Congratulations to Dr Shilpa Aggarwal and Professor Dan Siskind who have been awarded the RANZCP Foundation 2025 Catalyst Grants.

Dr Shilpa Aggarwal

Adapting a self‑harm intervention for a culturally diverse youth

Dr Aggarwal is a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist with Gold Coast Hospital and Health Services and holds the academic appointments of Associate Professor with Griffith University and Deakin University. 

Many young people who self-harm first seek help through primary care, but access to low-intensity psychological treatment remains limited, particularly for those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. 

Dr Aggarwal’s project will adapt ATMAN, a less resource-intensive psychological treatment she developed, for the Australian context. Named after the Sanskrit word for “eternal self”, ATMAN reflects a focus on inner balance and wellbeing and was developed through a structured process with input from lived experience consultants. 

The project will explore how the treatment could be delivered by non-specialist providers in primary care, with particular attention to its relevance and accessibility for culturally and linguistically diverse communities. It will also examine potential pathways, barriers and facilitators to integrating culturally responsive support for young people who self-harm within primary care settings.

Professor Dan Siskind

Schizophrenia National Clinical Trial Consortium

Professor Siskind is Professor in the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences at the University of Queensland, and a Clinical Academic Psychiatrist at Princess Alexandra Hospital. He is also a University of Queensland Amplify Fellow and a Queensland Clinical Research Fellow.

Professor Siskind’s project addresses treatment-resistant schizophrenia, a severe form of mental illness that does not respond well to existing treatments and is often associated with ongoing symptoms, physical health problems and social challenges. 

The project will establish the Schizophrenia National Clinical Trial Consortium (SNaCC), a national network to support clinical trials across Australia. By training and mentoring doctors and researchers at trial sites, including in regional areas, SNaCC will build capacity to test and deliver new treatments.

People with lived experience of schizophrenia will help guide the research to ensure it reflects real-world needs and priorities. Over time, the consortium is intended to strengthen Australia’s schizophrenia research infrastructure and support more coordinated development of new treatment approaches.

Read more about this and other RANZCP Foundation-supported projects in the 2025 Impact Report.