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Professor Frances Kay-Lambkin is the current Institute Director and CEO of the Hunter Medical Research Institute, where she is charged with supporting the thriving and innovative health and medical research ecosystem across the University of Newcastle, the Hunter New England Local Health District, and the community of Newcastle and the Hunter.

Frances is a registered psychologist and brings with her 25 years of experience as an HMRI researcher in mental health. She leads an international team of researchers, clinicians, and industry partners in the innovative development and translation of evidence-based treatments for comorbid mental and physical disorders, which is internationally recognised for its impact, research quality, and significant translational value. Frances’s research program has been instrumental in demonstrating the transformative impact of digital technologies in bringing integrated treatments to the point of care for people with comorbidity.

Prior to her research program, there were no effective interventions for comorbid mental and substance use disorders that were shown to improve outcomes. Since that time, Frances has built an innovative program of research that has attracted international collaborators across 5 disciplines and earned >$30M in funded research projects.

In addition to her international research credentials, Professor Kay-Lambkin also has over 10 years research leadership experience, most recently holding the positions of interim Pro-Vice Chancellor, Research and Innovation and Head of School of Medicine and Public Health at the University of Newcastle. She is also the newly appointed Chair of the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Women in Health Science Committee and is a member of the NHMRC Research Committee, in recognition of her standing in the medical research field and advocacy for medical research in Australia.

Frances is passionate about working towards a future where everybody who has a worry about their health – or that of their family members or friends – has hope. Hope of a cure, hope that there is effective help available, and hope that they will be able to find that help when they need it most. As Institute Director of HMRI, she is now in a position to work with all of the HMRI community to support researchers, clinicians, and the community to realise this future.