Helen Berry

Biography

Helen is the inaugural Professor of Climate Change and Mental Health at the University of Sydney. She is a widely-cited psychiatric epidemiologist and expert in how climate change, disasters and social and physical place influence mental health and wellbeing. She advises on national and international research programs and is currently working with the Lancet Countdown to include indicators of mental health from 2018. She is also advising on a major new mental health disaster study of the impact of Cyclone Debbie which made landfall over New South Wales, Australia, in March/April 2017. She has developed multiple population screening measures including the Australian Community Participation Questionnaire, the Brief Weather Disaster Trauma Exposure and Impact Screen and others which are included in population health and intervention studies around the world. Helen has been supported by major competitive research funding (e.g., NHMRC, ARC) and other awards and has led influential research-policy initiatives. Her research career builds on a 12-year career in federal and state public policy and on 13 years of voluntary executive leadership service in the relationships services sector. Helen holds an honorary appointment at the University of Melbourne and is a Director of Altitude Consulting Pty Ltd, a hi-tech management, business and research consulting company.

Research Interest

Real world' research working with partners in domestic and international organisations, government, business, the 'for social gain' sector with a focus on: Climate change, mental health and wellbeing Identity, social relatedness, marginalisation and health Place, migration and integration (in urban, rural and remote settings) Creative methodological, statistical and other approaches