Department Spotlight – Professor Malcolm Hopwood

Professor Malcolm Hopwood is the Chair of Psychiatry, Ramsay Health Care in the Department of Psychiatry and is based at Albert Road Clinic (ARC).

Malcolm grew up in Ballarat and later moved to Melbourne to study Medicine at the University of Melbourne (UoM). After graduating in 1986, he commenced his residency at St Vincent’s Hospital before moving on to begin his fellowship.

He worked at Heidelberg Hospital and eventually moved on to the Austin Hospital, where he joined the Department of Psychiatry at UoM. In 2013, Malcolm moved to Albert Road Clinic where he remains today.

Throughout his career, he has focussed on research and clinical practice, with an interest in mood disorders, PTSD, neuropsychiatry and clinical trials of new medicines - highlighting the importance of combining new and old therapies in treatment, including the use of ketamine and psychedelics in combination with more traditional treatments like Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT).

With an extensive career in Psychiatry spanning over 3 decades, Malcolm has been involved with government advisories to guide mental health planning and advocate change, he served on the Board of Phoenix Australia, worked with not-for-profit organisations and is currently Chair of the North East Metro Mental Health Body in Victoria.

Malcolm continues to work on innovative trials within Psychiatry, including the recently concluded Pharmacogenetics for Severe Mood Disorders: A Randomised Controlled Trial and the ongoing Silexan in the Treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (STOP) Trial.

Learn more about Professor Malcolm Hopwood and his work here.