Events

Join us at the 2025 Mental Health Symposium featuring the Alice Barber Public Lecture, presented in collaboration between the Department of Psychiatry and the Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences.

Mental Health Symposium

The event will commence with the Mental Health Symposium, featuring presentations from Christopher Winkler, Dr Andrea Putica, Dr Hope O’Brien and Professor Ben Harrison, focussing on a range of current mental health topics.

Alice Barber Public Lecture, presented by Professor Bronwyn Graham

Lecture overview

Cracking the XX code: The hidden science of how the female brain regulates fear

Women have a twice greater lifetime prevalence of anxiety disorders than men. The reasons underlying this imbalance are poorly understood. Moreover, current knowledge on anxiety and its treatment is based on studies conducted almost exclusively in males, a bias that is evident across almost all areas of biomedical research. As a consequence, the role of female-unique factors, such as differential exposure to sex hormones across the lifespan (e.g., puberty, the menstrual cycle, peri-partum, and peri-menopause, as well as exposure to synthetic hormones in contraceptives), is overlooked in the clinical care of women.

In this talk, Professor Graham will present evidence that illustrates the crucial roles of these female-unique factors in the onset of anxiety symptoms, their severity, and even the effectiveness of psychological and pharmacological treatments for anxiety. She will also highlight how recent changes to research policy and practice are propelling sex- and gender-tailored healthcare for all people.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Alice Barber Lecture, held annually at the University of Melbourne in honour of Dr Alice Barber, a pioneer in psychotherapy and a medical graduate of the university in 1906.

Join the University of Melbourne for the upcoming webinar ‘Digital health Technologies in cardiovascular medicine: success stories and opportunities’.

Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death in Australia and is placing growing pressure on our health system as the population ages. This panel will take a high-level look at how digital health technologies are reshaping the way we prevent, diagnose, and manage cardiovascular conditions. From wearable devices that enable real-time monitoring, to digital-twin technologies that create personalised treatment models, we will explore the opportunities these innovations bring to patients, clinicians, and researchers. The discussion will also highlight the importance of fostering a culture of collaboration, research, and commercialisation to ensure Australia can harness the full health and economic benefits of these advancements.