Anthony Jorm

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Anthony Jorm
Jorm photo in University of Melbourne office 2019.jpg
Born1951 (age 73–74) [1]
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia [1]
Alma mater University of Queensland; University of New South Wales; Australian National University [1]
Known forMental health researcher; co-founder of Mental Health First Aid training
Spouse Betty Kitchener [1]
ChildrenTwo [1]
Website findanexpert.unimelb.edu.au/profile/60295-anthony-jorm

Anthony Jorm (born 1951 [1] ) is an Australian researcher who has made contributions in the areas of psychology, psychiatry and gerontology. [2] He also co-founded mental health first aid training with mental health educator Betty Kitchener. [3] [4] [5]

Contents

Career

Anthony Jorm received a BA from the University of Queensland, achieving First Class Honours in psychology and a University Medal in 1973. [5] [6] He then completed a master's degree in clinical psychology (1975) and a PhD in psychology (1977) at the University of New South Wales. [5] [6] In 1995, he was awarded a DSc by the Australian National University for his research on mental disorders. [5] He has held academic appointments at Deakin University (1977–1984), [1] [6] the Australian National University (1984–2005), including Director of the Centre for Mental Health Research (2001–2004), [1] and the University of Melbourne (2005–2018). [1] Since 2019, he has been a professor emeritus at the University of Melbourne. [1] Jorm has held National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Fellowships, including being awarded an Australia Fellowship in 2009. [1] He is currently an NHMRC Leadership Fellow. [1]

Honorary positions include president of the Australasian Society for Psychiatric Research (1999–2000), [7] chair of the Board of Mental Health First Aid International, [1] [8] and chair of the Australian Rotary Health Research Committee (2009–2012). [1] [5]

Contributions to research

Jorm's early research at Deakin University was on cognitive processes in reading and spelling, particularly on reading and spelling disabilities. [6] This work examined the role of problems in storage and retrieval of phonological information from long-term memory, as well as the influence of the home and school environment, on reading achievement. [9]

At the Australian National University, he worked with A. S. (Scott) Henderson on the epidemiology of dementia and depression. [10] This research included “integrated analyses of published work; instrument development; cross-sectional and prospective longitudinal surveys of cognitive decline, dementia and depression in general population samples; and a case-control study of Alzheimer’s disease”. [10] This research included studies showing history of depression as a risk factor for dementia. [11] Measures were developed for the assessment of dementia including the Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly (IQCODE) and the Psychogeriatric Assessment Scales. [12]

In the mid-1990s, Jorm began research on mental health literacy, introducing this term and carrying out a national survey of the mental health literacy of the Australian public. An article on this work was listed as the 5th most-cited article in the 100-year history of the Medical Journal of Australia. [13] The research on mental health literacy was a major influence on the development of Mental health first aid training. [14] Jorm's current research at the University of Melbourne is on building the community's capacity for prevention and early intervention on mental disorders. [15]

Jorm has published work on expert consensus in science, including its role in establishing scientific truth, in guiding professional practice and policy, and agreeing on what are acceptable scientific methodologies. [16] He has also written specifically about the validity and use of the Delphi method for establishing expert consensus. [17]

Jorm has been listed as one of the most cited researchers in the mental health field in Australia and the world. [15] [18] In 2020, he was ranked in the top 500 most-cited scientists in the world across all scientific disciplines. [19]

Role in Mental Health First Aid

In 2000, Jorm was a founder of Mental Health First Aid training, together with his wife Betty Kitchener. [14] He led research to evaluate the effects of Mental Health First Aid training and guidelines on how to give mental health first aid for a range of developing mental health problems and mental health crises. [14] In 2011, together with Betty Kitchener, he founded the not-for-profit organization Mental Health First Aid International [20] and was the inaugural chair of its board. [1] [8] By 2024, Mental Health First Aid training had spread to over 25 countries and over 6 million people had been trained globally with over 1 million of those in Australia. [21]

Editorial roles

He was the editor-in-chief of the Australasian Journal on Ageing from 1997 to 2001 [22] and has been the editor-in-chief of Mental Health & Prevention since 2019. [23] He was an associate editor of the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry from 2005 to 2021 [24] and an associate editor of Early Intervention in Psychiatry from 2006 to 2013. [1]

