Jackie Curtis

Professor Jackie Curtis (MBBS (Hons), FRANZCP) serves as the inaugural Executive Director of the Mindgardens Neuroscience Network, a collaborative initiative involving UNSW Sydney, Black Dog Institute, NeuRA, and South Eastern Sydney Local Health District (SESLHD). Her career spans decades of pioneering work in youth mental health and early psychosis, with a focus on improving cardiometabolic outcomes for individuals with severe mental disorders like schizophrenia. She developed the internationally recognized Keeping the Body in Mind program, demonstrating that antipsychotic-induced weight gain can be prevented through lifestyle interventions, and co-founded the iphYs International Working Group advocating for physical health improvements in youth psychosis. Professor Curtis also contributes to global health as a committee member for the WHO International Guidelines on physical health management in severe mental disorders.

Her research focuses on:

• Early intervention in psychosis
• Integrated mental-physical healthcare delivery
• Cardiometabolic risk mitigation in psychiatric patients
• Youth mental health service innovation
• Peer worker integration in clinical settings
• Physical activity and nutrition interventions

Recent publications highlight her leadership in

• Global pandemic mental health impacts
• Implementation of lifestyle programs
• Nurse-led physical health interventions
• Transdiagnostic psychosocial models
• Peer support worker strategies

Professor Curtis supervises research in psychotic disorders, youth mental health, and cardiometabolic risk reduction. Her affiliations include the Discipline of Psychiatry and Mental Health at UNSW, and she operates across multiple academic-industry partnerships. The Mindgardens Neuroscience Network serves as her primary research hub, facilitating interdisciplinary collaboration between clinical and academic institutions.