Mental health boost
Exploring ‘novel therapies’
DEAKIN will establish a new centre conducting innovative research into psychiatric disorders in Geelong, after receiving more than $8.3 million in funding.
The centre for research excellence into novel therapies for psychiatric disorders will be called CREDIT: the CRE for the Development of Innovative Therapies for Psychiatric Disorders.
It will be led by researchers at the Centre for Innovation in Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Treatment (IMPACT), and the Food and Mood Centre, a Barwon Health and Deakin research centre located opposite Geelong hospital.
Professor Michael Berk, Director of the Centre for Innovation in Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Treatment at Barwon Health, will head CREDIT.
“The core vision of CREDIT is to advance a national strategy and platform supporting the development and translation of novel therapies for the most prevalent and disabling neuropsychiatric disorders,” Prof Berk said.
“This will facilitate a new, highly innovative and co-ordinated approach to treatment discovery in mental health care.”
Prof Berk has also received a prestigious NHMRC Senior Principal Research Fellowship, worth $888,270, to support his work.
CREDIT is one of two centres Deakin will set up after being awarded $8,365,165 by the National Health and Medical Research Council in its latest round of grants.
CREDIT $2,497,157 in funding.
The funding also will help Deakin establish a Centre of Research Excellence in Food Retail Environments for Health (RE-FRESH), the world’s first international centre for healthy food retail research and practice.
It also included seven prestigious research fellowships.
Dr Erin Hoare, from the Food and Mood Centre in Geelong, received an Early Career Researcher Award, worth $417,192, to fund research into lifestyle strategies for the prevention of common mental disorders.
Geelong paediatrician Professor Peter Vuillermin received $290,044 for his research into manipulating the maternal and infant microbiome to prevent immune related disease.
Deakin’s deputy vice-chancellor, research professor Joe Graffam, said the funding recognised Deakin’s growing reputation for innovative health research. received