Tara J Lal National Suicide Prevention Conference 2026

Tara J Lal

Dr Tara Lal is a lived experience researcher and decorated former firefighter who brings together the worlds of frontline emergency services and academic research. She currently serves as Emergency Services Lived Experience and Strategic Engagement Lead at the Black Dog Institute, and as Adjunct Senior Lecturer at the University of New England. Tara spent twenty years as an operational firefighter and peer support officer with Fire and Rescue NSW and was awarded the Australian Fire Service Medal for her contribution to mental health and suicide prevention in the fire service. She completed her PhD in 2024, receiving the Chancellor's Medal for her doctoral thesis exploring the impact of suicide on firefighters. An internationally published author and registered physiotherapist, Tara specialises in integrating lived experience into translational research, challenging traditional approaches and developing culturally-responsive, holistic mental health solutions for first responders. Her work sits at the intersection of suicide, trauma, and growth.