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THE INAUGURAL

ASIA-PACIFIC CONFERENCE ON

WOMEN'S MENTAL HEALTH

Hosted by HER Centre Australia

11 OCT - 13 OCT 2023

The Langham Hotel, Melbourne

A group of women talking and laughing

WOMEN'S MENTAL HEALTH THROUGH THE LIFESPAN

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Celebrating the latest research, treatments and thought leaders that pave the way in women's mental health

THANK YOU FOR ATTENDING

We would like to extend a huge, heartfelt thank you to everyone that contributed to the groundbreaking success of the Asia-Pacific Conference on Women's Mental Health this October.

Proudly hosted by Monash University’s HER Centre Australia, in collaboration with Alfred Health, Cabrini Health and the IAWMH, the Inaugural event in Melbourne spanned two transformative days of keynote sessions, oral and poster presentations, workshops, and panel discussions. 

With over 250 attendees across both days, including clinicians, healthcare professionals, NGOs, policymakers, advocates, and women with lived experience, the conference was more than an academic gathering; it marked the initiation of transformative action and the dawn of a new era in gender-focused mental health outcomes. Watch this space for exciting updates about the forthcoming APWMH Conference in 2024…

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Photograph of Southbank in Melbourne, Australia, the destination of the women's mental health conference
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KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Professor Jayashri Kulkarni AM

PROF JAYASHRI KULKARNI
AUSTRALIA

Doctor Louise Newson Headshot

DR LOUISE NEWSON
UNITED KINGDOM

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DR PRABHA S CHANDRA
INDIA

Professor Jayashri Kulkarni AM graduated in Medicine from Monash University in 1981 and became a Fellow of the College of Psychiatrists in 1988. Jayashri commenced her appointment as Professor of Psychiatry at The Alfred and Monash University in 2002. 
 
Professor Kulkarni founded and directs two research centres – HER Centre Australia and the Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre (MAPrc). She is also Head of the Department of Psychiatry, Central Clinical School, Monash University - Faculty of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences.
 
Jayashri has conducted ground-breaking clinical research and is internationally acknowledged as a leader and expert in the field of Women’s Mental Health, in particular, for her innovative work on reproductive hormones and mental illness. Her world-first research in hormones and mental health has led to the development of new treatments for women with mental ill health. She developed and launched Australia’s first women’s mental health hospital at Cabrini Health in September 2021.
 
Jayashri received an Order of Australia (AM) in 2019 for her services to Psychiatry.

Dr. Louise Newson is a GP and menopause specialist. She is passionate about increasing awareness and knowledge of the perimenopause and menopause.

Louise studied medicine and pathology in Manchester. She pursued a career in hospital medicine before moving to General Practice. She is a member of the Royal College of Physicians (1998) and a Fellow of Royal College of General Practitioners. She is a Visiting Fellow at Murray Edwards College, Cambridge University.


Described as the ‘medic who kickstarted the menopause revolution’, she is a Sunday Times bestselling author, founder of the award-winning Balance app and The Menopause Charity, and creator of the Balance website and Dr Louise Newson podcast, which has been ranked the No.1 medical podcast in the UK.

She has written and contributed to many academic papers. Louise is involved in numerous research projects and has worked closely with various charities. She collaborates with charities and organisations to raise awareness of the menopause, and has made numerous media appearances.

 

She has developed a free menopause education programme for healthcare professionals which has been downloaded by over 30,000 clinicians.
 

Dr. Prabha S Chandra is Dean, Behavioral Sciences and Senior Professor of Psychiatry at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore. She is the President of the International Association of Women’s Mental Health (IAWMH) and has been an executive council member of the International Marce Society.

Dr. Chandra’s main areas of interest are Perinatal Psychiatry, Sexual and Reproductive Psychiatry, and mental health interventions for Intimate Partner Violence.

 

She is a champion of perinatal psychiatry in India and developed the speciallty of Perinatal Psychiatry by starting a Perinatal Psychiatry service and Mother Baby Inpatient Psychiatry unit in NIMHANS, which has become a model for several Low and Middle Income Countries. She pioneered the integration of perinatal mental health in maternal health in India.  

She has deep interest in pedagogy and innovative and immersive teaching methods, and is known internationally for her research and advocacy in women's mental health. Dr. Chandra has 9000 citations, with 320 journal publications, 12 published books and 40 chapters, and leads the Centre of Excellence on Gender Based Violence, a think tank of the Government of Karnataka.

She has received the prestigious Marce Society Medal and the Professor Channi Kumar International Oration award for perinatal psychiatry.

 

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DR KAREN MAGRAITH 
AUSTRALIA

 

Dr Karen Magraith BMBS FRACGP is the Past-President of the Australian Menopause Society and Senior Lecturer at the University of Tasmania.  Karen graduated from Flinders University where she spent 6 years in Darwin before returning to Adelaide where she worked until 2007.  She is currently a general practitioner in Hobart where she is involved in registrar training.  

 

Karen has a longstanding interest in women's health and has been a member of AMS since 2004.  She recognises that most menopause medicine occurs in general practice, where the GP is in a unique position to manage medical, gynaecological and psychological issues in an integrated way.

 

As Past-President of the AMS, Karen is keen to continue educating and supporting a wide variety of GPs, enabling them to provide high quality health care to women. 
 

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BRONWYN STUCKEY
AUSTRALIA

 

Bronwyn Stuckey is a clinical endocrinologist with a special interest in reproductive endocrinology. She is a consultant endocrinologist at the Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital
in Perth, Western Australia, Medical Director of the Keogh Institute for Medical Research and Clinical Professor in the Medical School, University of Western Australia.


She is a Past President of the Australasian Menopause Society, a Life Member of the Endocrine Society of Australia, and a Member of the Order of Australia. Her areas of interest include reproductive endocrinology in men and women, thyroid dysfunction, polycystic ovary syndrome, and the influence of reproductive hormones on metabolism.

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PRESENT

We will be showcasing the Asia-Pacific region's pioneers in women's mental health across two conference days. We're open to pitches for talks, panels, interactive workshops, case studies or any elevated experience that will help our attendees leave with more knowledge, skills and passion for women's mental health.

Abstract submissions have now closed. Please contact the team if you have an interesting presentation, talk, panel or workshop you would like to discuss, 

SPONSOR

We are creating the next generation of women's mental health care, with partnerships that are built on shared vision and purpose. Contact our conference organising team for more information on sponsorship opportunities.

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2023 CONFERENCE THEMES

PRE-CLINICAL

CLINICAL RESEARCH

CLINICAL PRACTICE

LIVED EXPERIENCE

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CPD Hours

This event has been approved for 12 hours CPD under Educational Activities. To record these hours, please log into your RANZCOG CPD Portal, click +Add Activity Manually, then search for The Inaugural Asia-Pacific Conference on Women’s Mental Health. You will need to upload your Certificate of Attendance as evidence.

CONFERENCE PARTNERS

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Cabrini Health Logo
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SPONSORS

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We respectfully acknowledge that the APAC Conference on Women's Mental Health is taking place on the Traditional land of the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong Boon Wurrung peoples of the Eastern Kulin, and HER Centre Australia pays respect to their Elders past, present and emerging.

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