REVOLUTIONISING HEALTHCARE

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Our research and services are undertaken via our specialist women’s mental health clinic- The Lisa Thurin Women’s Health Centre,  in partnership with Alfred Health and Cabrini Health, and through our various clinical trials of the latest potential treatments for mental illnesses that impact women.  Mental illness often has many gender-specific aspects that clinical research has not always addressed. Women and men may also respond differently to medications or other treatments.  At HER Centre, we recognise that current treatment options for women living with mental illness are severely limited, and women’s mental health problems have been underdiagnosed and in some cases, unrecognised. We are passionate about changing this situation so all women have access to safe and effective treatments.

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TRAILBLAZING EDUCATION

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HER Centre strives to develop awareness and understanding around how women are impacted by mental illness through our online short course in Women’s Mental Health, through our ‘in person’ conferences, public lectures, targeted presentations to community and mental health organisations and groups, as well as through our scientific publications and engagement with the media.  We also regularly engage with lived experience groups to ensure we can work towards making a tangible impact in women’s lives.  

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PIONEERING RESEARCH

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Whilst awareness for mental health has made significant progress in recent years, there is still a long way to go to dismantle the stigma and increase understanding about the causes, manifestations, and treatment of mental illness.  This is even more critical for women’s mental health, which has only recently been recognised as its own specialty area of psychiatry and mental health delivery.  

The HER Centre Australia team adopts a bio-psycho-social, holistic model to understand more about women’s mental health and develop innovative treatments. One particular focus of our research is the role of the neuroendocrine system in mental illnesses, and specifically the role of female hormones, such as estrogen. We are conducting groundbreaking research into the use of estrogen to improve symptoms in schizophrenia and the use of selective brain estrogens in postmenopausal women.  We are also exploring possible links between the oral contraceptive pill and depression.

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