Malcolm Battersby

Professor Malcolm Battersby serves as Head of Psychiatry at Flinders University College of Medicine and Public Health and Senior Consultant Psychiatrist at Southern Adelaide Local Health Network (SALHN) Mental Health Services. He is also a Senior Research Fellow at the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute and leads the Mental Health Research program at Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute.

His academic credentials include PhD, FRANZCP, and FAChAM. He trained with Professor Isaac Marks at the Institute of Psychiatry, London (1987-1990) in behavioral treatments of anxiety disorders.

Professor Battersby's research focuses on two primary domains: behavioral interventions for anxiety disorders and problem gambling, and chronic condition self-management through the Flinders Program. His work bridges clinical practice, research, and education, with significant impact on mental health service delivery models across Australia. The Flinders Program has been adapted for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities as the Flinders Closing the Gap initiative.

His contributions to mental health have been recognized through prestigious awards including the Harkness Fellowship from the Commonwealth Fund of New York (2003-2004) and the Health Innovations Award for the Flinders Program (2006).

• Secured over $40 million in NHMRC, ARC, and Commonwealth research funding
• Chief investigator of NHMRC trial on Flinders Program for cardiovascular risk in psychosis
• Established Flinders Human Behaviour and Health Research Unit (2003)
• Led mental health service reforms as Clinical Director of SALHN Mental Health Services (2015-2019)

Professor Battersby founded the Centre for Anxiety and Related Disorders (1993), Intensive Gambling Therapy Service (1996), and Flinders Centre for Gambling Research (2010). His team's work with the Beyondblue NewAccess program achieved 68% recovery rates for over 4,000 people with anxiety and depression, with the model subsequently implemented across Australian Primary Health Networks.