Contact Details
| Organization: | Psychiatry |
| Position: | Honorary (Fellow) |
| Email: | |
| Work: | 03 52603084 |
| Fax: | 03 52465165 |
| Building: | No Building |
| Campus: | Barwon Health |
Biography
Dr Felice Jacka is an NH&MRC Post Doctoral Research Fellow. She has been with The University of Melbourne since 2002, working on collaborative projects between the divisions of psychiatry and epidemiology within the University’s Department of Clinical and Biomedical Sciences, based in Geelong, Australia. In 2004, she was awarded an Ian Scott Fellowship to undertake a full-time PhD with the University of Melbourne, which was completed in October 2008. In 2006, she was awarded a highly competitive five-year National Health and Medical Research Council grant to examine whether diet and/or physical activity and exercise predict the onset, relapse, or remission of depressive and/or anxiety disorders over time.
Dr. Felice Jacka has published two of the first articles worldwide concerning the association between diet and depression in both adolescents and adults (2010), and the first article to report a role for dietary magnesium in depression (2009). Results from her PhD study were published in one of the top scientific journals in psychiatry research: The American Journal of Psychiatry. Her continuing research focuses on the development of the evidence base concerning the role of diet quality in both depression and anxiety - a research field that has previously received scant attention. She has a number of ongoing collaborations with research groups in both Norway and Brazil, as well as other institutions in Australia, with a focus on the nexus between psychiatry and public health. Her ongoing research interests primarily focus on the role that lifestyle factors play in both depressive and anxiety disorders. With a background in psychology and a strong interest in nutrition and public health, she hopes that her work will support a preventative approach to mental illness and will lead to better outcomes for those affected by these illnesses.
Research Expertise and International Linkages
Research Expertise
| Research Interest | Key Words | Country of Expertise |
|---|---|---|
| Psychiatric epidemiology | Depression Anxiety Epidemiology Diet Prevention Lifestyle | Australia, Norway |
International Linkages
| Country | Establishment | Collaboration |
|---|---|---|
| Norway | University of Bergen | Exchange, Research |
| Brazil | Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul | Exchange, Research |
| United Kingdom | Barts and The London, Queen Mary's School of Medicine and Dentistry | Research |
| Norway | The Norwegian Institute of Public Health | Exchange, Research |
Qualifications, Honours, Fellowships and Other Awards
Qualifications
| Title | Institution | Date Awarded | Abbreviation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor of Fine Arts | Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology | 31-Dec-1987 | |
| Postgraduate Diploma of Medical Science | University of Melbourne | 31-Dec-2004 | |
| Bachelor of Arts equivalent | Swinburne University of Technology | 31-Dec-2003 | |
| PhD | University of Melbourne | 17-Jul-2009 |
Memberships
| Membership Type | Membership Body | Description | Start Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Member | International Society for Bipolar Disorder | General membership | 19-Nov-2008 | 20-Nov-2009 |
| Member | Australasian Society for Psychiatric Research | General membership | 07-Jun-2004 | 25-Nov-2009 |
| Member | International Society for Affective Disorders | Member | 02-Feb-2009 | 02-Feb-2010 |
| Member | International Federation of Psychiatric Epidemiology | Associate member | 12-Nov-2008 | 12-Nov-2009 |
Other Awards
| Award Type | Awarding Body | Comments | Date Awarded |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scholarship | Australian Rotary Health Research Fund | Ian Scott Fellowship 3.5 years | 01-Dec-2004 |
| Other (Award) | Smart Geelong Network | Early Researcher Award | 16-Aug-2008 |
| Other (Award) | Australasian Society for Psychiatric Research | Early Career Researcher Award | 30-Oct-2008 |
| Other (Award) | International Society for Affective Disorders | Travel Bursary for ISAD 4th Biennial Conference in South Africa | 07-Nov-2007 |
| Scholarship | Postgraduate Overseas Research Scholarship | 27-Sep-2007 |
Government Research Classifications
Research Fields, Courses and Discipline Classifications
- Psychiatry (CLINICAL SCIENCES) (321021)
- Epidemiology (PUBLIC HEALTH AND HEALTH SERVICES) (321202)
- Mental Health (PUBLIC HEALTH AND HEALTH SERVICES) (321204)
- Nutrition and Dietetics (PUBLIC HEALTH AND HEALTH SERVICES) (321205)
- Preventive Medicine (PUBLIC HEALTH AND HEALTH SERVICES) (321206)
Socio-Economic Objective Classifications
- Skeletal system and disorders (incl. Arthritis) (CLINICAL; ORGANS, DISEASES AND ABNORMAL CONDITIONS) (730114)
- Women's health (PUBLIC HEALTH) (730201)
- Men's health (PUBLIC HEALTH) (730202)
- Mental health (PUBLIC HEALTH) (730211)
- Preventive medicine (PUBLIC HEALTH) (730213)
- Nutrition (PUBLIC HEALTH) (730215)
- Behaviour and health (PUBLIC HEALTH) (730219)
Grants and Contracts
Research Grants, Contracts and Consultancies awarded to the University of Melbourne as the administering institution (since 2003) as recorded in Themis Agreements.
Grants
| Title | Role | Funding Source | Scheme | Award Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diet and exercise for the primary prevention of depression | Chief Investigator | NHMRC | Project Grants | 01/01/2007 |
| The Vital D study - mental health substudy | Chief Investigator | NHMRC | Project Grants | 01/01/2008 |
| Ian Potter Travel Award | Chief Investigator | THE IAN POTTER FOUNDATION | Travel and Conference Grants | 10/12/2009 |
| Lifestyle as a modifiable risk factor for the common mental disorders | Chief Investigator | NHMRC | Training (Postdoctoral) Fellowships | 01/01/2010 |
Additional Grant and Contract Information
2008-2011: (AI) National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC): Project Grant 509103$280,463
A prospective study of inflammatory cytokines as common factors in the aetiology of both depression and osteoporosis.
2008: (CI) National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC): Project Grant 509109
AU $80,250
The effect of high-dose vitamin-D supplementation on mental health in a randomised, controlled trial of 1500 older women
2007-2011: (CI) National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC): Project Grant 454356
AU $445,050
Developing evidence for the primary prevention of depressive disorders: the role of diet and physical activity
2003: Geelong Regional Medical Research Foundation
AU $22,900
Depression in the community: its incidence, prevalence, and the link with diet, lifestyle, and a range of health related outcomes
Publications
Publications produced at the University of Melbourne and reported in the Annual Publications Collection and 'Research Report' since 2001. The Themis Publications module, released in November 2006, allows additional publications from previous institutions and publications from past years to be entered.