Professor David Forbes is the Director of Phoenix Australia Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health, and Deputy Head, Department of Psychiatry, the University of Melbourne. Professor Forbes completed his clinical training (MA Clinical Psychology) and PhD at the University of Melbourne. He is a clinical psychologist with extensive experience in the assessment and treatment of mental health problems following trauma, and has worked in both acute crisis and continuing care settings across the community mental health system and in specialist traumatic stress services. Professor Forbes is an international expert in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and military mental health, with strong national and international links with other researchers and experts in the field. He was Chair of the Working Party for the inaugural the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) approved Australian Guidelines for the Treatment of Acute Stress Disorder and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in 2007 and co-chair of the steering group the revised Guidelines in 2013. Professor Forbes has published more than 110 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, and sits on the editorial boards of leading international journals. He has been awarded in excess of $8 million in competitive research grants, and more than $6 million in research translation grants. Professor Forbes is a member of many advisory committees for governments and other organisations, including the Departments of Veterans’ Affairs and Defence, and the Australian Psychological Society. He has a strong track record in leading initiatives to improve outcomes for people affected by trauma through the translation of research into effective policy and practice. He is a passionate advocate for the use of evidence-based responses following trauma in order to reduce the mental health effects on survivors, their families and communities.  

Posttraumatic Mental Health,Psychiatry,Clinical Psychology, trauma