The University of Western Australia

W/Prof Helen Milroy

Director/Winthrop Professor
Centre for Aboriginal Medical and Dental Health (CAMDH)

Contact details

Address

Centre for Aboriginal Medical and Dental Health (CAMDH)
The University of Western Australia (M303)
35 Stirling Highway
CRAWLEY WA 6009
Australia

Phone

6488 2038

Fax

6488 1100

Email

helen.milroy@uwa.edu.au

Qualifications

MB BS CertChildPsych W.Aust., FRANZCP

Biography

Helen Milroy is a descendant of the Palyku people of the Pilbara region of Western Australia but was born and educated in Perth. She studied medicine at the University of Western Australia, worked as a General Practitioner and Consultant in Childhood Sexual Abuse at Princess Margaret Hospital for children for several years before completing specialist training in Child and Adolescent psychiatry.

At present Helen works as a Consultant Psychiatrist with the Department of Health's Statewide Aboriginal Mental Health Service, situated at Graylands Hospital, Perth; and is Winthrop Professor and Director of the Centre for Aboriginal Medical and Dental Health at the University of Western Australia.

Helen has been on State, National and College policy committees, Reference and Advisory groups. Helen is a Past President of the Australian Indigenous Doctors Association (AIDA), current member of the National Advisory Council on Mental Health, and the NHMRC Australian Human Ethics Committee, and is a board member of Headspace, the National Youth Mental Health initiative, the NHMRC Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Advisory Committee, and served as a member of the Western Australian Indigenous Implementation Board.

Key research

Holistic medicine

Child mental health

Recovery from trauma and grief

Application of Indigenous knowledge

Indigenous health curriculum development, implementation and evaluation

Aboriginal health

Aboriginal mental health

Health professional education

Publications

2008 Infants of Parents with Mental Illness: Developmental, Clinical, Cultural and Personal Perspectives. Eds: Anne Sven Williams and Vicky Cowling. Chapter 12: Children are our future - Understanding the needs of Aboriginal children and their families. Milroy H.
2008 Mental Health and Human Rights: Chapter: Human Rights, Health and Indigenous Australians. Hunter E, Milroy H, Browne N, Calma T.
2007 Textbook: Transcultural Psychiatry: Chapter: Mental Health And The Indigenous Peoples Of Australia And New Zealand. Mason Durie, Helen Milroy and Ernest Hunter

2006Zubrick SR, Silburn SR, De Maio JA, Shepherd C, Griffin JA, Dalby RB, Mitrou FG, Lawrence DM, Hayward C, Pearson G, Milroy H, Milroy J, Cox A. The Western Australian Aboriginal Child Health Survey: Improving the Educational Experiences of Aboriginal Children and Young People. Perth: Curtin University of Technology and Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, ISBN 0-9579494-9-9, 2006

2005De Maio JA, Zubrick SR, Silburn SR, Lawrence DM, Mitrou FG, Dalby RB, Blair EM, Griffin J, Milroy H, Cox A. The Western Australian Aboriginal Child Health Survey: Measuring the social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal children and the intergenerational effects of forced separation. Perth: Curtin University of Technology and Telethon Institute for Child Health Research; ISBN 0-9579494-7-2 2005.

Zubrick SR, Silburn SR, Lawrence DM, Mitrou FG, Dalby RB, Blair EM, Griffin J, Milroy H, De Maio JA, Cox A, Li J. The Western Australian Aboriginal Child Health Survey: the social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal children and young people. Perth: Curtin University of Technology and Telethon Institute for Child Health Research; 2005.

Zubrick SR, Silburn SR, Lawrence DM, Mitrou FG, Dalby RB, Blair EM, Griffin J, Milroy H, De Maio JA, Cox A, Li J. The Western Australian Aboriginal Child Health Survey: Forced Separation from Natural Family, Forced Relocation from Traditional Country or Homeland, and Social and Emotional Wellbeing of Aboriginal Children and Young People: Additional notes. Perth: Curtin University of Technology and the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research; 2005.

2004Zubrick SR, Lawrence DM, Silburn SR, Blair E, Milroy H, Wilkes E, Eades S, D'Antoine H, Read A, Ishiguchi P, & Doyle S. (2004). The Western Australian Aboriginal Child Health Survey: The Health of Aboriginal Children and Young People. Perth: Telethon Institute for Child Health Research ISBN 0-9579494-6-4, 2004

Articles:
2006Paul D, Carr S, Milroy H (2006): Making a difference: the early impact of an Aboriginal health undergraduate medical curriculum. MJA, Volume 184 Number 10, 522-525.

2005Hunter E. Milroy H.(2005): Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander suicide in context. Archives of Suicide Research, 2005 (in press)

2003Parker R, Milroy H (2003): Schizophrenia And Related Psychosis In Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander People . Aboriginal and Islander Health Worker Journal

Roles, responsibilities and expertise

Consultant Psychiatrist with the Department of Health - Statewide Aboriginal Medical Service - Graylands Hospital
Winthrop Professor and Director of the Centre for Aboriginal Medical and Dental Health at the University of Western Australia

Future research

Chief Investigator, Educating for Equity - Exploring how health professional education can reduce disparities in chronic disease, NHMNRC International Collaborative ICIHRP Grant

Funding received

$2.8 million

Memberships

Royal Australian & New Zealand College of Psychiatrists

Australian Indigenous Doctors Association

Honours and awards

Inaugural National Limelight Awards: Indigenous student recruitment and retention 2007

Premiers Awards, Western Australia: CAMDH received the award for People and Communities: Education and Skills Development. 2005

Mark Sheldon Award, RANZCP (2001)
For the most meritorious work to advance knowledge and understanding in Indigenous mental health

Rowley Richards Award, RANZCP (2001)
For the most outstanding Section II dissertation in the area of war or trauma studies: "A clinical study examining the links between childhood sexual abuse and dissociation, and their effects in pregnancy and the post-partum period."

Congress Presentation Award, RANZCP (2000)
For the best presentation (Registrar Category): "Race and Self-disclosure"

Previous positions

Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Training Programme
Senior Registrar
Community Child & Adolescent Mental Health Clinic - Bentley Health Service
Mother and Infant Services - King Edward Memorial Hospital (KEMH and PMH)
General Clinic - Princess Margaret Hospital for Children (PMH)

Psychiatry Training Programme
Child Psychiatry - PMH & Selby Clinic
Community Psychiatry - Osborne & Avro Clinics
Adult Psychiatry - Fremantle Hospital
Obstetric & Gynaecology Liaison Psychiatry - KEMH
Forensic Psychiatry - Graylands Hospital
Old Age Psychiatry - Osborne Lodge

Teaching

Indigenous Mental Health training for psychiatric registrars 1998-current
Supervisor for registrars training in Child Psychiatry 2000-current
Lecturer at University of Western Australia

Current external positions

Consultant Psychiatrist, Statewide Aboriginal Mental Health Service, North Metropolitan Health Service, Department of Health, Perth

Research profile

Research profile and publications