Awards and honours

Personal life

Jorm married Betty Kitchener in 1978 and they have two children. [1] He is a keen cyclist. [1] [2] He is a member of the Rotary Club of Carlton. [1] [5]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 Who’s Who in Australia 2021.
  2. 1 2 Journey2Psychology. Dr. Anthony Jorm and a Quest for Global Literacy with Mental Health. https://journey2psychology.com/2019/02/10/dr-anthony-jorm-and-a-quest-for-global-literacy-with-mental-health/. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  3. ↑ Clay RA. Mental health first aid. APA Monitor on Psychology 2013; 44(7): 32.
  4. ↑ Kitchener B, Jorm T. In the beginning: Mental Health First Aid is born in Australia. National Council Magazine 2013; 1: 26.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Henningham P. With health in mind: The story of Australian Rotary Health. Parramatta; Australian Rotary Health; 2011.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Sheehan P. Early Career Awards 1980-1981. Australian Psychologist 1982; 17: 293-296.
  7. ↑ Society for Mental Health Research. History of Society. https://www.smhr.org.au/history-of-aspr-and-smhr Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  8. 1 2 Mental Health First Aid Australia. The MHFA Board. https://mhfa.com.au/our-people/mhfa-australia-board Retrieved 11 May 2021
  9. ↑ Jorm AF. Determinants of individual differences in reading achievement. Australian Journal of Psychology 1983; 35: 163-174.
  10. 1 2 Henderson AS, Jorm AF. Some contributions to the epidemiology of dementia and depression. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry 1997; 12: 145-154
  11. ↑ Jorm AF. History of depression as a risk factor for dementia: an updated review. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 2001; 35: 776-781.
  12. ↑ Australian Government Department of Health. Psychogeriatric Assessment Scales (PAS) User Guide. https://www.health.gov.au/resources/publications/psychogeriatric-assessment-scales-pas-user-guide Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  13. ↑ McKay DR. What’s trending at the Medical Journal of Australia? The current top 10 most-cited articles. MJA 2014; 201:22-26.
  14. 1 2 3 4 Mental Health First Aid International. The History of Mental Health First Aid. https://mhfainternational.org/history-of-mental-health-first-aid/ Retrieved 11 May 2021
  15. 1 2 3 Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia. Academy Fellow Professor Tony Jorm FASSA. https://socialsciences.org.au/academy-fellow/?sId=0032v000033l9MmAAI. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  16. ↑ Springer Nature Link. Expert Consensus in Science. https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-981-97-9222-1/ Retrieved 1 June 2025
  17. ↑ Springer Nature Link. Using the Delphi Method to Establish Expert Consensus. https://link.springer.com/book/9789819683567/ Retrieved 1 June 2025
  18. ↑ Hickie IB, et al. Can we track the impact of Australian mental health research? Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 2005; 39: 591-599.
  19. ↑ Ioannidis JPA, et al. Updated science-wide author databases of standardized citation indicators. PLoS Biology 18(10): e3000918. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3000918
  20. ↑ Australian Government. Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission. Mental Health First Aid International. https://www.acnc.gov.au/charity/86929ecfc04c401b4f1fb5b830da113a#overview Retrieved 11 May 2021
  21. ↑ Mental Health First Aid Australia. https://mhfa.com.au/ Retrieved 11 May 2021
  22. ↑ Jorm T. New directions for the journal. Australian Journal on Ageing 1997; 16: 146.
  23. ↑ Elsevier. Mental Health & Prevention. Editorial Board. Anthony F. Jorm https://www.journals.elsevier.com/mental-health-and-prevention/editorial-board/anthony-f-jorm Retrieved 11 May 2021
  24. ↑ Malhi G. Thanks, thoughts, and other things: On being the Editor and what it brings. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 2021; 55; 435-441.
  25. ↑ ISI HighlyCited. https://web.archive.org/web/20061019072852/http://hcr3.isiknowledge.com/browse_author.pl?link1=Browse&link2=Results&submit=LASTNAME&value=J&page=1. Archived 19 Oct 2006.
  26. 1 2 Research.com. Anthony F Jorm. https://research.com/u/anthony-f-jorm. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  27. ↑ Association for Psychological Science. https://www.psychologicalscience.org/members/awards-and-honors/cattell-award. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  28. ↑ ScholarGPS.com. https://scholargps.com/scholars/36608445956371/anthony-f-jorm?tracking_id=fd753c23fb3970fa69bb. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  29. ↑ National Council for Mental Wellbeing (20 May 2025). "MHFA Summit 2025" . Retrieved 26 May 2025.
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