Embrace Co-Director Professor Ashleigh Lin has been named a finalist in the 2023 Premier's Science Awards, in the Mid-Career Scientist of the Year category.
Premier Roger Cook and Science Minister Stephen Dawson today named 26 finalists across six categories, with the winners to be announced at the Premier’s Science Awards ceremony on 11 September.
Professor Lin, who is also Program Head of Mental Health and Youth at The Kids Research Institute Australia and an Adjunct Professor at The University of Western Australia, was recognised for her work focussed on the mental health of marginalised young people, including LGBTQA+ and Aboriginal youth.
One of Australia’s leading researchers into the mental health of trans youth, she was the senior researcher on the landmark Trans Pathways study which transformed understanding of challenges faced by this group.
"I am incredibly privileged to be able to do the work that I do, and to see the impact it can have in the lives of young people," Professor Lin said.
This nomination is an acknowledgement of the importance of infant, child and adolescent mental health research, in an era where we are starting to observe increasing levels of ill mental health, particularly in marginalised groups.
"The risk of mental disorders rises dramatically in these groups, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and LGBTQA+ communities."
Professor Lin's nomination follows a $420 million boost to the state government's mental health budget in its 2023-24 budget, which included $35.5 million in funding for infant, child and adolescent mental health services. The state government also highlighted infant, child and adolescent mental health as one of three priorities for future research in its strategy document, which referenced Embrace research.
Other nominees from The Kids Research Institute Australia include Professor Andrew Whitehouse, a finalist in the Scientist of the Year category for his research and advocacy focussed on autism, and Professor Britta Regli-Von Ungern Sternberg, in the Mid-Career Scientist of the Year category, for her contribution to paediatric anaesthesia.
Professor Ashleigh Lin was nominated for the Mid-Career Scientist of the Year.