Centre for Mental Health Research
ANU College of Medicine, Biology & Environment
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Centre for Mental Health Research
ANU College of Medicine, Biology & Environment
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News and EventsNovember 20092010 Australian Rotary Health grant awarded to CMHR researchersDr Robert Tait and Professor Helen Christensen have been awarded an Australian Rotary Health grant. The funding will be used to conduct development work prior to initiating a randomized controlled trial of a web-application designed to reduce problematic alcohol use by adolescents. CMHR Researcher receives 2009 ASPR Early Career Research Scholar AwardThe Australasian Society for Psychiatric Research has awarded the 2009 Early Career Research Scholar Award to Dr Alison Calear. Dr Calear is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Centre for Mental Health Research. Dr Calear has been researching e-mental health and the prevention and early intervention of anxiety and depression in children and adolescents. Her research interests include the help-seeking behaviour in youth and the use of the internet by children and adolescents. 27 October 2009AFFIRM Board meet with the Governor-General
Members of the Australian Foundation for Mental Health Research (AFFIRM) met with Her Excellency, Quentin Bryce, Governor General of Australia, at Admiralty House, Sydney, on 27 October 2009. AFFIRM, chaired by The Hon. Margaret Reid, raises funds to support mental health research—including PhD scholarships and travel grants—at the Centre for Mental Health Research, ANU. The need for more research funding for mental health was a topic on the agenda. While mental disorders contribute to 19% of Australia’s total disease burden, only 3% of national medical research funding goes into mental health research. Other topics discussed with the Governor General included: the importance of consumer research, the quality of accommodation in nursing homes, and campaigns to reduce stigma around mental health. Professor Helen Christensen, Director of the Centre for Mental Health Research and AFFIRM board member, said it was a pleasure to talk with the Governor General—because she clearly recognises the importance of research and the need to engage the community in the work of universities. The board meeting was followed by a reception for AFFIRM on the lawns of the House. Photo: The Governor General, Quentin Bryce, with members of the AFFIRM Board (left to right—James Service, Margaret Reid, Quentin Bryce, Helen Christensen, Craig Sloan, Vanessa Carlin, Kathy Griffiths, Susie Beaver, Virginia Hansen) October 2009CMHR 2009 Korten Prize for Best Published Research Paper by a PhD CandidateThe Centre for Mental Health Research welcomes applications by students for The Korten Prize for Best Published Research Paper by a PhD Candidate for 2009. The Korten Prize is open to students enrolled in the CMHR’s PhD program and will go to the student judged as having written the best research paper in any one calendar year. The prize winner will receive $2,000. Assessment of the research paper will be made by the Panel of researchers appointed by the Director of the Centre for Mental Health Research. The prize will be awarded to the candidate who, in the opinion of the Panel, published the highest standard paper. In order to be eligible for the prize, students must have been enrolled in the PhD program at the Centre for Mental Health Research, and in the year of the award of the prize, published, or had accepted a paper. The student must submit a copy of the paper to the Director, CMHR, by 30 November in that year. Students who have submitted their thesis, but not yet been notified by the University of the outcome are also eligible to apply. If, in any year, submitted papers are, in the opinion of the CMHR panel, deemed inappropriate and do not justify awarding the prize, the prize shall not be awarded in that year. The Korten Prize has been created in memory of Mrs Ailsa Korten who worked as a research officer in the CMHR between 1986 and 2005. Ailsa Korten published over 120 research papers during this period. 6th October 2009Beacon website launched
Senator Kate Lundy today launched the Beacon website at Parliament House, Canberra. Beacon is a portal to health online applications for mental and physical disorders, which are categorised, reviewed and rated by an independent panel of health experts, for the information of health consumers. Users can also submit their own ratings and comments about each online health application. Beacon is an initiatve of the ANU Centre for Mental Health Research and the International Society for Research on Internet Interventions. The mental and physical disorders which are currently listed include Alcohol Use, Bipolar depression, Depression, Eating Disorders, Generalised Anxiety Disorders, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Pain, Panic Disorder, Phobias, Post traumatic stress disorder, Social anxiety, Stress and Tinnitus. Photo: Samara Weaving at the launch - photo Canberra Weekly
