Advisors

Michael Berk

Professor Michael Berk is currently a NHMRC L3 Research Fellow and Deakin Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Deakin University and Barwon Health, where he is the Director of IMPACT, the Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation.

He also is an Honorary Professorial Research fellow in the Department of Psychiatry, the Florey Institute for Neuroscience and Mental Health and Orygen Youth Health at Melbourne University, as well as in the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine at Monash University.

He has published over 1400 papers and is listed by Thompson Reuters ISI as highly cited (2015-2022). He has been awarded over $147M in grant funding. His major interests are in the discovery and implementation of novel therapies.

Jane Burns

Chief Strategy People Officer, National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA)

Jane Burns is an industry and research leader and senior executive and industry experience. Jane leads large consortia and executive teams working at the nexus of research and development, industry and the social sector.

Over her career she has attracted more than $200 million of industry, government and philanthropic funds to drive new leadership in mental health reform with a major focus on new and emerging technologies.

Jane is an international speaker on the topic of mental health; an experienced board director, and chair of the Federal Government’s National Advisory Council for Veterans Families’ Counselling. Jane was the CEO of the Young and Well CRC (2011 – 2017), and is acting CEO of the Well and Productive CRC.

Harris Eyre

Harris Eyre, M.D., Ph.D., has worked as a physician, scientist, entrepreneur, executive services provider, author, new economic and finance thinker, and neuroscience communicator. Currently, he is a Harry Z. Yan and Weiman Gao Senior Fellow at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute. He leads the Brain Capital Alliance and has adjunct roles with UCSF and Baylor College of Medicine and Deakin University and has advisory roles with UC Berkeley, Stanford, MD Anderson Cancer Center and The University of Sydney. Eyre is the lead editor of the book Convergence Mental Health (Oxford University Press).

Harris is a brain capital builder working to boost global brain health and brain skills. Harris believes the world increasingly relies on brain capital, where a premium is put on brain skills and health (e.g., an individual’s cognitive, emotional, and social brain resources). Investing in building brain capital is fundamental to meet modern societal challenges and drive innovation. He leads the development of the brain capital field and seeks to place it at the centre of economics, policy, finance, and technology.

Jo-An Occhipinti

Associate Professor, Brain and Mind Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney
Co-Director, Mental Wealth Initiative

Associate Professor Jo-An Occhipinti is an esteemed epidemiologist and systems scientist whose pioneering work has established her as a leader in addressing public health and social policy issues and safeguarding the future of work amidst complex global challenges that threaten the Mental Wealth of nations. As a Principal Research Fellow, she is Head of Systems Modelling, Simulation & Data Science and Co-Director of the Mental Wealth Initiative at the University of Sydney’s Brain and Mind Centre and is the Managing Director of Computer Simulation & Advanced Research Technologies (CSART).