Australia

Maria Halphen, Director

Maria Halphen is originally from Sweden and an international collaborator on stigma research. She was inspired by the harrowing experiences of Susie Hincks, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia. As a result of further discussions with the wider mental health community, Maria gained valuable insights into the issues faced by those living with mental illness. Maria decided to devote her time and energy to create a foundation for encouraging and coordinating research at an international level and to reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness through communication and education. Maria is also the President of the Philippe and Maria Halphen Foundation, which is under the auspices of the French Academy of Science in Paris, France.

Hon. Keith Wilson AM, Director

Keith Wilson is a former Western Australian Minister of Health and former chair of the Mental Health Council of Australia. He has been involved in ongoing mental health advocacy through membership of non-government agencies such as WA Association for Mental Health, the Mental Illness Fellowship WA, Carers WA, and the Learning and Attentional Disorders Society of WA. Keith was a member of the Board of St John Health Care for 10 years. He was awarded the Centenary Medal (2001) for service to people with a mental illness and their carers. He is also a Member of the Order of Australia (2009) and is a director of Meeting for Minds. Keith is a powerful voice promoting the cause of mental health not only in Australia but globally.

Chris Hunt, Director

Chris Hunt is a former news media executive and enjoyed a career in journalism spanning 40 years. After starting as a newspaper cadet journalist, Chris moved to ABC News as a reporter and went on to become a sub-editor and chief of staff. He joined Network Ten when it became Perth’s third commercial television license holder and spent a number of years as its Director of News. Since 2014, Chris has been providing media advice and contributing to communication content for Meeting for Minds.

Carolyn Gibbon, Finance Officer

Carolyn Gibbon, a Chartered Accountant (South Africa and New Zealand) is a Finance Manager for a WA government agency. Carolyn is very involved in volunteer activities and contributes to M4M as Finance Manager. She has experience in the public sector, private sector and has lectured in Financial Accounting.  

Ann Vincent, Perth Based Fundraiser

Ann Vincent is highly regarded in the fashion industry here in Australia and overseas in Europe. Her experience is networking for fundraising purposes and in this capacity she was previously on the board of the McCusker Foundation for Alzheimer’s Research. Ann has a general interest in Mental Health due in part to her long association with Maria Halphen and her family, along with her desire to contribute her time and fundraising expertise to this worthy cause.

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CURRENT PROGRAMMES

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PERTH - MAPS Teaser/Bande annonce Video Series What's so Special about You? MAPS (Medicine, Advocacy, Patients, Science) Project The diagnosis and treatment of people with treatment resistant anxiety and mood disorders, using available prescribed medications, continues to be largely a “hit or miss” process, with wide ranging and variable individual outcomes. While genetic testing has been available for a decade or more, its clinical relevance, for the treatment of anxiety and mood disorders, has not been broadly recognised in practice. This project seeks to confirm the clinical relevance of the MyDNA pharmacogenetics test for people with treatment resistant anxiety and mood disorders.

PERTH - rTMS Teaser/Bande annonce Video Series How Magnets Move the Mind rTMS (Repetitive Trans-cranial Magnetic Stimulation) A promising and emerging alternative to medication is neuromodulation in the form of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS), which alters brain activity and connectivity, and subsequently changes behaviours or thoughts. This research will study the effects of rTMS on the brain, integrating studies of single cells, defined circuits and behavioural outcomes, to understand how brain plasticity can be harnessed to treat depression.