Mental Health PhD Program
A new interdisciplinary PhD program in Mental Health
This program will bring together PhD students addressing mental health from diverse disciplinary perspectives - psychiatry, psychology, epidemiology and community mental health, history and philosophy of psychiatry, psychiatric nursing, social work, among others - and offer them a unified training experience. Launched in March 2018, it is a joint initiative of the University's School of Psychological Sciences, Centre for Mental Health, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of Psychiatry.
Host departments
The Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences is one of the most highly regarded schools of psychology in Australia. The School attracts some of the best students nationally and internationally to its broad range of APAC accredited undergraduate, graduate, professional, and research programs. The School's teaching is underpinned by excellence in research across a range of fields, including cognitive and behavioural neuroscience, quantitative psychology, social psychology, developmental psychology and clinical science.
The Centre for Mental Health aims to improve mental health and mitigate the impact of mental illness at a population level. It does this through high quality, collaborative, interdisciplinary research, academic teaching, professional and community education, and mental health system development. The Centre contributes to evidence-informed mental health policy and practice in Australia and internationally through the work of its three units: 1) Global and Cultural Mental Health, 2) Mental Health Policy and Practice, and 3) Population Mental Health. The Centre's three units are involved in active and productive collaborations within the University and beyond. These relationships range from not-for-profit agencies like Mind Australia through to international NGOs such as the World Health Organization, and enables the translation of their research into policy and practice.
The Department of Psychiatry is committed to the prevention of mental illness and improved quality of life for individuals affected by mental illness, both nationally and internationally. The Department has unique strength around biological and translational psychiatry research which is internationally recognised. Together with clinical collaborations and involvement in mental health policy and practice, this provides a stimulating environment for learning and research training programs. Their research is driven by pure and applied questions that require cross-disciplinary approaches and partnerships with diverse community organisations especially those effected with mental illness. The research informs our teaching and clinical training and engagement with the wider community.
Program activities will include
- Great Minds Lectures A series of lectures which will introduce students to the state of the art in Mental Health: cutting edge research, hot debate topics, and the latest techniques and insights, presented by outstanding researchers active in the field. This places students at the forefront of innovation in Mental Health.
- Mental Health Dialogues A student led series of seminars whereby different views on a single topic within Mental Health will be discussed by stakeholders from the community, industry, and leading researchers and clinicians from the University.
- Mental Health Hub A community of practice and support consisting of
- The Mental Health Future Circle - where students will learn indispensable skills to take control of their career. This includes workshops on research methodology, but also overarching meta-skills such as how to make an academic CV, write a compelling cover letter or abstract, and put together a competitive grant application.
- The Mental Health Graduates Circle - where students will get together for peer learning, giving them the opportunity to practice essential academic skills: presenting their own work, practicing designing a good conference poster, and rehearsing conference talks and poster presentations. These peer groups also provide students with the opportunity to share perspectives, experiences, knowledge networks, research findings and the occasional cup of coffee.
- The Mental Health Supervisors Circle - where supervisors can get together to connect with other supervisors, share best practice, and have access to online sources of information for support and mentoring opportunities.
- Invitations to Seminar Series Students will be invited to attend colloquium talks by local and visiting experts across the three different academic units: the School of Psychological Sciences, the School of Population and Global Health, and the Department of Psychiatry. This will provide unparalleled access to the state of the art in research relevant to Mental Health.
What we can offer
This interdisciplinary PhD program will provide candidates with the opportunity to become accomplished graduate researchers who are not only prepared to engage with their own discipline, but are equipped with the capacity to place their work in a broader multidisciplinary context within Mental Health, and the professional skills to maximize their graduate career outcomes.
The program will promote
- Interdisciplinary exchange and deep awareness of the intellectual, economic and political dimensions of the contemporary mental health environment
- Opportunities to network with other students as well as academic staff
- Opportunities to connect with relevant community-based organisations
- Through its Mental Health Hub, the program will build a multidisciplinary network of researchers, a true cohort experience and a network of (peer) support.
How to participate
To participate in the Mental Health PhD Program students must be currently enrolled in a PhD at The University of Melbourne.
Currently enrolled students
Eligible students can be at any stage of their PhD candidature and must have at least one supervisor based at The University of Melbourne. To be eligible, their doctoral research topic must be related to Mental Health and formal approval from their supervisor(s) is required. Students registered with the program will remain enrolled in their current faculties and departments.
If you are an enrolled PhD student and interested in registering in the Mental Health PhD Program then please complete the application form HERE .
Prospective students
If you are not a current student at The University of Melbourne and would like information about how to apply to become a PhD candidate at the University, please visit the Future Students website HERE.
More information
Please contact the Program Co-ordinator with any questions about the Mental Health PhD Program.
Program Co-ordinator
Dr Marjolein Kammers, marjolein.kammers@unimelb.edu.au