Natalie Mills

Dr. Natalie Mills is a Senior Lecturer in Psychiatry at the University of Adelaide's Adelaide Medical School, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences. As a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, she completed her PhD at the University of Queensland in 2016, investigating cytokine roles in adolescent depression. Her current research examines phenotypic and genetic relationships between inflammatory markers and mood disorders.

Research focuses on neuroimmunological mechanisms in depression and anxiety, with particular expertise in longitudinal inflammatory marker analysis, ketamine therapeutics, and inflammation-stratified treatment approaches. Her work bridges clinical psychiatry with molecular biology to develop personalized treatment strategies.

Recent publications demonstrate strong emphasis on: 1) Ketamine efficacy trials for treatment-resistant depression, 2) Inflammation-based stratification of antidepressant therapies, 3) Cognitive outcomes of novel treatments, and 4) Genetic-epigenetic interactions in treatment response. Multidisciplinary approaches combine clinical trials with advanced biomarker analysis.

Awards and Honors

• Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists Young Investigator Grant (2010)
• QIMR Berghofer Higher Degree Travel Committee Award (2012)

Teaching and Supervision

Coordinates Year 4 MBBS Psychiatry curriculum and supervises graduate researchers. Current students include Aylin Erginbas (anxiety-inflammation associations), Chelsea Parsons (pediatric anxiety disorders), and Olivia Cambridge (cognitive impairment in depression). Secured multiple grants including MRFF Neurological Disorders Grant ($1.9M) and Faculty Emerging Leaders Award.