Newsletter, Edition 2, 2024
Department of Psychiatry Quarterly Newsletter – End of 2024
Message from the Head of Department
As the year draws to a close, I want to take a moment to thank everyone for your contributions throughout 2024. It has been a busy year, and we have made a lot of progress.
This edition of the newsletter highlights key achievements, including recent academic promotions and a welcome to new arrivals to the Department. We also celebrate the launch of the Dementia Education Toolkit, provide updates on research opportunities, and present our strategic research themes. These initiatives reflect the outstanding work of our department in advancing mental health care and research.
We completed a strategic review of the Department during the year, and I would like to thank all those who participated in the three all-staff consultation sessions and the six strategic planning workshops this year. Your contributions were of great value in helping us to shape the Department’s strategic direction.
We are looking to move beyond the Department’s “centres and units” structure, focusing instead on research themes that strengthen collaboration across the Department. More details will follow in 2025, but through the strategic review and in discussion with the leadership group we have established four strategic themes that represent the Department’s research strengths. We have only established the name and leadership for our first theme (Neuroscience of Ageing). The names and leadership of the other themes will be finalised early in the new year. The proposed themes (with placeholder names for the latter three) are:
- Neuroscience of ageing – Lead: Nicola Lautenschlager, Deputy Lead: Samantha Loi
- Mood, anxiety and trauma – Leads: TBC
- Neuropsychiatry and mental health neurosciences – Leads: TBC
- Developmental mental health – Leads: TBC
The themes are intended as a way of fostering collaboration across the Department, and researchers can align themselves with more than one. We will encourage each theme to hold research meetings and an annual or bi-annual seminar. The themes also provide a way of promoting the research strengths of the Department to the broader community.
I want to acknowledge the fantastic work of our academic and professional staff in leading and supporting our teaching programs.
The Master of Psychiatry program has had another strong year, with over 100 students currently enrolled. This year, 48 students completed the course and will graduate in early 2025. Hybrid education events have allowed students to engage with teachers on campus, which have enhanced the learning experience.
We launched the new MD3 curriculum this year. My thanks to Lee Allen and her team for their delivery of this important initiative. We are excited to launch our first Discovery subject for MD students in 2025, titled ‘When the Going Gets Tough.’
Our Foundations of International Psychiatry program continues to grow, with nearly 12,000 learners having completed the course.
I am delighted to share this video showcasing the Master of Psychiatry (Online) program and the impact of our alumni in the mental health space: Make an Impact by Studying the Master of Psychiatry (Online) Make an impact by studying the Master of Psychiatry (Online)
Looking ahead to 2025, I am excited about the opportunities to build on this year’s achievements. Thank you once again for your hard work and commitment to improving lives through research, education, and clinical care.
Professor Chris Davey
Head, Department of Psychiatry