1. Tell us a little about yourself and your work. 

I grew up in Melbourne and completed my undergraduate medical degree at Monash University during the pandemic. Since then, I have worked as a junior doctor and psychiatry registrar at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and Alfred Health. Though I find immense fulfilment from my usual clinical duties, I have also grown deep interests in research and education along the way and hope to continue weaving these into my career as it progresses.

2. What motivated you to choose psychiatry and what has been the most surprising part of your journey so far?

I was inspired to choose this specialty from seeing how my psychiatry colleagues would deftly and empathically approach the challenging situations we so often encounter in mental health. The opportunity to connect with our patients’ stories also really drew me in. I have always found the human experience and psychology fascinating, and love that psychiatry holistically blends this with the more biological aspects of medicine. When I first began training, I was struck by just how nuanced the art of taking a good history really is.

3. You are passionate about climate advocacy and actively involved in Doctors for the Environment Australia (DEA). Tell us about your work in the climate space.

It is my strong belief that in our duty as healthcare professionals, advocating for a healthy environment is synonymous with advocating for the health of our patients and the wider community. My involvement with climate advocacy began in medical school on the DEA National Student Committee, and following this I co-convened DEA’s annual conference in 2022. Currently, I am on the organising committee of the DEA mental health special interest group, which all doctors and medical students are welcome to join.

 4. Your essay on climate change and mental health was published in Australasian Psychiatry last year. What motivated you to write it and what was the process like?

I have observed a general assumption that ‘climate anxiety’ is the only link connecting climate change and mental health. My motivation for publishing the essay was to highlight that there is actually much more to the mental health implications of climate change than this alone. In writing it, I also had the exciting privilege to attend WCP 2023 in Vienna on a travel fellowship, where it was heartening to see that there is indeed increasing awareness of this on a global scale.

5. What do you like to do outside of work?

Outside of spending time with friends and family, I often will be trying various new activities that pique my interest. However, the hobbies that I most consistently return to would probably include spending time in nature on walks and hikes, finding good food spots (not difficult in Melbourne!), and practising yoga. Also, while I don’t always read books specifically related to psychiatry, I am currently engrossed in Sylvia Plath’s classic ‘The Bell Jar’.