About CTSS
Centre for Traumatic Stress Studies
Creating and using scientific knowledge to lead evidence based practice in the field of traumatic stress.
CTSS focuses on the following areas:
- Prevalence Studies
- Longitudinal Health Studies
- Disaster Studies
- Neuro-biological Studies
- Neuro-cognitive Studies
- Occupational Mental Health
CTSS provides research, consultancy, professional development and training, higher education supervision and assessment and referral services in these core areas.
The Centre for Traumatic Stress Studies undertakes significant research as a node of the Centre for Military and Veterans' Health.
Biography - Professor Alexander McFarlane AO, MBBS (Hons), MD, Dip. Psychother, FRANZCP
Director
Professor Alexander McFarlane AO
Director,
University of Adelaide Node
Sandy McFarlane is Professor of Psychiatry and the Head of the University of Adelaide Centre for Traumatic Stress Studies. He is an international expert in the field of the impact of disasters and posttraumatic stress disorder. He is a Past President of both the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies and the Australasian Society for Traumatic Stress Studies. He is the recipient for the Robert Laufer Award for outstanding scientific achievement in the study of the effects of traumatic stress. In 2008 he was awarded the Organon Senior Research Award for the most significant contribution to psychiatric research during the preceeding 5 years, He also became the 11th recipient of the Founders Medal of the Australian Society for Psychiatric Research, awarded to individuals who have made a contribution of significance to psychiatric research over their entire career.
Professor McFarlane has held roles as Senior Adviser in Psychiatry to the Australian Defence Force and the Department of Veterans' Affairs. He holds the rank of Group Captain in the RAAF specialist reserve. He has acted as an advisor to many groups in post disaster situations, including the Kuwait Government and the United Nations. He has lectured and run workshops in Europe, United States of America, Asia and South Africa.
Apart from his interest in post traumatic stress disorder in relation to disaster victims, military personnel and other civilian accidents, Professor McFarlane has broadened the relevance of this knowledge to the area of those suffering severe mental illness. His research has focused on the epidemiology and longitudinal course of PTSD as well as the neuro-imaging of the cognitive deficits in this disorder. He has a particular interest in the impact of childhood trauma and it's impact on adult adjustment developed from two longitudianal cohort studies.
Professor McFarlane established the MILHOP research program which is investigating the physical and mental health of all veterans and serving members who have been deployed to the Middle East Area of Operations. He is also the principal investigator of the Defence Health and Wellbeing Survey which has examoned the mental health of the entire Defence Force. His research is also supported by and NHMRC grant.
Professor McFarlane has published over 300 articles and chapters in various refereed journals and has co-edited three books. He has also been involved in medico-legal cases in a number of jurisdictions in Australia and internationally on matters relating to traumatic stress. He is a member of several international advisory boards in the field of traumatic stress. He frequently appears in the media as a commentator on the impact of war and disaster.
In 2011 Professor McFarlane recived the Officer of the Order of Australia award in the Australia Day Honours list. The award recognises outstanding conribution to medical research in the field of psychiatry, particularly posttraumatic strss disorders, to verterans' mental health management, and as an author.
Centre for Military and Veterans' Health
The University of Adelaide Node
Chairman,
Major General Peter Arnison
AC, CVO (Retd)
The Centre for Military and Veterans’ Health (CMVH) is an internationally-unique, academic community and military partnership which is dedicated to innovatively seeking solutions to military and veterans’ health issues through research, post-graduate education and professional development, e-Health and public debate.
The University of Adelaide Node of the CMVH, is part of the independent university consortium which harnesses the resources of the University of Queensland (UQ), The University of Adelaide (UA) and Charles Darwin University (CDU) in order to improve health outcomes of serving Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel and veterans. The Centre has been in existence since 2004 and is jointly funded by the Department of Defence and Department of Veterans’ Affairs.
CMVH brings together military and veterans’ health experts - researchers, health practitioners and serving ADF personnel and Reservists - who, through their combined talent, expertise and experience, seek to better understand and propose practical solutions to the health issues facing Australia’s serving and former military men and women.
The Centre actively works towards a healthier future for Defence personnel and veterans through best practice information sharing, innovative and inclusive research, strong and meaningful dialogue with ex-service organisations and veterans generally.
The CMVH includes the following four business units:
