Live Webinar: The Science of Depression and Anxiety

During Mental Health Week 2022, join UQ’s Queensland Brain Institute researchers, Dr James Kesby (moderator), Dr Susannah Tye, and Adjunct Associate Professor Alex Lim, together with Dr Sharon Ponniah, Mental Health & Wellbeing Strategy Partner, PwC, for a live webinar where they will discuss the science of depression and anxiety, and how it can be better managed in the workplace.   

Date: 13th October
Time: 12 - 1.00pm
Location: Online
Enquiries: qbievents@uq.edu.au

Moderator 

Dr James Kesby – Postdoctoral Researcher, Queensland Brain Institute; Advanced Researcher, Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research.

 Dr James Kesby works closely with clinical researchers, using cross-species approaches to understand the neurobiology and progression of decision-making problems in psychosis. He will lead the panel discussion about how our everyday lifestyle choices affect brain health and the brain’s ability to cope with stress. 

Speakers

Dr Susannah Tye – Senior Research Fellow, Queensland Brain Institute  

Dr Susannah Tye leads the Functional Neuromodulation and Novel Therapeutics Laboratory at the Queensland Brain Institute (QBI) and is looking at how stress affects brain and mental health, and how physiological factors such as stress, inflammation and metabolic systems work interdependently to affect risk for, and recovery from, anxiety and depression. Dr Tye’s team are developing new tools to identify how these physiological risk factors can be identified and targeted to promote brain and mental health, encourage help seeking, and reduce stigma. 

Adjunct Associate Professor Alex Lim – Clinical Psychiatrist, Queensland Brain Institute

Dr Alexander Lim works with children, adolescents, adults and families. He also works extensively with trauma patients and those with PTSD, in particular Veterans, Defence Personnel and First-Responders. He is passionate about watching his patients improve and get back to life. He is the Founder and Director of Zed3 Medical Group which encompasses ZedThree Specialist Centre, ReVive and OSICA. Dr Lim has a keen interest in clinical governance and team-based clinical models and encourages clinicians to work collaboratively to provide the best care possible for his patients.  Dr Lim is an Adjunct Associate Professor at QBI. He is exploring precision psychiatry, working alongside colleagues across multiple faculties including functional neuroimaging, neuromodulation and novel therapeutics and personalised nanodiagnostics.
 

Dr Sharon Ponniah, Mental Health & Wellbeing Partner, PwC

Dr Sharon Ponniah is a Partner in the PwC health practice and is a public health and policy specialist. She has worked in the public and private sectors managing research, evaluation and population health programs at State and National level, in Australia and New Zealand. She has held roles with the Ministry of Health New Zealand; worked for large Crown Entities; and for the George Institute for Global Health prior to entering consulting. With a PhD in public health, she is a published academic and continues to review NHMRC grants for public health and policy. Sharon’s career has been driven by a passion to reduce inequity, increase sustainability and impact social agendas. Sharon currently leads PwC Consulting’s mental health business, supporting public policy reform in digital mental health, workforce, and workplaces. Sharon currently serves as a member of the board of Lifeline Australia. Sharon is a mother of two young children and juggles work and family life in Sydney. She was instrumental in the establishment of the Champions of Change Coalition Health Group, working alongside Elizabeth Broderick and the Champions of Change team to bring together this group of leaders on gender equality from across the health sector.