University of Newcastle: Mental health trailblazer to lead national Women in Health Science Committee

NHMRC CEO Professor Anne Kelso, AO, announced the appointment today, on International Day of Women and Girls in Science.

The Women in Health Science Committee advises on interventions to improve gender equity in NHMRC’s grant program, and strategies to increase participation, retention and progression in health and medical research.

The advice of the Committee will help the NHMRC identify potential interventions to reduce gender disparities.

“Equity in research funding continues to be a critical and complex issue. It is really significant that NHMRC is focusing specifically on this issue, and I look forward to working with them and the Committee to make some practical inroads into redressing the gender disparities in medical research funding,” Professor Kay-Lambkin said.

A registered psychologist and esteemed mental health researcher, Professor Kay-Lambkin is an NHMRC Research Fellow (2021-2025). She is currently the University’s interim Head of School of Medicine and Public Health.

“My continuous NHMRC people funding from 2002 to present, equating to more than $30m in research funding, resulting in 154 journal articles, has helped me build a strong, internationally-recognised research career,” Prof Kay-Lambkin said.

Her CIA NHMRC project ‘Treating binge drinking and depression in young people via the internet’ was selected in the ‘Ten of the Best Research Projects’ for 2018.

Prof Kay-Lambkin’s NSW Tall Poppy of Science (2010), international Fred Yates Award for contribution to addiction research (2014), Australian Rotary Health Dissemination Award (2018), VC’s Award for Supervision Excellence (2019), and HMRI Research Excellence award (2019), based on a significant career contribution to medical science have established her as a strategic and successful research leader.