13 August 2009High-profile Graduate Visits Centre for Mental Health ResearchSuccessful international businesswoman Therese Rein said she was looking forward to meeting staff and researchers from the Centre for Mental Health Research (CMHR) when she visited the centre last Thursday. Ms Rein was welcomed by CMHR Director, Professor Helen Christensen, before taking a tour through the facilities and meeting with key research groups to discuss a number of projects. “We invited Ms Rein on to campus because we thought that there were many synergies between her professional background and the work she is doing and what we are doing here in the centre,” Professor Christensen said. “She has worked very hard in disability and employment and we wanted to give her an opportunity to see first hand what we do here at the centre and how it could relate to her work.” Ms Rein, who received an honours degree in psychology from ANU, said that she was delighted to have been invited to tour the centre and meet its researchers. “I’m really looking forward to meeting you all and learning more about the centre and the work you’re doing here.” The tour started with a briefing by Margaret Reid, Chair and members of the Australian Foundation for Mental Health Research (AFFIRM), an organisation that helps to raise money for the centre. Ms Rein held additional briefings with members of the consumer research unit and the psychiatric epidemiology and social issues unit. She also viewed short presentations about CMHR online mental health programs, the PATH Through Life Project, using brain imaging to investigate cognitive ageing, dementia and mental health and healthy ageing. For further details
July 2009Success for Centre for Mental Health Research (CMHR) Postdoctoral Research FellowDr Allison Bielak was recently awarded the American Psychological Association Division 20 (Adult Development and Ageing) Retirement Research Foundation Doctoral Dissertation Award. Dr Bielak is currently doing postdoctoral research with the Ageing Research Unit at CMHR with Professor Kaarin Anstey. Dr Bielak has a postdoctoral fellowship from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Her dissertation was entitled: The Relationship Between Short-Term Intraindividual Variability and Longitudinal Intraindividual Cognitive Change in Older Adulthood: Covariation and Prediction of Change.
July 2009AFFIRM's Business Lunch 21st August 2009The Australian Foundation for Mental Health Research (AFFIRM) will be hosting a Business Lunch in partnership with the Canberra Business Council on the 21st of August 2009. This event will be held at the National Press Club and will focus on the impact of mental health on the workplace and some practical strategies to improve the way mental health problems are handled. Our guest speaker will be Professor Ian Hickie. For more information about the event, please contact Kristen Murray.Fundraising from this event will fund research at the Centre for Mental Health Research.
March 2009e-hub Web Services to be exhibited at the HealthBeyond eHealth Consumer DayThe HealthBeyond eHealth Consumer Day will be held on 7th May 2009 at the Telstra Dome, Docklands Melbourne. 
The event showcases how health consumers can improve their health and general wellbeing through the better use of information and communication technologies. More information about the event can be found at the HealthBeyond website. Click here to download a flier describing the e-hub web services (pdf, 45kb).
New online programs for Generalised Anxiety Disorder and Social Anxiety Disorder now availableThe e-couch has been expanded to include new programs for generalised anxiety disorder and social anxiety disorder. e-couch is available to the public free of charge at www.ecouch.anu.edu.au. At e-couch you will find information about emotional problems – what causes them, how to prevent them and how to treat them. e-couch also provides a range of evidence-based self-help strategies for improving mood and anxiety symtpoms, along with a workbook to track progress and record your experiences. January 2009Busse Award in the Social and Behavioural SciencesProfessor Kaarin Anstey, Director of the Ageing Research Unit at the Centre for Mental Health Research, has been awarded the Busse Award in the Social and Behavioural Sciences. The Busse Award is an international, highly competitive award for research in Gerontology and is given every 4 years at the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics Congress. Prof Anstey will give a lecture at the IAGG Congress in Paris this year where she will receive the award. December 2008CMHR 2008 Korten Prize WinnerLiana Leach has been awarded the 2008 CMHR Korten Award for Best Published Research Paper by a PhD Candidate for her paper "Gender differences in depression and anxiety across the adult lifespan: the role of psychosocial mediators". Details: Leach, L.S., Christensen, H., Mackinnon, A.,Windsor, T.D., Butterworth, P. (2008) ‘Gender differences in depression and anxiety across the adult lifespan: the role of psychosocial mediators’. