NOVEL FORMS OF BRAIN STIMULATION & PSYCHEDELIC ASSISTED PSYCHOTHERAPY
With
Professor Paul Fitzgerald,
Director, School of Medicine and Psychology,
Australian National University, Canberra, Australia &
Principal Investigator, Paratus Clinical, Australia
RESEARCHER PROFILE
Filmed in Canberra, Australia | November 2025
Professor Paul Fitzgerald is the Head of the School of Medicine and Psychology at the Australian National University. He is an academic psychiatrist with a MBBS degree, Masters of Psychological Medicine and research PhD.
He has conducted an extensive range of experimental studies and clinical trials, focused on the development of novel treatment options for patients with mental health conditions such as depression, schizophrenia, obsessive compulsive disorder, PTSD, autism and Alzheimer’s disease.
Professor Fitzgerald has a special interest in repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and other novel treatments using forms of non-invasive brain stimulation. He has had continual NHMRC grant support for 20 years and over $10 million in research support in the last 5 years. He has published several books, over 550 journal articles and been cited over 30,000 times.
He has established multiple clinical rTMS services, founded several device and clinical service companies and led a national application to MSAC in the Federal Department of Health which resulted, in 2021, in Medicare funding ($280 million in year 1) for rTMS therapy for patients with depression.
Professor Fitzgerald currently leads an innovative school at the ANU which combines both the ANU Medical Program and former Research School of Psychology focussed on education and research approaches integrating perspectives across mind, body and culture.
Source: Supplied
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4217-8096
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Novel immunotherapies in lymphoma
Dr Sean Harrop is a dual-trained haematologist having completed his clinical and laboratory haematology training at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Royal Melbourne Hospital and St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne. He is the current clinical haematology fellow (aggressive lymphoma) at Peter MacCallum and a PhD student in the Cancer Immunology Program in the Neeson Lab.
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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.
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Biological interactions of extracellular vesicles
Raluca Ghebosu graduated from the University of Queensland with a Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science with majors in Japanese and Biomedical Science (2018-2021). She then completed her Bachelor of Science (Honours) with the School of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Queensland in 2022, before pursuing a PhD with A/Prof. Joy Wolfram at the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology.
