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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RESEARCH IMPACT SAHMRI, SOUTH AUSTRALIA (2023)
South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, also known as SAHMRI has had significant impacts in various areas over the past ten years, and this year is celebrating its 10 year anniversary with a week of events.
Ahead of the anniversary, Executive Director, Professor Maria Makrides spoke to Bench Side Story about 3 achievements in the past 10 years that have had significant impact
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DNA repair on the Fanconi anaemia pathway
Associate Professor Wayne Crismani is an internationally recognised expert in DNA repair, with a particular focus on Fanconi anaemia (FA)—a cancer-predisposition and bone marrow failure syndrome marked by extreme sensitivity to DNA damage. Based at St Vincent’s Institute in Melbourne, he leads a research program dedicated to understanding the genetic, cellular, and reproductive consequences of FA. He is currently supported by a Victorian Cancer Agency Mid-Career Fellowship and funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council.
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Better biomarkers for predicting the incidence of having atherosclerosis and heart attack
Assoc Prof Bursill is a vascular biologist with interests and expertise in vascular inflammation, atherosclerosis and angiogenesis. She completed her PhD at The University of Adelaide in lipid metabolism then headed to Oxford University for five years to undergo a postdoctoral post in the Departments of Cardiovascular Medicine and Pathology. Her postdoctoral time triggered her interest in the mechanisms that cause atherosclerosis and in particular the role of small inflammatory proteins called chemokines.
