^_ABOUT US ^_

We're a small team working together to bring a big vision to life - That no one will struggle with medication withdrawal alone, confused or with no professional support. Based in Canberra, Australia but hoping to make a global impact.

MEET THE FOUNDER & CEO

Hi, I'm Alicia!

I'm an early career pharmacist from Canberra. Since graduating a Bachelor of Pharmacy with Honours from the University of Canberra in 2018, I've undertaken further education in Alcohol and Other Drugs and developed a keen interest in prescribed medication withdrawal. My passion for harm minimisation and improving consumer health literacy led to the idea for TaperMate. I've made it my mission to learn everything I can about psychotropic medication withdrawal and tapering so I can help the people who need it most.

Tens of thousands of people around the world are seeking online peer support and advice for medication tapering due to a lack of understanding and support from their prescribers. These networks are amazing but there has to be a better way... TaperMate is here to bridge the gap.

User friendly mobile app to plan and track safe medication tapers

Pharmacist-led telehealth service providing personalised advice and support

Following latest evidence based guidelines

^_Meet the Team ^_

Christian Townsend

TaperMate's software architecture is driven by Co-Founder Christian Townsend - a dedicated software engineer from Canberra. Having earned a Bachelor of Software Engineering from the University of Canberra, Christian's passion lies at the intersection of human-centered design, cloud computing, and automation. With a rich experience in supporting robust enterprise platforms for government agencies, Christian is now committed to harnessing a startup mindset to ensure the success and realisation of TaperMate.

Co-Founder & Software Engineer

Ashley Tang

Ashley joined us in 2024 and has been instrumental in developing and iterating the TaperMate App. Ashley is enthusiastic about creating innovative health solutions. She's a creative problem-solver with a knack for tech and a love of debate.

Interests/Fun Fact: Avid tea enthusiast and rookie Japanese chef. Big penguin fan and is the Charlie Brown to her dog, Snoopy.

Software Engineer

^_Advisors ^_

Marleen Van Oeveren

Marleen is a pharmacist prescriber specialising in deprescribing of psychiatric medications. Marleen provides deprescribing support for individuals wanting to come off their medication(s) and also teaches medical students and psychiatry trainees on safe use of psychiatric medications and deprescribing. She lives in Ōtepoti/Dunedin in New Zealand.

Clinical Advisor

Adamina Ivcovici

Addie began exploring what it means to taper psychiatric medications when things got really difficult for someone close to her. Her searches led to online forums that felt like a hidden world, but were where she found answers, support and understanding from people experiencing tolerance and withdrawal. This personal experience sits alongside and has informed her teaching, research and operational roles in healthcare strategy, operations and improvement. Her research expertise lies in understanding how knowledge is translated into practice in healthcare, and she is now directing this toward safe tapering knowledge and practice.