Transforming women’s mental health

The Department of Psychiatry – Central, based out of the Central Clinical School at The Alfred is headed by Professor Jayashri Kulkarni AM (pictured), who has also been directing the Monash Alfred Psychiatry research centre (MAPrc) since its establishment in 2002.

The Women’s Mental Health division of MAPrc has always been the predominant research pillar of MAPrc, and in May 2022 Monash University recognised the ground-breaking work being performed in women’s mental health by endorsing the establishment of a new University Research Centre – HER Centre Australia – Health, Education and Research in Women’s Mental Health. HER Centre Australia is partnered by Alfred Health and Cabrini Health.

Prof Kulkarni, Director of HER Centre Australia, has been a long-standing and recognised leader in the field of women’s mental health, both in Australia and internationally. In 2018, she was awarded an Order of Australia for her work in women’s mental health and psychiatry over four decades. Prof Kulkarni is a specialist psychiatrist with expertise in hormones and mental health, the impact of trauma on mental health and wellbeing, and many other clinical aspects of women’s mental health, and she has pioneered the use of estrogen and other hormones in the treatment of psychiatric illness in women.

Harnessing the capabilities of Monash University and translating research quickly into clinical practice at The Alfred and Cabrini hospitals, researchers and clinicians at HER Centre Australia are in an excellent and unique position to really develop muchneeded, new, real-world approaches for women with mental health issues. For far too long, women’s mental health has been a neglected area. Particularly now, in the aftermath of the recent pandemic, we need new effective approaches for women with depression, anxiety and complex PTSD. Preventative measures are also needed to improve the mental health and wellbeing for many women whose quality of life was impaired before the pandemic and then worsened by it. HER Centre Australia provides new hope for better outcomes for women, which helps everyone, since women’s mental health is everyone’s business.

A series of launch activities have been held, the first being the official opening ceremony and public lecture on women’s mental health held at the Melbourne Town Hall on 20 October 2022. The official patrons of the Centre, Her Excellency the Honourable Linda Dessau AC and her husband Mr Anthony Howard AM QC, also hosted a morning tea at Government House in November. In March 2023, HER Centre Australia will convene Australia’s inaugural Asia Pacific Women’s Mental Health Conference, showcasing a mix of scientific, clinical and policy related presentations. For more information about HER Centre Australia, visit: monash.edu/medicine/her-centre