Psychiatry, 6(3), 225–234. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(18)30509-1
  • Baker, S. T. E., Nicholas, J., Shand, F., Green, R., & Christensen, H. (2018). A comparison of multi-component systems approaches to suicide prevention. Australasian Psychiatry, 26(2), 128–131. https://doi.org/10.1177/1039856217743888
  • Klauser, P., Baker, S. T., Cropley, V., Bousman, C., Fornito, A., Cocchi, L., … Zalesky, A. (2017). White matter disruptions in schizophrenia are spatially widespread and topologically converge on brain network hubs. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 43(2), 425–435. https://doi.org/10.1093/schbul/sbw100
  • Baker, S. T. E., Lubman, D. I., Yücel, M., Allen, N. B., Whittle, S., Fulcher, B. D., … Fornito, A. (2015). Developmental changes in brain network hub connectivity in late adolescence. Journal of Neuroscience, 35(24), 9078–9087. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.5043-14.2015
  • Baker, S. T. E., Yücel, M., Fornito, A., Allen, N. B., & Lubman, D. I. (2013). A systematic review of diffusion weighted MRI studies of white matter microstructure in adolescent substance users. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 37(8), 1713–1723. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2013.06.015

Conference presentations, webinars & public scholarship

  • Involved in organising and presenting at events, conferences, and webinars, including the Leaders in Prevention Summit (2020)

Awards & recognition

  • Australian Postgraduate Award (APA) Scholarship
  • First Class Honours, Bachelor of Science (Psychology), Monash University

Contribution to NovoPsych

Simon has composed the information and code for 30 assessments in NovoPsych’s assessments library, covering personality, ADHD, autism, anxiety, depression, substance use, and trauma. His current focus is hierarchical assessment of psychopathology and adaptive testing.

“I’m passionate about turning data into meaningful insights that enhance mental health care and outcomes.”

Profiles & links

ORCID 0000-0002-4550-2544
Google Scholar
ResearchGate
LinkedIn

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