Jayashri Kulkarni (born c. 1958) is a Professor of Psychiatry at the Alfred Health and

Monash University Monash University () is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Named for prominent World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. The university has a ...

who works in the area of women's mental health. She has written about

Premenstrual syndrome Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) refers to emotional and physical symptoms that regularly occur in the one to two weeks before the start of each menstrual period. Symptoms resolve around the time menstrual bleeding begins. Different women experienc ...

. She has used hormones to treat

schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social withdra ...

bipolar disorder Bipolar disorder, previously known as manic depression, is a mental disorder characterized by periods of depression and periods of abnormally elevated mood that last from days to weeks each. If the elevated mood is severe or associated with ...

and depression in women. She founded and heads the Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, a clinical psychiatry research centre which currently has more than 160 staff and students.

Early life and education

Kulkarni was born in

Bijapur Bijapur, officially known as Vijayapura, is the district headquarters of Bijapur district of the Karnataka state of India. It is also the headquarters for Bijapur Taluk. Bijapur city is well known for its historical monuments of architectural ...

, Karnataka and her parents moved to Australia in 1961 when she was three years old. She graduated from Monash Medical School in 1981 and worked at the Mental Health Research Institute of Victoria from 1987 to 1994. Kulkarni worked as a doctor specialising in accident and emergency medicine before becoming a psychiatrist. By 1989 she was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists although she did not gain her doctorate from her alma mater until 1997. Her thesis was 'Women and Psychosis'. She was appointed as a Professor of Psychiatry at

The Alfred Hospital The Alfred Hospital, also known as The Alfred or Alfred Hospital, is a leading tertiary teaching hospital in Melbourne, Victoria. It is the second oldest hospital in Victoria, and the oldest Melbourne hospital still operating on its original site ...

and

in 2002.

Research and career

Kulkarni has developed treatments for women's mental health that takes into account biological, social and psychological factors. In 1994 she was appointed as Director of Psychiatry at the Dandenong Area Mental Health Service, She was also an associate professor making her the first academic to work at the Dandenong Hospital. She and her team established the Dandenong Psychiatry Research Centre and by 2002 she had seventeen research staff. She was appointed as the chair of Psychiatry at The Alfred Hospital in 2002. She was the Director of Research for the School of Psychology, Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine at

from 2009 to 2010. Kulkarni became the Director of the Monash Partners Academic Health Science Centre in 2013. Kulkarni's research demonstrates the use of

estrogen Estrogen or oestrogen is a category of sex hormone responsible for the development and regulation of the female reproductive system and secondary sex characteristics. There are three major endogenous estrogens that have estrogenic hormonal acti ...

reduced symptoms in schizophrenic women of childbearing age. She played an important role in the opening of the women-only wing at The Alfred Hospital Psychiatry Unit, to prevent sexual assault and violent attacks against women in psychiatric wards. Kulkarni regularly presents in media including the ABC and SBS. Kulkarni is the current President of the International Association for Women's Mental Health. In 2015, she founded the Australian Consortium for Women's Mental Health. She regularly writes for ''

The Conversation ''The Conversation'' is a 1974 American mystery thriller film written, produced, and directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Gene Hackman, John Cazale, Allen Garfield, Cindy Williams, Frederic Forrest, Harrison Ford, Teri Garr, and Rober ...

'' on topics of women's mental health. Kulkarni became a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences in 2016.

Awards

* 2019

Member of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

. *2014 Melbourne Award for Contribution to Community by an individual. * 2011

Victorian Honour Roll of Women The Victorian Honour Roll of Women was established in 2001 to recognise the achievements of women from the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victoria (Australia), Victoria. The Honour Roll was established as part of the cele ...

. * 2005 Eli Lilly Oration Award.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kulkarni, Jayashri Living people 1950s births Academics from Melbourne Psychiatrists from Melbourne Australian women psychiatrists Monash University alumni Australian women scientists Members of the Order of Australia Fellows of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences