Tēna koutou katōa – greetings to you all from the Department of Psychological Medicine.
Our department mission is to promote improved mental health through practical and clinically relevant research and teaching. We specialize in undergraduate education for medical students and postgraduate education for those working in the mental health area. All our teaching is underpinned by research and our Department has a strong research output particularly in the areas of mood disorders, addictions and trauma. Our research profile is one of the strongest in New Zealand and is internationally recognised. We are proud of our focus on translating research into clinical practice and our aim is to build on and increase the impact of our research.
The post-graduate programmes and papers we offer provide those working in mental health with the opportunity to develop evidence-based knowledge relevant to the clinical practice areas within which they work, to enhance the care provided and also provide the opportunity for professional development. As a student in the Department you will receive education from experts in a range of disciplines – psychiatrists, nurses, psychologists and social workers. Our papers have a strong emphasis on promoting recovery for those using mental health services. We believe that undertaking papers relevant to your clinical practice allows you to make a greater contribution to your profession and to improving health outcomes for people with mental disorders. We offer a range of clinically focused papers which contribute to a range of qualifications. We recognise that working in healthcare can make it difficult to attend classes so we offer on-campus study blocks supported by online learning and access to student support services. This format also opens our papers up to students around New Zealand to enroll as distance students.
We also aim to mentor talented, young people to become the Academics of the future. We provide a pathway to do this via masters and PhD theses, progressing to post-doctoral research positions. We provide experienced and expert supervision for these research qualifications and hope to inspire people to pursue a career in research in mental health.
As a postgraduate student in our Department you will benefit from the clinical experience and expertise of our academic staff who are all in current clinical practice and aware of the complexities of contemporary clinical practice. In addition to on-going clinical practice all our academics are also active researchers who are familiar with the latest evidence and can provide discussion and learning based on the latest research in mental health care. We are committed to supporting our students through their studies and are well aware of the difficult balance of professional, personal and social life that our students undertake.
I wish you well in your studies.
Ngā mihi nui
Professor Richard Porter
Head of Department, Psychological Medicine