Bulletin 25.06.08

1. Message from President
2. ASPR Committee Contacts
3. ASPR Matters
4. Conferences and Related
5. Scholarships
6. Positions Available

________________________________________

1. Message From President

Mental Health Council of Australia (MHCA) Meeting: On 12 June, I attended the Mental Health Council of Australia (MHCA) meeting in Canberra. Among the key issues raised by the CEO Mr David Crosbie was the fact that the government had accepted three mental health indicators as opposed to about 50 health indicators for assessing health service performance. Although this is an incremental success, it seems to me we still have some way to go to highlight the importance of mental health outcomes.

MHCA is concerned with pursuing five major themes. The first is government accountability, the second, employment for those with mental illness, the third housing for the mentally ill, the fourth carer and consumer advocacy, and the fifth advocacy for improving core research funding and investment in research capability. As regards government accountability an interesting point was made about the secrecy and guardedness of the government ‘bureaucracy’. For example, MHCA had asked for  a second wave of MBS item data following the roll-out of the Howard Mental Health Policy. There was an original agreement for these data to be released but the bureaucracy had reneged, considering the data to be too sensitive to be released. It was also noted that the data from the second National Mental Health and Well-being Survey data have still not been released to researchers. 

The Chair of MHCA, the Hon. Rob Knowles then spoke about the newly formed National Health and Hospital Reform Commission of which he is a member. He discussed three major issues: the COAG Agreement; recognition that we don’t have good measures for assessing outcomes for mental health delivery systems/programs; and a recognition of the silo mentality between agencies/departments, e.g., education and health, etc., which works to the detriment of clients. Whilst the strength of the health system is in the quality of care provided within the acute health area, there are many weaknesses/gaps in the system. He listed: indigenous health; prevention and early diagnosis; early health statistics; chronic illness and complex needs; timely access to acute care; end of life issues; safety and quality of healthcare; distribution of services; access based on need for service - not ability to pay; the endless repeating of tests/ history; workforce training; and, providing greater resources.

The Minister for Health Nicola Roxon delivered the Annual Grace Groom Lecture at the National Press Club. The details of this are to be found in the link below:
www.mhca.org.au under media releases, 12 June.

All the best
Henry

2. ASPR Committee Contacts

Professor Henry Jackson (President)                    henryjj@unimelb.edu.au
Associate Professor Trevor Norman (Secretary)   trevorrn@unimelb.edu.au
Professor Andrew Mackinnon (Treasurer)            Andrew.Mackinnon@anu.edu.au

ACT:  Dr Peter Butterworth                   Peter.Butterworth@anu.edu.au
NSW: Dr Helen Stain                           Helen.Stain@newcastle.edu.au
NZ:    Dr Caroline Bell                          caroline.bell@chmeds.ac.nz
NZ:    Dr Sunny Collings                       sunny.collings@otago.ac.nz
QLD: Dr Geoff Waghorn                      geoff_waghorn@qcmhr.uq.edu.au
SA:    Professor Cherrie Galletly            cherrie@drgalletly.com
VIC:   Professor Graham Burrows         gdb@unimelb.edu.au
WA:  Ms Giulietta Valuri                       giulietta.valuri@uwa.edu.au
TAS:  NIL
Dr Clair Kelly (coopted)                       ckel@unimelb.edu.au
Associate Professor Brian Dean (coopted)  bdean_mhri@iprimus.com.au  
Dr Elizabeth Scarr (coopted)                     elscarr@unimelb.edu.au
Dr Eoin Killackey (coopted)                      eoin@unimelb.edu.au
Associate Professor Amanda Baker (2008 Conference Organiser)  amanda.baker@newcastle.edu.au

3. ASPR Matters

*Second member for New Zealand co-opted - Sunny Collins has been co-opted as a second member to represent New Zealand. North and South Islands are now both represented, and ASPR committee were in agreement that increased representation in NZ will enhance the potential opportunities for links to government and for increased membership. In order for this position to become permanent a rule change in the ASPR constitution will have to be approved by ASPR members at an AGM.

* Call for nominations – ASPR treasurer and Secretary. Trevor Norman and Andrew MacKinnon will be retiring from their positions in accordance with the ASPR constitution, which requires retirement following 9 years on the committee. This shall remain a standing item until nominations close prior to the AGM at the Newcastle Conference. Nominations should be directed to the President, Henry Jackson: henryjj@unimelb.edu.au

*Call for ASPR representative from Tasmania – as there is currently no ASPR representative in Tasmania so nominations are open for this position. Nominations to be directed to the Henry Jackson: henryjj@unimelb.edu.au

MENTAL HEALTH GROUPS UNITE TO CALL FOR COAG ACTION

In an unprecedented move, a coalition of Australian national mental health consumer and carer advocacy peak bodies have united to called on COAG to urgently create a high-level taskforce to investigate the best way to treat and care for survivors of child sex abuse, trauma and neglect.

