About us

Professor Brett McDermott is the Founding Director of the Centre for Mental Service Innovation.  He is the Statewide Specialty Director, Child and Youth Mental Health Services, Tasmanian Health Service and is the Clinical Professor within the School of Medicine at the University of Tasmania.

Professor McDermott is an Australian medical graduate who trained in psychiatry in the UK and Sydney and who holds clinical qualifications in child, adolescent and adult psychiatry.

Professor McDermott has had numerous national appointments including membership of national expert and clinical practice guideline groups and for 10 years was a Director of BeyondBlue the Australian National Depression Initiative (2006-2016).

From an academic perspective he holds titles at James Cook University and visiting Professorships in Malaysia and China (Shanxi University, Shanxi Medical University and Taiyuan Hospital) and is a By-Fellow at Churchill College Cambridge. He has an active research agenda with major themes of mental service development, PTSD and stress, and adolescent depression. He has over 100 publications in peer reviewed journals.

Professor McDermott is currently leading reform initiatives across Child and Youth Mental Health Services, as part of the Tasmanian Mental Health Reform Program.  This work is a direct outcome of the CYMHS Review (2020), authored by Professor McDermott, in which the Tasmanian Government accepted all recommendations and committed $41.2 million to implement.

David is Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Tasmania and Co-Director of the Tasmanian Centre for Mental Health Service Innovation. Previous positions include inaugural Scientific Director of the Centre for Complex Interventions at the Centre for Addictions and Mental Health, University of Toronto and Professor of Psychiatry St Vincent’s Health and The University of Melbourne.

His wide clinical and research interests include schizophrenia and related disorders, bipolar disorder, cannabis abuse, OCD spectrum disorders and disorders of body image. He has a longstanding interest in the impact of licit and illicit substances on the brain and body and is actively engaged in programmes addressing the physical health of the mentally ill and the mental health of the physically ill. He has published nearly 900 papers and chapters; and over 25 books.

He has been successful in attracting substantial grant funding from a variety of different sources, and has strong local, national, and international research links. He has received a number of commendations for his work, including the Senior Research Award from the Royal ANZ College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) and a University of Melbourne Vice Chancellor’s Staff Engagement Award. In 2015 he was presented with the Ian Simpson Award by the RANZCP in recognition of outstanding contributions to clinical psychiatry as assessed through service to patients and the community.

Professor Foa is the Head of School for Psychological Sciences at the University of Tasmania. She is a developmental neurobiologist who has focusing on the circuitry of the brain begins to connect within the embryo. Professor Foa is particularly well known for her work on 'nerves growing in the dish'. She has been instrumental in building the neuroscience facilities in Tasmania.

Lisa supervises 3rd year research, honours and PhD students in her developmental neurobiology research laboratory, led by Lisa and long-term collaborator, Dr Rob Gasperini, working on projects that cover four main areas:

1. How does calcium control growth cone navigation? Live cell and calcium imaging of growth cones in vitro, and in collaboration with Dr John Lin (UTas) we use optogenetics to manipulate signalling in the growth cones. In collaboration with Dr Ethan Scott (UQ), we're using calcium imaging and genetic manipulation to study growth cone behaviour in vivo within the zebrafish
2. Do glial cells move the same way growth cones do? We are using our models that we have for growth cones to study glial behaviour in collaboration with Dr Kaylene Young (Menzies).
3. Can we use novel molecules or compounds to regulate growth cone navigation and axon regeneration after injury or disease? In collaboration with Emeritus Prof Adrian West and Prof Bruce Taylor (Menzies) we're studying axon regeneration in vivo after disease.
4. Our studies on calcium also relate to the ageing brain. In collaboration with Prof David Small (Menzies), we study the control of calcium in ageing, as one hypothesis on why neurons degenerate in Alzheimer's disease suggests calcium dysregulation.

