FORENSIC PSYCHIATRY RESEARCH IN THE SETTING OF THE JUSTICE SYSTEM
With
Professor Kimberlie Dean, Head of Discipline
UNSW Psychiatry and Mental Health
Faculty of Medicine and Health, UNSW & Clinical Academic Forensic Psychiatrist
and Research Lead for Forensic Mental Health Justice Health and Forensic Mental Health Network, Sydney, Australia
RESEARCHER PROFILE
Filmed in Sydney, Australia | May 2025
Prof Kimberlie Dean is Head of the Discipline of Psychiatry and Mental Health at UNSW. She was appointed to the inaugural Chair in Forensic Mental Health at UNSW in 2011, a joint appointment with Justice Health NSW. She also holds a Clinical Academic appointment as a Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist with Justice Health NSW. She is Academic Program Director for the Masters Forensic Mental Health at UNSW.
Her academic journey commenced with studying medicine at the University of Tasmania and the University of Adelaide. During her medical training, she became intrigued by broader questions concerning mental health, which sparked her interest in epidemiological and population health research.
Prof Dean trained at the Institute of Psychiatry and Maudsley Hospital in London, completing clinical training in Forensic Psychiatry and a PhD in Epidemiological Psychiatry. She returned to Australia over ten years ago to continue her work at UNSW.
Her research interests include understanding links between mental illness and offending behaviour including violence and testing interventions in justice settings/populations. She is currently involved in a range of research projects involving survey methodology, data linkage and intervention evaluation.
At the heart of her research is a commitment to uncovering the truth and enhancing mental health for the most vulnerable community members.
Source: Supplied and adapted
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Applying nanotechnology to chronic pain management
Dr Felicity Han is a Research Fellow and Leader in Pain Relief Innovation, at the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology in the University of Queensland. Dr Han’s research interests sit at the interface of drug delivery and the pain field. Her overarching research goal is to improve the quality of day to day life of patients suffering from chronic pain, by applying nanotechnology to the development of novel highly effective pain-killer products for improving chronic pain management.
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Interventions for improving outcomes of children who are deaf or hard of hearing
Professor Teresa Ching is a Conjoint Professor at NextSense Institute and Macquarie University, and an Honorary Professor at the University of Queensland in Australia. Her current research focuses on devising culturally sensitive practices in early detection and intervention to maximise children’s outcomes. Working with international colleagues, her current research is also directed towards developing global guidelines and recommendations for hearing screening beyond the newborn period, so that all children can benefit from early detection and intervention. The ultimate goal is to attain equity of care and outcomes for all children with hearing difficulties.
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De-prescribing medications in older adults with dementia
Dr. Daniel Hoyle is a Senior Lecturer in Therapeutics and Pharmacy Practice at the School of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, University of Tasmania. He is also an experienced clinical pharmacist with expertise in medication management in older people. Dr. Hoyle’s research interests focus on improving medicine use in older people with dementia.
