PIF Introduction to Psychiatry Online Short Course 2026

Benjamin recently completed training as a Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist in Launceston, Tasmania. He is working across Out of Home Care and Youth teams. He is a Chief Training Supervisor across North / Northwest regions for the Tasmanian Psychiatry Training Program, and a 2026 'Rural Champion' for the RANZCP Rural Training Pathways initiative. He has further training in education, and runs RANZCP exam preparation courses. 

Dr Nimalee Kanakkahewa obtained her basic medical degree in Sri Lanka before moving to the UK where she completed specialist training in Psychiatry. She worked as a general adult psychiatrist both in UK and regional Queensland before moving to Darwin in 2018. She gained extensive clinical experience of working with women from different backgrounds including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and women from Culturally and Linguistically diverse backgrounds while working as the perinatal psychiatrist in the Darwin based Perinatal Mental Health Service. She now works with the Territory wide e-PIMHS serving women who live in remote communities. Nimalee is both the rural director of training and the director of training of the NT Psychiatry Training Programme and has a comprehensive understanding of psychiatry training in the Northern Territory.

Dr James Nahamkes is deeply invested in the quality of training provided to trainees and their progression. He plays a central role in the selection and support of psychiatry trainees across Victoria, currently serving as the Director of Training for the Southern Region of Victoria, as well as the Deputy Chair for the Victorian Psychiatry Training Committee (VPTC). 

His clinical background also includes a prior role as a Consultant Psychiatrist with the Alfred Health Community Assessment and Treatment Team (CATT), where he managed acute crisis interventions and community-based psychiatric care.

Dr Maria Restivo is a final-year trainee at the Royal Brisbane Women's Hospital and Queensland Eating Disorder Service. 

She has completed her training across various services including Redcliffe and Caboolture Hospitals, The Park Centre for Mental Health, Royal Brisbane Women's Hospital and STARS (Surgical, Treatment and Rehabilitation Service). She is currently completing Certificates in Advanced Training in Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry and Psychotherapies.  

Outside of her clinical duties, she is also a trainee representative on the Committee for Evidence Based Practice (RANZCP), Trainee Advisory Council (RANZCP) and Academic Subcommittee (Queensland Branch Training Committee). She believes strongly in advocacy for trainee education and wellbeing.

She is passionate about research, with particular interests in neuropsychiatry and the interactions between metabolic health and mental health. She has been involved in the teaching and education of both medical trainees and research trainees across her academic and medical career progression.