Prof Ian Hickie

Professor Ian Hickie, AM is a psychiatrist and prominent mental health campaigner.

A former NHMRC Australia Fellow, Prof Hickie heads up the University of Sydney’s Brain and Mind Centre as a Co-Director for Health and Policy, and is one of Australia’s first National Mental Health Commissioners, working to oversee enhanced accountability for mental health reform in Australia.

Prof Hickie is an internationally renowned researcher in clinical psychiatry and a leading voice on mental health issues, with a special interest in youth mental health, and the prevention of, and early intervention in emerging mood disorders.

In partnership with Prof Patrick McGorry, he has been at the forefront of developing the youth mental health service Headspace: The National Youth Mental Health Foundation in Australia.

Moreover, he was also the inaugural CEO of Beyondblue: A National Depression Initiative, where he established important depression awareness, prevention and early intervention programs.

In his clinical psychiatry research, Prof Hickie focuses on using new technologies to delineate novel causes of depressive disorders, to understand the role that genetic and environmental factors play in depression and mental illness.

Prof Hickie leads a new NHMRC CRE for optimising treatments for young people living with emerging mood disorders.

Passionate about driving evidence-based innovations in mental health care, including new e-healthcare service systems, Prof Hickie has, in partnership with the Inspire Foundation, played a key role in developing the ‘Young and Well’ Co-operative Research Centre (CRC), and is Chair of its Scientific Leadership Council. He is working with the CRC to develop and test new e-health interventions to prevent the onset of depression across the lifespan, and on new e-health-based adjuncts to clinical practice.