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Lara North
Profile
Dr Lara North
Dr Lara North grew up on a family acreage in New South Wales and chose to undertake her medical degree in Tasmania including clinical years at the rural clinical school in North-West Tasmania. At the time, disappointingly, there were no psychiatry training pathways available in rural Tasmania, therefore Dr North relocated to Hobart to commence psychiatry training. The stark disparities in rural mental health care that Dr North experienced during her psychiatry training became a key driver, shaping and motivating her journey as a rural psychiatry doctor.
Dr North’s passion for rural mental health care provision drove her search for further rural psychiatry training opportunities, which saw her relocate to Central Gippsland, where she now works with Latrobe Regional Health.
Dr North feels strongly that living in a rural location should not equate to compromised mental health care, which has driven her to be part of the solution to see more equitable access to quality psychiatric services in rural areas and improved mental health outcomes for rural communities.
Dr North sees rural as a strength - the breadth and complexity of generalist clinical experiences, the trust and respect demonstrated between colleagues in close-knit teams, the autonomy and leadership opportunities that present themselves in small services, and the sense of belonging and purpose formed whilst working within a small community has strengthened her development as a psychiatrist.. and as a human being.
As a rural clinician, Dr North has the privilege of walking alongside consumers and their families throughout their mental health journey. Inspired every day by the strength and resilience of the rural community which she belongs to, especially in the face of limited resources and increasing threats to wellbeing, such as the extreme bushfire events that have impacted rural Victorian communities in recent years.
Dr North believes living and working in a rural location is a special opportunity not only to connect with the community, but to live in some of the most beautiful and varied landscapes in the world. In Gippsland you have the lakes, rainforests, beaches and alpine regions all on your back doorstep – Dr North loves to stroll around the lake at lunchtime, head to the beach after work, and explore the mountains on the weekend. The family friendly activities and events such as the local music festival provide so much variety and a chance to deepen social connections and find new hobbies, like dragon boating or orienteering – living rurally you are only isolated if you choose to be.
As the Principal Psychiatry Registrar at Latrobe Regional Health, Dr North contributes significantly to psychiatry in the region through many roles. Working across adult and older adult community mental health services, Dr North has an interest in psychotherapy, trauma-related disorders and perinatal mental health and wellbeing, particularly pregnancy and birth related trauma.
Dr North has made contributions to medical education program delivery through the local psychiatry training program, including academic programs and examination support for trainees, as well as collaboration with Monash University to provide medical student teaching and mentoring for students interested in psychiatry training pathways.
Dr North strongly supports staff wellbeing and provides supervision and support for medical students, junior doctors, psychiatry trainees and the broader multidisciplinary team, promoting a safe, inclusive and positive workplace culture.
Passionate about collaborative projects that enhance consumer mental health care outcomes, Dr North is involved in the RANZCP Community Collaboration Committee and RANZCP Planetary Health and Mental Health Advisory Group.
Looking to the future, Dr North sees her rural experiences as defining her professional pathway as a psychiatrist. Her vision is to be a strong leader and advocate for psychiatry in rural areas – both to deliver equitable quality mental health care to rural communities, as well as to contribute to the development of a sustainable and well supported psychiatry workforce.
The RANZCP Rural Champions initiative was funded by the Australian Government under the Psychiatry Workforce Program.
Dr Lara North grew up on a family acreage in New South Wales and chose to undertake her medical degree in Tasmania including clinical years at the rural clinical school in North-West Tasmania. At the time, disappointingly, there were no psychiatry training pathways available in rural Tasmania, therefore Dr North relocated to Hobart to commence psychiatry training. The stark disparities in rural mental health care that Dr North experienced during her psychiatry training became a key driver, shaping and motivating her journey as a rural psychiatry doctor.
Dr North’s passion for rural mental health care provision drove her search for further rural psychiatry training opportunities, which saw her relocate to Central Gippsland, where she now works with Latrobe Regional Health.
Dr North feels strongly that living in a rural location should not equate to compromised mental health care, which has driven her to be part of the solution to see more equitable access to quality psychiatric services in rural areas and improved mental health outcomes for rural communities.
Dr North sees rural as a strength - the breadth and complexity of generalist clinical experiences, the trust and respect demonstrated between colleagues in close-knit teams, the autonomy and leadership opportunities that present themselves in small services, and the sense of belonging and purpose formed whilst working within a small community has strengthened her development as a psychiatrist.. and as a human being.
As a rural clinician, Dr North has the privilege of walking alongside consumers and their families throughout their mental health journey. Inspired every day by the strength and resilience of the rural community which she belongs to, especially in the face of limited resources and increasing threats to wellbeing, such as the extreme bushfire events that have impacted rural Victorian communities in recent years.
Dr North believes living and working in a rural location is a special opportunity not only to connect with the community, but to live in some of the most beautiful and varied landscapes in the world. In Gippsland you have the lakes, rainforests, beaches and alpine regions all on your back doorstep – Dr North loves to stroll around the lake at lunchtime, head to the beach after work, and explore the mountains on the weekend. The family friendly activities and events such as the local music festival provide so much variety and a chance to deepen social connections and find new hobbies, like dragon boating or orienteering – living rurally you are only isolated if you choose to be.
As the Principal Psychiatry Registrar at Latrobe Regional Health, Dr North contributes significantly to psychiatry in the region through many roles. Working across adult and older adult community mental health services, Dr North has an interest in psychotherapy, trauma-related disorders and perinatal mental health and wellbeing, particularly pregnancy and birth related trauma.
Dr North has made contributions to medical education program delivery through the local psychiatry training program, including academic programs and examination support for trainees, as well as collaboration with Monash University to provide medical student teaching and mentoring for students interested in psychiatry training pathways.
Dr North strongly supports staff wellbeing and provides supervision and support for medical students, junior doctors, psychiatry trainees and the broader multidisciplinary team, promoting a safe, inclusive and positive workplace culture.
Passionate about collaborative projects that enhance consumer mental health care outcomes, Dr North is involved in the RANZCP Community Collaboration Committee and RANZCP Planetary Health and Mental Health Advisory Group.
Looking to the future, Dr North sees her rural experiences as defining her professional pathway as a psychiatrist. Her vision is to be a strong leader and advocate for psychiatry in rural areas – both to deliver equitable quality mental health care to rural communities, as well as to contribute to the development of a sustainable and well supported psychiatry workforce.
The RANZCP Rural Champions initiative was funded by the Australian Government under the Psychiatry Workforce Program.
