Academy Fellow

Cruwys has been instrumental to advancing the impact of the social sciences within health research, health practice, and health policy. Before 2010, social and clinical psychology were considered distinct to the point of incompatibility – with the former primarily concerned with group-based phenomena like prejudice, social influence, and protest, while the latter focused on individual differences in vulnerability and strategies to treat mental disorder. 

However, this divide has diminished drastically in the last decade and Australia has been at the forefront of dozens of important innovations made at the intersection of social science and health. Cruwys’ research is not only exemplary of these important innovations, but she has been a champion of this meta-scientific shift. Her research has contributed to the growing perception that social science is essential to improving health and health equity.

Cruwys is uniquely suited to advancing this research agenda due to her unusual combination of a PhD in social psychology and training and practice as a clinical psychologist. Her research is founded in social scientific theory and methodology, while tackling “wicked” applied health problems such as the traumatic effects of climate disasters, youth suicide, weight stigma, and loneliness. 

Cruwys has partnered with more than a dozen government, non-government, and community organisations to evaluate interventions in real-world conditions. For example, she leads a major partnership between ANU and ACT Government to support evidence-based policy on youth wellbeing with an emphasis on social and structural determinants. She has also partnered with Relationships Australia, headspace, Queensland Health and many other organisations. In so doing, she advances theoretical understanding of the social determinants of health, and achieves translational impact that improves outcomes for marginalised communities. 

Cruwys is a prolific researcher. As of 2026, she has over 215 journal articles, 4 books (including award winners and bestsellers), and 16 book chapters. She has also published 21 commissioned reports in partnership with industry collaborators and 2 psychotherapy treatment manuals. Cruwys has over 22,000 citations and an h-index of 69. 

Cruwys is particularly recognised globally for her leadership of the social identity approach to health, Colloquially called “the social cure” after her co-authored book (>1000 citations: https://www.amazon.com.au/Social-Cure-Identity-Health-Well-Being/dp/1848720211). This field draws on social identity and self-categorisation theories to advance health practice and policy. Cruwys is the most prolific and most cited researcher globally on this topic (SciVal, T.38876).

Professor of Psychology, ANU

Alexander von Humboldt Fellow, Goethe University

Honorary Professor, The University of Queensland

NHMRC Leadership Fellow (2026-2030)

NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow (2020-2025)

ARC DECRA Fellow (2016-2019)

Society of Australasian Social Psychologists Distinguished Contribution Award (2026)

ANU College of Science and Medicine Outstanding Leadership Award (2025)

ANU Vice Chancellor’s Award for Research Excellence (2021)

Cruwys, T., Haslam, S. A. & Skorich, D. P. (2026). Disorders of self-categorization: How and why a healthy social self-system is the cornerstone of mental health. Psychological Review, 133(3), 753–769.

Cruwys, T., Stevens, M., Steffens, N. K., Häusser, J. A., Pang, S. M., Cody-Osborne, M., Edwards-Smith, E., Garton, E., Cheng, Y. & McCluskey, T. (2026). Social identity processes affect objectively measured physical health: A systematic review and meta-analyses. Health Psychology, 45(5), 497-527.

Cruwys, T., Haslam, S. A., Steffens, N. K., Haslam, C., Reicher, S. D. (2025). Nothing is so impactful as good theory: Evidence for the impact of the Social Identity Approach to Health on policy and practice. Social Science & Medicine, 118164.

Cruwys, T., Donaldson, J. L., Dawel, A. & Häusser, J. (2026). CBT is social: Evidence that core processes in cognitive behaviour therapy are socially structured. Clinical Psychology: Science & Practice.

Cruwys, T., Haslam, C., Rathbone, J. A., Williams, E., Haslam, S. A. & Walter, Z. C. (2022). Groups 4 Health versus Cognitive Behaviour Therapy in young people with depression and loneliness: A randomized, Phase 3, non-inferiority trial with 12-month follow-up. British Journal of Psychiatry, 220, 140-147.