View more information on Lisa Foa from the University of Tasmania

Dr Antonio (Tony) Mendoza Diaz is a psychologist and researcher interested in understanding how health services can best support the mental health of children and young people. He has worked in child and youth mental health research translation and service innovation for the past 10 years, contributing to a wide range of projects in diverse areas such as externalizing disorders, neurodevelopmental conditions, digital innovation, out-of-home care, and suicide prevention. He believes co-design with consumers and allied health professionals is critical for successful implementation of new initiatives and is a firm believer in the importance of data.

His current research priorities include:

• Modifying mental health services to better cater for children and young people with autism
• Evaluation of new models of care for children and young people’s mental health, particularly in the areas of out-of-home care, suicide prevention, and forensic psychiatry

Other areas of interest include:

• Facilitating partnerships between health and education in child and adolescent mental health
• Incorporating consumer ‘digital world’ data into clinical practice (e.g., gaming, problematic internet use)
• Identifying autism profiles and their responsiveness to treatment
• Evaluating developmental surveillance and pathways of care in the first five years of life (First 2,000 Days)
• Integration of biomarkers and biological data in mental health services and clinical practice

Co-design with children, young people, and health professionals

Dr Michelle Kilpatrick is a public health researcher with a background in psychology. She has extensive research, project management and collaboration experience, working in two National Health and Medical Research Council-funded research partnerships with the Tasmanian Government and an Australian Research Council Linkage grant with beyondblue and Workcover Tasmania over her research career.

Michelle's research has focused on health behaviours including nutrition and physical activity, readiness to change health behaviours, obesity, mental health, barriers and enablers to health promotion, health intervention evaluations including observational and controlled designs, and challenges involved in implementing health promotion interventions. Her collaborative work has resulted in a range of impacts, including local health policy and practice changes, and improving the availability of resources and training to support health behaviour change and wellbeing in different populations.

Professor Norris is an experienced psychological scientist and clinical psychologist who works across academic, community, research, and clinical psychology practice settings. She also regularly works as a consultant to industry and community stakeholders across both research and clinical practice domains.

Professor Norris’ research and clinical work focus on maximising human health, wellbeing and performance across normative and extreme (e.g., Antarctica, space, FIFO) environments, and increasing access to mental health resources for all. Kimberley is looking to develop new and innovative ways to provide psychological support for individuals in remote, rural, maritime and extreme environments at an individual, organisational, and familial level. Her research and clinical work has resulted in appointments to professional and scientific bodies including the Mental Health Foundation Australia Scientific Advisory Committee, Australian Space Agency Life Sciences Technical Advisory Group and as an Associate Member for the Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research (SCAR) Joint Expert Group on Human Biology and Medicine.

Kimberley is also an active researcher in supporting parents of children with mental health issues, including Autism Spectrum Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and Downs Syndrome. More recently, Kimberley's research interests have expanded to include methods for assessment and intervention for parents of children with mental health conditions, and assessment and intervention for cognitive and behavioural difficulties experienced by preterm children throughout their academic lives.

Dr Nevarez Flores is a medical graduated who trained in psychiatry in Mexico and holds a PhD in medical studies from the University of Tasmania. She has experience as a consultant psychiatrist and a clinician in general practice and has been conducting research within the mental health field as part of her PhD and since its completion.

Dr Nevarez Flores is a Senior Research Project Officer at the Tasmanian Centre for Mental Health Service Innovation and holds and Adjunct Researcher position at the Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania. She is member of the Society for Mental Health Research (SMHR) and is the Tasmanian representative of the SMHR’s Early and Mid Career Researcher Committee. She is also a member of the ALIVE Centre Next Generation Researcher Network.

Dr Nevarez Flores previous appointments in Australia include, Postdoctoral Research Fellow within the Menzies’ Mental Health and Wellbeing Research Group, and Volunteer at the Dementia Behavioural Management Advisory Service, Alzheimer’s Australia (QLD). Her wide clinical and research interests include schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders, Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, mood disorders, particularly depression and seasonal affective disorder, suicidal behaviours and suicide prevention.

Dr Nevarez Flores is committed to the acquisition of knowledge and its dissemination and implementation. She is determined to continue working within the mental health field particularly by delivering high quality mental health services and bridging the gap between mental health research and its application in daily life, clinical practice, and policy development for the benefit of the wider community.