For a full report please contact:
Janne McMahon OAM  email:  jmcmahon@senet.com.au08 8336 2378 / 0417 893 741   

4. Conferences And Related

Reminder that abstract submission for the ASPR Conference closes on the 7th July.
 
To submit an abstract, log onto the ASPR Conference website at www.willorganise.com.au/aspr2008  follow the links to the abstract submission.
 
Abstracts will be published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry - hence the early deadline needed to allow time for allocation of abstracts and preparation for publication.
 
Registration is also open for the conference, and you can now register at the earlybird rate.
 
If you have any questions in relation to the conference, please do not hesitate to contact the Conference Secretariat.
 
Tel:  02 4973 6573
Email:  aspr2008@willorganise.com.au
Website:  www.willorganise.com.au/aspr2008

ASPR CONFERENCE
2- 5 December 2008
Newcastle, NSW, Australia

The annual ASPR conference is being held in Newcastle, NSW, Australia  - planning is underway to bring you an exciting, varied and innovative program.

IMPORTANT DATES:

Early April:           Call for Abstracts Open, Registration open

7th July                  Close of Abstract Submission

1st September:     Early Bird Deadline for Registration Closes.

For more information, log onto the conference website at:  www.willorganise.com.au/aspr2008
Or contact the conference secretariat for more information (details below).

ASPR Conference Secretariat
PO Box 180
Morisset NSW 2264
Tel:  02 4973 6573
Fax:  02 4973 6609
Email:  aspr2008@willorganise.com.au

The ICGP 8th Annual Scientific Meeting Sydney 2008                  
3rd – 6th September   

EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION EXTENDED UNTIL MONDAY 14th JULY. Register on-line at: http://www.icgp.org/forms.html (remember to select the from the early bird category)

POSTER ABSTRACT DEADLINE EXTENDED UNTIL 16th JULY 2008.
LIST OF RENOWNED NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL SPEAKERS CONFIRMED including Prof Nancy Pederson (Karolinska Institute, Sweden), Prof John O’Brien (Newcastle University, UK), Prof William Jagust (University of California), Prof Karen Ritchie (INSERM, France), Prof Dilip Jeste (University of California), Prof Brent Reynolds (University of Florida) and many more.

Venue: The John Niland Scientia Building
            University of New South Wales,
            Kensington, Sydney, AUSTRALIA
Website: www.icgp.org
Email: icgp2008@unsw.edu.au

10th Biennial Australasian Schizophrenia Conference
Recovery in Schizophrenia - The Great Open Road,
October 23-24, 2008, Lorne

The Australasian Schizophrenia Conference promises an enlightening programme of international and local speakers presenting the latest research in a variety of areas including cognition, neurodevelopment, neuroscience, psychosocial treatments, drug therapies and epidemiology.

Abstracts from all fields of schizophrenia research are welcome.  Fellow professionals in all health streams, consumers and carers are welcome and encouraged to attend this important and exciting conference to foster further international collaboration and reform. We look forward to you joining us in the picturesque Victorian coastal town of Lorne for a conference which promises to open the road towards recovery in schizophrenia.

KEY DATES

• Registration Open                               30 April 2008
• Early Bird Registration Close             20 August 2008
• Call for Abstracts Open                      30 April 2008
• Call for Abstracts Close                      30 June 2008

Venue          Mantra Erskine Beach Resort, Lorne Victoria
Date             22 to 23 Oct 2008
Email            info@asc08.com
Website       www.iepa2008.com/RelatedMeetings.html
Tel:               (03) 9682 0500

6th International Conference on Early Psychosis
Early Intervention – The Next Wave
October 23-24 2008, Melbourne

In 2008 national and international speakers will come together to:

• Highlight the latest progress in research and clinical care in early psychosis
• Focus on linkages across diagnostic groups in early intervention
• Consider the relationships between different stages of illness
• Promote further international collaboration and reform

Under the leadership of Professor Patrick McGorry, a scientific programme is being developed by leading mental health experts from around the world to ensure the content is stimulating, groundbreaking and highly educational.

KEY DATES

• Abstract Submissions Close       25 April 2008
• Notification to Abstract Authors   16 June 2008
• Early Bird Registration Open       January 2008
• Early Bird Registrations Close    11 July 2008

Venue          Melbourne Convention Centre (Crn of Spencer St and Flinders St)
Date             20 to 22 October 2008
Email            info@iepa2008.com
Website       www.iepa2008.com
Tel:               (03) 9682 0500

4th AH & MR Congress, 16-21st November 2008, Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre

Please visit the meeting website: www.ahmrcongress.org.au

The second Annual National Dementia Research Forum will be held at the Wesley Conference Centre in Sydney 18-19 September 2008.   This year, we have been able to engage four international speakers and the program will include a variety of sessions:  plenaries, workshops, poster sessions, a hypothetical, a breakfast with the experts and a working lunch for emerging researchers.