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 43: 983-998 Australian Rotary Health Knowledge Dissemination AwardProfessor Helen Christensen and Professor Kathy Griffiths were awarded the Australian Rotary Health Knowledge Dissemination Award for the highly popular MoodGYM program. The award is for the translation of mental health evidence into practice, and is sponsored by Australian Rotary Health and the Australasian Society for Psychiatric Research. November 2008CMHR Graduate Course available Semester 1, 2009The Centre for Mental Health Research will be offering a new graduate course - Research, Treatment, Policy: Current Issues in Mental Health. Click here to visit the course webpage, or download the course flier. October 2008CMHR 2008 Korten Prize for Best Published Research Paper by a PhD CandidateThe Centre for Mental Health Research welcomes applications by students for The Korten Prize for Best Published Research Paper by a PhD Candidate for 2008. The Korten Prize is open to students enrolled in the CMHR’s PhD program and will go to the student judged as having written the best research paper in any one calendar year. The prize winner will receive $2,000. Assessment of the research paper will be made by the Panel of researchers appointed by the Director of the Centre for Mental Health Research. The prize will be awarded to the candidate who, in the opinion of the Panel, published the highest standard paper. In order to be eligible for the prize, students must have been enrolled in the PhD program at the Centre for Mental Health Research, and in the year of the award of the prize, published, or had accepted a paper. The student must submit a copy of the paper to the Director, CMHR, by 30 November in that year. Students who have submitted their thesis, but not yet been notified by the University of the outcome are also eligible to apply. If, in any year, submitted papers are, in the opinion of the CMHR panel, deemed inappropriate and do not justify awarding the prize, the prize shall not be awarded in that year. The Korten Prize has been created in memory of Mrs Ailsa Korten who worked as a research officer in the CMHR between 1986 and 2005. Ailsa Korten published over 120 research papers during this period. September 2008BlueBoard relaunched
BlueBoard is an online community for people suffering from depression or anxiety, their friends and carers, and for those who are concerned that they may have depression or anxiety and want some support. BlueBoard helps people to reach out, and both offer and receive help. Initially registered users will be able to make posts only during business hours (Eastern Australian time), but this will be extended over the coming weeks. May 2008Assoc Prof Kathy Griffiths awarded the Charles Tuttle AwardA paper co-authored by CMHR staff member Associate Professor Kathy Griffiths was awarded the Charles Tuttle Award from the American Society of Aerospace Medicine at the Society’s awards dinner on 14th May, 2008. This award is for the paper that contributed most to solving an issue in aerospace medicine in 2007 and was published in Aviation, Space and Environmental Medicine. Details: Ross, J., Griffiths, K. M., Dear, K., Emonson, D., & Lambeth, L. (2007). Antidepressant use and safety in civil aviation: A case-control study of 10 years of Australian data. Aviation, Space and Environmental Medicine, 78, 749-755 April 2008Forum for Research on Ageing and Longevity - 24 April 2008The ANU stream of the ARC/NHMRC Research Network in Ageing Well sponsored a Forum for Research on Ageing and Longevity at The Australian National University on Thursday, 24 April 2008. Keynote speakers were: Professor Felicia Huppert, current and founding Director of The Well-Being Institute (WBI), University of Cambridge, and Director of the Cambridge Interdisciplinary Research Centre on Ageing (CIRCA); and Professor David Melzer, Director of the Peninsula Medical School, Universities of Exeter and Plymouth. Involvement in Australia 2020 SummitAssociate Professor Kaarin Anstey was invited to participate in the Australia 2020 summit convened by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on April 19 and 20. Assoc Prof Anstey participated in the discussion area of health with the given objective of developing ideas for a long-term national health strategy – including the challenges of preventative health, workforce planning and the ageing population. Kaarin also took part in the local Canberra 2020 summit which was organised in the lead-up to the national summit and convened by Chief Minister Jon Stanhope on April 5. For more information, please visit the Australia 2020 Summit website and read the Canberra 2020 Summit media release. COTA Over 50s' Postgraduate Research AwardNatalie Chan was one of six students awarded COTA’s Postgraduate Research Award for a research paper of excellence at the Emerging Researchers in Ageing Masterclass, held in late March 2008. Natalie will now collaborate with a mentor from COTA to develop her paper for publication in the Issues in Ageing: A Journal of Award-Winning Postgraduate Research published on the COTA Over 50s’ website by its National Policy Research Centre. September 2007Consumers encouraged to engage with mental health research
Michelle Banfield (CMHR PhD student) recently shared her story with the Canberra Times (published 17th Sepember 2007). Click here to download and read a pdf version of the article. Click here for more information about the Depression & Anxiety Consumer Research Unit (CRU), and how you can get involved in CRU's research.
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