The new face of schizophrenia research

09 October 2006

The NSW Health Minister has announced the inaugural appointment to Australia’s first Professorial Chair of Schizophrenia Research. UNSW and the Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute (POWMRI) are hosting the position, which was established by the Neuroscience Institute of Schizophrenia and Allied Disorders (NISAD).

Dr Cynthia (Cyndi) Shannon Weickert was selected after an extensive international search. She is Chief of the MiNDS Unit at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Washington DC and has held a senior role at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) in Maryland.

The Minister, John Hatzistergos, made the announcement as part of Mental Health Week.

Eight million dollars will be invested over the next five years to establish the joint program, through funding from the government and the three partner institutions. There was intense competition from a number of other major universities and institutes to host the Chair.

UNSW Vice-Chancellor, Professor Fred Hilmer, said: “UNSW is delighted to host the NISAD Chair with our partner institute POWMRI. Our leadership in the area of brain sciences is a key reason we were successful in the bid for this position, which I understand is not only Australia’s first Chair dedicated to schizophrenia research, but one of the few worldwide.

“We are also very pleased to welcome a researcher of the calibre of Professor Shannon Weickert,” he said. “The University’s strong commitment to advancing mental health and neuroscience research is evidenced by our contribution of $500,000 per annum towards this program.”

NISAD Scientific Director, Professor Vaughan Carr, said Dr Shannon Weickert’s research has focused on multiple areas of molecular biology related to schizophrenia and to brain development.

Dr Shannon Weickert brings both professional expertise and personal commitment to the position, as her twin brother suffers from the condition. She will take up the NISAD Chair of Schizophrenia Research on December 1 this year.