Professor Megan Galbally is the new Program Director of Mental Health at Monash Health.
Professor Galbally has an impressive resume. She is a Fellow of the Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, and currently the National Chair of Section of Perinatal and Infant Psychiatry and Chair of the Gender Equity Working Group within RANZCP. She is also currently the Professor/Director for the Centre for Women’s and Children’s Mental Health at Monash Health and Monash University. She holds honorary positions in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Melbourne and at the University of Western Australia.
Prior to working at Monash Health, Professor Galbally was the Medical Director of Women’s Health, Genetics and Mental Health at King Edward Memorial Hospital in WA, as well as the Foundation Chair for Perinatal Psychiatry at Murdoch University. In these roles, she oversaw a number of diverse statewide services as well as holding a research academic role.
“As a psychiatrist and researcher working in perinatal and women’s mental health, what really became apparent to me is that this is our earliest opportunity for prevention of mental health disorders and early intervention, to give people the very best start to life.”
Monash Health’s Mental Health program is the largest of its kind in Victoria, with child, adolescent, adult and older adult services provided across the southeast.
“We’ve got an incredible array of service from the beginning of life to the end of life,” says Megan. “We have services in my own area, perinatal and women, but we also have a range of services across many areas of mental health. I’m looking forward to getting to know each of those services and getting to know the people and the teams right across the program.”
Following the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System and the new 2022 Mental Health and Wellbeing Act, change is coming for mental health in our state.
“We’re undergoing a massive transformation in terms of our models of care and the way that we deliver care within mental health, not only at Monash Health but across Victoria.”
“It’s an exciting but challenging time,” says Megan. “The Royal Commission highlighted the importance of mental health services for our community, but also the challenges for mental health teams, and for consumers in accessing these services.”
Despite the challenges, Megan highlights the exciting opportunities that mental health reform will bring. “Our strategic direction is the integration of clinical care, research and education. It’s a unique, innovative and exciting opportunity to implement that for mental health services.”