A program, registration form and call for poster abstracts are available from our website http://www.dementia.unsw.edu.au/DCRCweb.nsf/page/Forum.

If you'd like to know, what last year's delegates said about the Forum, please have a look at our October 2007 DCRC Newsletter at: http://www.dementia.unsw.edu.au/DCRCweb.nsf/resources/News2006/$file/Newsletter+-+Dementia+CRC+-+Issue+4.pdf
 

Please note that the call for abstracts will close 13 June and early bird registrations close 16 June.

The 8th Annual Scientific Meeting of the International College of Geriatric Psychoneuropharmacology will be held at UNSW Scientia on 3rd to 6th September 2008.
This landmark meeting serves to foster cross-fertilisation of scientific knowledge among clinical and preclinical scientists from different related disciplines. The theme for the 2008 meeting is “Protecting and Repairing the Ageing Brain”. The program will include healthy brain ageing and the full range of neuropsychiatric disorders in the elderly, including dementias, MCI, late onset schizophrenia, mood and anxiety disorders of late life, sleep disorders, Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders, stroke and cerebrovascular disease.
For further information please email: icgp2008@unsw.edu.au
Lauren Norton: 02 9382 2094
Website: www.icgp.org

Author Tour, September 2008
THE BRAIN THAT CHANGES ITSELF
stories of personal triumph from the frontiers of brain science
by DR NORMAN DOIDGE

Psychiatrist and researcher Norman Doidge, M.D., travelled around the United States to meet the brilliant scientists championing neuroplasticity, and the people whose lives they’ve transformed. Dr Doidge has written an immensely moving, inspiring book that will permanently alter the way we look at our brains, human nature, and human potential.

Sally Rosevear
Events & Marketing Coordinator
Scribe Publications

595 Drummond St
(PO Box 523)
North Carlton
VIC 3054

ph: 03 9349 5955
fax: 03 9348 2752
email: marketing@scribepub.com.au
website: www.scribepublications.com.au

Psychogenic Cardiovascular Disease Conference
3-5 September 2008
Prato, Tuscany

The Baker Heart Research Institute inaugural “Heart and Mind” conference will be held in the delightful Tuscan town of Prato, Italy, from 3-5 September, 2008. The Baker Heart Research Institute is Australia’s highest profile and most productive cardiovascular research institute.

The conference will have as its centrepoint the link between psychological medicine and cardiovascular disease, delineating the relationship between stress, mental illness, and the development and course of heart disease and hypertension. It will showcase the crucial epidemiology, mediating neural and other mechanisms, and social and psychological measures applicable to prevention and treatment. There will be invited addresses by international leaders in the field. The target audience will be general practitioners, cardiologists, psychiatrists, psychologists, epidemiologists and social scientists.
For program details, registration and abstract submission visit www.heartandmind.prato2008.com

National Dementia Research Forum
18 – 19 September 2008
Sydney Masonic Centre
http://www.dementia.unsw.edu.au
email: dementiacrc@unsw.edu.au

5. Scholarships

The 2008 LIFE Awards are now OPEN FOR NOMINATION!!!

The LIFE Awards are a prestigious national annual event which acknowledges the vital work that is being undertaken in the prevention of suicide across Australia.

The LIFE Awards are held in conjunction with World Suicide Prevention Day, 10th September. The theme for this year is "Think Globally, Plan Nationally, Act Locally".

.The 'LIFE' AWARDS acknowledges great contribution to suicide prevention. Awards are in nine categories:
*       Business
*       Youth
*       Community
*       Indigenous
*       Public Sector
*       Media (print)
*       Media (non-print)
*       Research - Lifetime
*       Research - Emerging

Please visit www.suicidepreventionaust.org/Awards.aspx for more information including a description of each award category.

SPA would encourage nominations to be sent in as early as possible, but no later than COB Thursday 28th August 2008.

Please note, you are able to self nominate for a LIFE Award.

The Research Trust Fund of the Schizophrenia Fellowship of NSW invites applications from individuals or research teams in the field of psychosocial research in schizophrenia for funding of up to $30,000 per annum.
Funding is usually provided for one year only however multiyear
finding will be considered contingent upon satisfactory annual reports and a second application.

Objectives of the Research Trust Fund
• To provide financial support for research projects examining psychosocial factors and how they relate to schizophrenia
• To provide financial support to pilot novel psychosocial treatments in schizophrenia
• To support programs that examine the role of clubhouses in the provision of
recovery services in schizophrenia
Eligibility Criteria
• Researchers must be based in NSW
• The project must address the research aims of the research trust funds
• The project must be completed within 2 years
• Joint funding with other funding organisations would be considered
Applications
Only one application from anyone organisation will be accepted.
All applications should be forwarded to:
The Secretary,
Research Trust Fund of the Schizophrenia Fellowship of NSW
Locked Bag 5014
Gladesville 1675

Closing date – 30th June 2008.
Late applications will not be considered.

