Social Work first for Australia
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| Professor Robert Bland |
An initiative from UQ’s School of Social Work and Human Services will support research students from around the country undertaking study in the area of social work and mental health.
The small-scale conference, Building Research Capacity: Social Work and Mental Health, was designed to provide an opportunity for RHD students to present their research and receive extensive feedback from researchers and fellow students.
Supported by Queensland Health and the School of Social Work and Human Services the conference welcomed 20 RHD Scholars and 10 leading social work researchers from around Australia as well as visiting academics from the University of Wales, Professor Peter Huxley and Dr Sherrill Evans.
Conference Convenor Professor Robert Bland said the conference was a first for Australia and demonstrated the high level of commitment The University of Queensland has to supporting mental health research.
“The focus was on student presentation and discussion as a vehicle for developing high quality research projects, and a wide diversity of topics were covered, including depression among rural women, supporting mentally ill offenders on release from prison, and teaching clinical skills to social workers,” Professor Bland said.
Each student had a forty minute time slot, with time for a formal presentation and detailed feedback and questions.
Visiting academic Professor Huxley praised the quality of student presentations as reflecting the vigor of Australian social work in mental health.
Professor Robert Bland is the UQ and Queensland Health Joint Chair in Mental Health and is the foremost social work authority on mental health in Australia. He is well known throughout the country as a pioneer and leader in the mental health field.
