Anthony Jorm (born 1951) is an Australian researcher who has made contributions in the areas of psychology, psychiatry and gerontology.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. He also co-founded

mental health first aid Mental health first aid is a training program that teaches members of the public how to help a person developing a mental health problem (including a substance misuse problem), experiencing a worsening of an existing mental health problem or in a ...

training with mental health educator

Betty Kitchener Betty Ann Kitchener (born 1951) is an Australian mental health educator who co-founded Mental health first aid training.Office of Women’s Policy, Department of Human Services2011 Victorian Honour Roll of Women.Melbourne, Victoria.Kitchener, B. ...

.Henningham P. With health in mind: The story of Australian Rotary Health. Parramatta; Australian Rotary Health; 2011.

Career

Anthony Jorm received a BA from the

University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = B ...

, achieving First Class Honours in psychology and a University Medal in 1973.Sheehan P. Early Career Awards 1980-1981. Australian Psychologist 1982; 17: 293-296. He then completed a master's degree in clinical psychology (1975) and a PhD in psychology (1977) at the

University of New South Wales The University of New South Wales (UNSW), also known as UNSW Sydney, is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is one of the founding members of Group of Eight, a coalition of Australian research-intensive ...

. In 1995, he was awarded a DSc by the

Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies and ...

for his research on mental disorders. He has held academic appointments at

Deakin University Deakin University is a public university in Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1974, the university was named after Alfred Deakin, the second Prime Minister of Australia. Its main campuses are in Melbourne's Burwood suburb, Geelong Waurn Ponds, ...

(1977-1984), the

(1984-2005), including Director of the Centre for Mental Health Research (2001-2004), and the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

(2005-2018). Since 2019, he has been a Professor Emeritus at the University of Melbourne. Jorm has held

National Health and Medical Research Council The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) is the main statutory authority of the Australian Government responsible for medical research. It was the eighth largest research funding body in the world in 2016, and NHMRC-funded rese ...

(NHMRC) Fellowships, including being awarded an Australia Fellowship in 2009. He is currently an NHMRC Leadership Fellow. Honorary positions include president of the Australasian Society for Psychiatric Research (1999–2000), chair of the Board of Mental Health First Aid International,Mental Health First Aid Australia. The MHFA Board. https://mhfa.com.au/our-people/mhfa-australia-board Retrieved 11 May 2021 and chair of the

Australian Rotary Health Australian Rotary Health (ARH) is a national, not-for-profit organisation which funds health research and provides community education about health in Australia. The organisation supports work on a broad range of health problems, but specialises ...

Research Committee (2009–2012).

Contributions to research

Jorm's early research at

was on cognitive processes in reading and spelling, particularly on reading and spelling disabilities. 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. At the

, he worked with A. S. (Scott) Henderson on the epidemiology of dementia and depression.Henderson AS, Jorm AF. Some contributions to the epidemiology of dementia and depression. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry 1997; 12: 145-154 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”. This research included studies showing history of depression as a risk factor for dementia.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. Measures were developed for the assessment of dementia including the

Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly The Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly (IQCODE) is a questionnaire that can be filled out by a relative or other supporter of an older person to determine whether that person has declined in cognitive functioning. The IQCOD ...

(IQCODE) and the Psychogeriatric Assessment Scales. In the mid-1990s, Jorm began research on

mental health literacy Mental health literacy has been defined as "knowledge and beliefs about mental disorders which aid their recognition, management and prevention. Mental health literacy includes the ability to recognize specific disorders; knowing how to seek ment ...

, 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 The ''Medical Journal of Australia'' is a peer-reviewed medical journal published 22 times a year. It is the official journal of the Australian Medical Association, published by Wiley on behalf of the Australasian Medical Publishing Company. The ...

. The research on mental health literacy was a major influence on the development of

Mental health first aid Mental health first aid is a training program that teaches members of the public how to help a person developing a mental health problem (including a substance misuse problem), experiencing a worsening of an existing mental health problem or in a ...

training.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 Jorm's current research at the University of Melbourne is on building the community's capacity for prevention and early intervention on mental disorders.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. Jorm has been listed as one of the most cited researchers in the mental health field in Australia and the world. In 2020, he was ranked in the top 500 most-cited scientists in the world across all scientific disciplines.

Role in Mental Health First Aid

In 2000, Jorm was a founder of Mental Health First Aid training, together with his wife Betty Kitchener. 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. In 2011, together with Betty Kitchener, he founded the not-for-profit organization Mental Health First Aid International and was the inaugural chair of its board. By 2021, Mental Health First Aid training had spread to over 25 countries and over 4 million people had been trained globally.

Editorial roles

He was the editor-in-chief of the

Australasian Journal on Ageing Australasian is the adjectival form of Australasia, a geographical region including Australia, New Zealand, and New Guinea. Australasian may also refer to: Institutions Commercial * Australasian Correctional Management, private company running p ...

from 1997 to 2001 and has been the editor-in-chief of ''Mental Health & Prevention'' since 2019. He was an associate editor of the

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry ''Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal that publishes papers in the field of Psychiatry. The journal's editor is Professor Gin S. Malhi. It is currently published by SAGE Publications on behalf ...

from 2005 to 2021 and an associate editor of Early Intervention in Psychiatry from 2006 to 2013.

Awards and honours

Medal, 1973 * Guy Goodricke Prize in Psychology *

Australian Psychological Society The Australian Psychological Society (APS) is one of the professional associations for psychologists in Australia. The APS had more than 27,000 members in 2005, making it the largest professional body representing psychologists in Australia at ...

Early Career Award, 1982 * Fellow of the

Academy of Social Sciences in Australia The Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia (ASSA) is an independent, non-governmental organisation devoted to the advancement of knowledge and research in the social sciences. It has its origins in the Social Science Research Council of Austr ...

, 1994 * Ewald W Busse Research Award from the International Association of Gerontology, 1997 * Founders’ Medal, Australasian Society for Psychiatric Research, 2002 * ISI Highly Cited Researcher, 2003 *

Medal, 2007 * Thompson Scientific Citation Award, 2008 * Excellence in Mental Health Education, National Council of Behavioral Healthcare, USA, 2008. *

Australia Fellow, 2009 * Outstanding Academic Mentor Award,

, 2017 * Research.com Psychology in Australia Leader Award, 2022, 2023Research.com. Anthony F Jorm. https://research.com/u/anthony-f-jorm. Retrieved 15 May 2023. * Research.com Medicine in Australia Leader Award, 2023 *

James McKeen Cattell Fellow Award The James McKeen Cattell Fellow Award is an award of the Association for Psychological Science given since 1992. The award is named after James McKeen Cattell and "honors individuals for their lifetime of significant intellectual contributions to t ...

Association for Psychological Science The Association for Psychological Science (APS), previously the American Psychological Society, is an international non-profit organization whose mission is to promote, protect, and advance the interests of scientifically oriented psychology in ...

, 2024Association for Psychological Science. https://www.psychologicalscience.org/members/awards-and-honors/cattell-award. Retrieved 6 October 2023.

Personal life

Jorm married

in 1978 and they have two children. He is a keen cyclist. He is a member of the Rotary Club of Carlton.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jorm, Anthony Living people 1951 births Academic staff of Deakin University Academic staff of the Australian National University Academic staff of the University of Melbourne Australian psychologists Academic journal editors Fellows of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia University of Queensland alumni University of New South Wales alumni Australian social scientists Australian medical researchers People from Brisbane