For more information :
http://www.sfnsw.org.au/pdfsrfs/Research/Research%20Trust%20Fund.pdf

The Australian Society for Medical Research
The ASMR Research Awards

The Australian Society for Medical Research invites applications for “The ASMR Research Awards”.

Each award ($5000 international or $2000 domestic) will support a postgraduate student member of the Society nearing completion of their studies or a recently graduated postdoctoral member to undertake a short period of research in a laboratory outside their home city.

The award specifically excludes support for conference attendance and travel for an extended period of postdoctoral studies.

Applicants for “The ASMR Research Awards” must have been members of the ASMR for at least 12 months immediately preceding the year in which the Award application is to be considered. Applicants must have conducted no more than 3 years active research post their highest degree (career interruptions will be considered). The Award must be taken up during the first 6 months of the following
year.

The recipients of the Award will be announced at the National Scientific Conference of the Society. A condition of receipt of the Award is that the recipients will be available to present their data at the National Scientific Conference of the Society in the year of the Award. Further, the recipients will provide an article about their research for inclusion in the November issue of the newsletter of the Society in the year of the Award. Any publications resulting from work supported by the Award should acknowledge the financial contribution of “The ASMR Research Award”.

For more information go to: http://www.asmr.org.au/Awards.html

Applications must be received by the closing date (5:00 pm, Tuesday September 30, 2008). Facsimiles will not be accepted.

An original application form and four copies should be sent to:
The Honorary Secretary, ASMR,
145 Macquarie Street, Sydney, NSW, 2000

The Australian Society for Medical Research ACN 000 599 235 -ABN 18 000 599 235
145 Macquarie Street. Sydney, 2000 Ph: (02) 9256 5450, Fax (02) 9252 0294

Email: asmr@world.net, Website: www.asmr.org.au
Enquiries should be addressed to :Snr Executive Officer: Catherine West

Have you heard about Alzheimer's Australia Research's 2008 Dementia Grants Program?

 AAR is happy to be offering a wide range of research grants in 2008, including travel grants, grants focusing on dementia care, and grants for new researchers, and is encouraging quality applications from all around Australia:

 Research Grants

•        4 x AAR Dementia Research Grants for new researchers of $20,000
•        Hazel Hawke Research Grant in Dementia Care of $20,000

Travel Grants

•        Rosemary Foundation Travel Project Grant of $10,000
•        Rosemary Foundation Travel Stipend Grant of $5,000

 Postgraduate Scholarships

•        Hunter Postgraduate Research Scholarship into the Causes of Alzheimer’s  Disease ($23,000 per year for 3 years)

Postdoctoral Fellowships

•        AAR Post-doctoral Fellowship ($90,000 per year for 2 years)
•        4 x Viertel Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowships in Dementia ($45,000 per year for 2 years with payments matched by applicants’ institution)

Applications for Research and Travel Grants will close on 25 April 2008. Applications for the Postdoctoral Fellowships are now open and close on 28 April 2008.  Postgraduate Scholarship applications open in September 2008 and will close on 31 October 2008.

Application forms and further information can be found at http://www.alzheimers.org.au/content.cfm?topicid=250 .

If you have any questions please contact: 

Dinusha Fernando
Email: aar@alzheimers.org.au
Phone: (02) 6254 4233
Alzheimer’s Australia Research
PO Box 4019
Hawker ACT 2614

6. Position Vacant

**VICSERV Employment for People with Mental Illness

Psychiatric Disability Services of Victoria (VICSERV), the peak body for psychiatric rehabilitation and support services in Victoria, is conducting an employment campaign for people with mental illness. The VICSERV campaign focuses on the following issues:

• develop a national mental health employment strategy to adequately address employment issues for people with mental illness seeking work,
• review and overhaul the Job Capacity Assessment process, which currently acts as a disincentive and barrier to people with mental illness seeking work, and
• recognise the need for a system that is sufficiently flexible and supportive to meet the needs of people with mental health issues in accessing and retaining work.

Organisations can participate in this campaign by opting-in and ordering postcards from VICSERV, who will provide full-colour postcards (printed with the organisation’s logo) and a pdf kit (created with the organisations logo and contact details) outlining the issues and the actions to involve members/supporters. Individuals and organisations can also participate in the campaign by signing-up and receiving information including postcards and a kit.

Information on the campaign is available through the VICSERV website at http://www.vicserv.org.au/

This is a very worthwhile campaign being undertaken by VICSERV and MHCA members should contact or seek further information from VICSERV if they are interested in taking part.