Telethon Kids Institute
Rigel Paciente has a diverse work experience. Starting in 2021, Rigel worked as a Research Assistant at the Telethon Kids Institute, focusing on Youth Mental Health and Childhood Trauma. This role involved screening patients for eligibility, building rapport with patients and their families, and running psychosocial interventions to promote resilience and coping. Rigel also participated in a systematic review exploring cultural adaptation in psychological interventions and healthcare settings.
In 2023, Rigel continued their work as a Research Assistant at the Children's Diabetes Centre, focusing on Mental Health and Wellbeing. Prior to this, Rigel was a Volunteer Researcher at Telethon Kids Institute, conducting research on TikTok and Child Health, specifically studying LGBT Mental Health.
During their time as a Lead author and Practicum student, Rigel collaborated with different teams at the Telethon Kids Institute on a research project analyzing LGBT Mental Health on TikTok. They also worked as a volunteer researcher, contributing to a priority setting project in mental health research and assisting in the development of a report and research manuscript.
Before their involvement with the Telethon Kids Institute, Rigel worked as a Private Tutor for Highschool students from 2016 to 2020, tailoring their teaching techniques to suit each student's unique learning style and achieving significant grade improvements for their students.
Rigel also had a role as a Pride Officer and UWA Student Guild Councillor at the UWA Student Guild in 2016 and 2017. In this position, Rigel focused on advocacy, representation, and community building for LGBTQIA+ students at UWA, leading initiatives such as gender-neutral bathroom audits and the creation of a magazine called "OutSpoken".
Finally, Rigel gained experience as a Dispensary and Retail Assistant at Chemist Warehouse, where they educated customers about medications and assisted in both the dispensary and retail areas of the pharmacy.
Overall, Rigel's work experience demonstrates a commitment to research, mental health, LGBTQIA+ advocacy, and education.
Rigel Paciente attended The University of Western Australia from 2016 to 2020, where they obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Anatomy and Human Biology. Following this, from 2020 to 2022, Rigel pursued a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree at the same university, specializing in Applied Public Health and Public Health Methodology.