Congratulations to Professor Michael Berk AO, on being appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to epidemiology, to preventative medicine, to mental health, and to tertiary education. 

Professor Michael Berk AO is currently a NHMRC Leadership 3 research Fellow and is Deakin Distinguished Chair of Psychiatry at Deakin University and Barwon Health, where he heads the Institute for Innovation in Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation (IMPACT). 

He is an Honorary Professorial Research fellow in the Department of Psychiatry, the Florey Institute for Neuroscience and Mental Health and Orygen Youth Health at Melbourne University, as well as in the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine at Monash University.  

He has published over 1650 papers and is listed by Thompson Reuters ISI as highly cited (2015-2025). His major interests are in the discovery and implementation of novel therapies.  

Congratulations to Professor Valsamma Eapen AO, appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to #psychiatry, to child and adolescent #mentalhealth, neurodevelopmental research, and tertiary education. 

Professor Eapen is Chair of Child Psychiatry at UNSW Sydney; Head, Academic Unit of Child Psychiatry Services (AUCS), Director, BestSTART child health research unit and Clinical Academic at South-Western Sydney Local Health District. She is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences and an NHMRC Senior Research Leadership Fellow, leading the NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence – STARS for Kids. 

She is recognised internationally for her expertise in neurodevelopmental disorders including autism and Tourette Syndrome and for her innovative “Watch Me Grow” program. 

She contributed to the Australian National Guideline development group for autism and ADHD and co-authored the National Tourette’s Impact Study. She has authored over 500 publications including “Where There Is No Child Psychiatrist” and is part of research grants totalling over $40 million.

Congratulations to Dr Jennifer Anne Harrison AM, appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to youth and children's psychiatry, and to the arts.

Dr Harrison is a child and youth psychiatrist specialising in neuropsychiatry at the Alfred/Bayside Infant Child Youth Area Mental Health and Wellbeing Service. She lectures at the University of Melbourne where she also founded and manages The Dax Poetry Collection, and sits on the Acquisition Committee for The Cunningham Dax Collection of mental health art. Dr Harrison currently chairs the World Psychiatry Association’s Section for Art and Psychiatry. 

She has published ten award-winning collections of poetry and in 2012 received the Christopher Brennan Award for sustained achievement in Australian poetry.

Congratulations to Professor Warwick Middleton AM, on being appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to psychiatric medicine, and to research into and treatment of complex traumagenic dissociation. 

Professor Middleton is a psychiatrist in private practice, Fellow and past-President of the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD), received the ISSTD Lifetime Achievement Award and chaired and served on multiple ISSTD Committees. 

He has directed the Trauma and Dissociation Unit at Belmont Hospital, Brisbane Since 1996 and holds appointments with the University of Queensland and the University of Canterbury. 

He was the first to publish a series on the abuse histories and phenomenology of Australian patients with dissociative identity disorder and the first globally to systematically study ongoing incestuous abuse during adulthood.  

Prof Middleton AM has served on various RANZCP committees and made significant contributions through leadership, training and examination roles over many years.

Congratulations to Professor Richard Newton AM, appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to mental health care, and to the psychiatry profession. 

Professor Newton is a Consultant Psychiatrist, Senior Research Lead Mental Health at Peninsula Health, and Adjunct Clinical Professor at Monash University and Board member at Wellways. He has served on many boards including Mental Health Victoria, the World Association for Psychosocial Rehabilitation Australia, the Butterfly Foundation.  

Professor Newton has made significant contributions to the RANZCP over many years, including on the Finance, Audit and Risk Management Committee, Governance Reform Taskforce, and RANZCP Foundation Committee. He served as a Board Member from 2024 –2026, and was Victorian Branch Chair from 2016–19, leading the College's response to the Royal Commission into Victoria's Mental Health System.  

He received the RANZCP Margaret Tobin Award and the RANZCP College Citation. He has published more than 75 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on topics including CBT, psychosis, eating disorders, psychosocial interventions, health service redesign, and homelessness.

Congratulations to Dr Paul Valent OAM, on being awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for service to the Jewish community. 

Dr Paul Valent OAM is a psychiatrist, psychotherapist, author, and community leader whose career has focused on trauma, mental health, and Holocaust survivor support. 

He co-founded the Melbourne Child Survivors of the Holocaust Group in 1990, served as its Founding President and remains an active member. He was a former member of the Testimonies Advisory Panel at the Melbourne Holocaust Museum. 

Dr Paul Valent OAM was a co-founder of the Australasian Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, serving as President and was recognised as a life member. His professional career included roles as Senior Lecturer in Psychiatry at Monash University, Liaison Psychiatrist at Monash Medical Centre and Prince Henry’s Hospital, and membership of Victoria’s Mental Health Response Team following the Ash Wednesday bushfires. 

He has authored several influential books on trauma, psychotherapy, and Holocaust survivor experiences.