Mental health expert Patrick McGorry to headline conference
February 19, 2016

Leading mental health advocate and former Australian of the Year Professor Patrick McGorry AO will be the keynote speaker at the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) NSW Branch’s Annual Therapeutic Update (ATU) Conference in March.
The annual conference has a theme of Advancing therapeutic knowledge and medication management and will be held at Terrigal in NSW from March 4 to 6.

Professor McGorry will discuss the topic of strategies to strengthen mental health care in Australia and Illicit drug use, psychosis and the role of the pharmacist.

Professor McGorry is Executive Director of Orygen Youth Health (OYH), a world-renowned youth mental health organisation, as well as being Professor of Youth Mental Health at the University of Melbourne and founding member of the National Youth Mental Health Foundation (headspace) board.

He is also a world-leading researcher in the area of early psychosis and youth mental health and has a strong interest in promoting the mental health of the homeless, refugees and asylum seekers.

Professor McGorry was a key architect of the headspace model and has been successful in advocating with colleagues for its national expansion. He is a Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia, and the current President of the Society for Mental Health Research, and the President-elect of the Schizophrenia International Research Society.

PSA NSW Branch President Dr Stephen Carter said the ATU was widely regarded as NSW’s premier pharmacist continuing professional development (CPD) event and featured a comprehensive and interesting program.

“ATU provides delegates with valuable face-to-face learning opportunities with fellow health professionals assisting you in obtaining up-to-date clinical education,” Dr Carter said.

“The focus of ATU is Advancing Clinical Knowledge and Medication Management and will engage key practitioners in the field of mental health, diabetes, respiratory, ophthalmology, gastroenterology and nutrition – just to name a few!”

To register or for further information, visit www.psa.org.au/atu16

Registrations close on March 2.