New BMRI clinic unveiled

Lauren Smelcher

1 September 2007
The Vice-Chancellor has opened a new wing of the Brain and Mind Research Institute at Camperdown, which has received substantial funding from the state government.

The Psychiatry and Neurology Clinical Services Suites, a $6 million enterprise,will house several new initiatives of the BMRI, chief among them the Ultra High Risk Clinic. Chaired by Professor Ian Hickie, the clinic will offer services to young people at high risk of mental disorder or ill health.

With over 40 per cent of all illnesses in Australia now attributed to diseases of the brain and mind, the BMRI represents an important step in health care and clinical research. It was opened in 2003, with major financial support from the University. To date, it is the only centre of its kind in the world.

Also last night, Max Bennett launched his new book, Neuroscience and Philosophy: Brain, Mind, and Language(Columbia University Press). In the book, Professor Bennett and fellow neuroscientist Peter Hacker pit their considerable wits against philosophers Daniel Dennett and John Searle in debates concerning the brain, its function, and the subsequent role of the mind.

Keen to highlight the importance of research such as Professor Bennett's, and of the BMRI itself, Professor Hickie noted: "In all the developments here, high quality clinical science and high quality clinical research, in conjunction with the neurosciences, is what we're all about."

The BMRI has received a further $16 million from the NSW government for the forthcoming Youth Mental Health Building.

Contact: Lauren Smelcher
Phone: 02 9351 7595
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