Meet Dr Rizkallah, Consultant Psychiatrist specialising in eating disorders and forensic psychiatry based in Melbourne and RANZCP Fellow.

1) Tell us a little bit about yourself

I have strong interest in women’s mental health and gender equity. My clinical work focuses on the intersection of mental disorders and women’s experiences, including body image, eating disorders, trauma-related conditions, and domestic and family violence.

Beyond my clinical role, I am an advocate for gender equity through my position as Chair of the Women’s Psychiatry Network (WPN), a special interest group supporting women psychiatrists and trainees across Australia and New Zealand. I am passionate about fostering connection, mentorship, and systemic change for women in our profession. I’ve always been drawn to the intersection of mental health and social justice, and my work with the WPN has reinforced just how much gender shapes our experiences in medicine.

Outside of psychiatry, I enjoy spending time with my young child, travelling, cooking, experiencing other cultures (through food!), and contributing to discussions that amplify the voices of women.

2) What does it mean to you to be a woman in psychiatry?

Being a woman in psychiatry is both an opportunity and a challenge. It means working in a field that is uniquely attuned to human experience, relationships, development and systemic influences on mental health, and I think as women we bring a maternal stance which can be exceptionally powerful. Yet, we continue to work within a system that influences both the way in which psychiatry is practiced and the conditions which we practice in. As a profession, we still grapple with gender disparities in not only clinical approaches, but leadership, career progression, and workplace culture.

Through my role in the Women’s Psychiatry Network, I have seen how powerful peer support and collective advocacy can be in ensuring that women in psychiatry thrive not despite their gender, but because of the strengths they bring to the profession. Being a woman in psychiatry also means advocating for structural change, not only for the benefit of our colleagues but for our patients too. Women’s experiences of mental illness are often shaped by social, cultural, and structural inequalities, and as psychiatrists we have a duty to challenge these broader systems. 

3) The theme of International Women’s Day 2025 is “March Forward: From Promises to Progress.” In your view, is psychiatry making progress toward this goal?

There has been progress, but it has been slow, and there is still significant work to do. Women now make up nearly half of the psychiatry workforce, yet leadership roles remain male-dominated, women still experience bias, discrimination and career roadblocks, and most concerningly sexual harassment in the workplace remains underreported and inadequately addressed.

While there have been welcome improvements like amendments to part-time training fees and a sexual harassment and assault response pathway, there is further work to be done to ensure that women are not disadvantaged on the basis of their gender. Through the Women’s Psychiatry Network, we are working to turn awareness into action advocating for improved work and training conditions for all women at all career stages, amplifying the diverse voices of women in psychiatry and creating spaces for peer support and mentorship. Psychiatry has the potential to lead the medical profession in gender equity, but it will only happen if we commit to real, systemic change.

Progress is not given; it’s something we must fight for. And we are.