About Us
The Epworth Centre for Innovation in Mental Health
These training programs have been developed by the Epworth Centre for Innovation in Mental Health (ECIMH). The centre, led by Professor Paul Fitzgerald, includes internationally recognised clinicians and researchers with backgrounds in neuroscience, biomedical engineering, psychiatry, neuropsychology, and psychiatric nursing.
ECIMH has extensive and unsurpassed experience in the clinical use of TMS having treated patients with this technique for over 20 years and established multiple clinical rTMS services throughout Australia. They have conducted many brain stimulation research studies, published over 400 brain stimulation related papers, authored national and international clinical practice and research guidelines and obtained multiple NHMRC grants for brain stimulation projects. Details on the members of this leading group involved in our courses are provided below.
Professor Paul Fitzgerald
Professor Fitzgerald (MBBS, FRANZCP, MPM, PhD) has been at the forefront of brain stimulation research for nearly 20 years. He has conducted numerous large clinical trials of TMS and other brain stimulation treatments in depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and a number of other conditions. He has also conducted an extensive series of other research studies using these methods. He has had continual support from the National Health and Medical Council for over 15 years and published over 380 peer reviewed research papers, the majority in the area of brain stimulation. He has authored multiple national and international brain stimulation guidelines and clearly has unparalleled experience in both the research and the clinical provision of TMS for the treatment of psychiatric illness.
Professor Kate Hoy
Prof Kate Hoy (BBNSc (Hons), DPsych (Clin Neuro) is an NHMRC fellow and Clinical Neuropsychologist. She is Head of Interventional Neuropsychology and Deputy Director at ECIMH. She has an international reputation for her research investigating non-invasive brain stimulation in the treatment of cognitive impairment, and was recently awarded an NHMRC Career Development Fellowship to further this work. Kate has worked in brain stimulation research for over 13 years, has published over 100 scientific articles, and received over 4.5 million dollars competitive funding. She was awarded a 2013 Victorian Tall Poppy Science Award in recognition of both her research excellence and commitment to science communication.
Dr Leo Chen
Dr Leo Chen (MBBS, MPsych, FRANZCP, AFRACMA) is a consultant psychiatrist. He is active in therapeutic brain stimulation research at ECIMH and in psychiatry education at Monash University. He is the Director of the TMS Program at Epworth HealthCare. His research and clinical interest areas are in neurostimulatory treatment modalities for mental illnesses, their neurophysiological aetiologies and management of mood, anxiety and psychotic disorders.
Dr Neil Bailey
Dr Neil Bailey (BSc (Hons), PhD) is a post-doctoral neuroscience researcher with a focus on the use of brain stimulation and EEG to explore neural activity in healthy individuals, depression, and individuals experienced with meditation. Neil has over 25 publications in leading neuroscience journals and has over 7 years experience in the use of brain stimulation techniques.