Professor Jane Pirkis, Director at the Centre for Mental Health, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne will present a Keynote at the 16th International Mental Health Conference (IMHC) being held at QT Hotel, Surfers Paradise Thursday 13 August to Friday 14 August 2015.

The Conference will bring together leading clinical practitioners, academics, service providers and mental health experts to deliberate and discuss Mental Health issues confronting Australia and New Zealand. The Conference theme is Mental Health Future For All with topics across the broad spectrum of mental disorders including Anxiety, Depression, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders, Bipolar, Dementia and Suicide.

Professor Jane Pirkis is the Director of the Centre for Mental Health in the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health at the University of Melbourne.  She has undertaken a broad program of work on the epidemiology of suicide and mental health problems, and has conducted a number of large-scale evaluations of suicide prevention initiatives and mental health programs.

She has a particular interest in interventions that show promise in preventing suicide, and has recently been examining the benefits of different interventions at suicide hotspots.  She is known for her work on suicide and the media, and is currently focusing on ways in which traditional and newer media might be harnessed to prevent suicide.

Jane is the General Secretary of the International Association for Suicide Prevention, and a member of the International Academy of Suicide Research and of Suicide Prevention Australia.