About the Thompson Institute
UniSC’s Thompson Institute integrates world-class research, clinical programs and education to address society’s most pressing mental health issues.
Working with cutting-edge neuroscience, psychotherapies and brain-imaging techniques, our researchers and clinicians connect the mind and body and are uncovering promising new insights into post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), youth mental health, healthy brain ageing and dementia, suicide prevention and more.
The Institute is led by Director Professor Alain Brunet and Deputy Director Professor Daniel Hermens.
2025: Growth and excellence
Throughout 2025, the Thompson Institute strengthened its position as a nationally recognised leader in mental health, neuroscience and brain health research while advancing its commitment to translating research into meaningful community outcomes.
A major achievement was the continued development of the National PTSD Research Centre (NPRC), positioning the Institute at the forefront of trauma research and evidencebased treatment innovation. The establishment of a free PTSD Research Clinic enabled the commencement of two Australian-first clinical trials investigating Reconsolidation Therapy, as well as new understanding of the effectiveness of oral ketamine as a PTSD treatment. These initiatives demonstrate the Institute’s commitment to delivering research that directly improves the lives of individuals living with trauma and PTSD.
Research capability continued to expand across the Institute’s programs in youth mental health, healthy brain ageing, sleep health, neuroimaging and molecular biology. Greater integration of research themes under a “trauma across the lifespan” framework has strengthened collaboration and created new opportunities for interdisciplinary research. The Institute also demonstrated significant impact through community-led research.
Education remained a cornerstone of the Institute’s impact strategy. The Mental Health and Neuroscience postgraduate program continued its trajectory as one of UniSC’s most successful and rapidly growing postgraduate offerings, attracting a diverse cohort of students from across Australia and internationally.
Highlights
- To coincide with PTSD Awareness Month, in June the Insitute’s National PTSD Research Centre launched a free online screening tool for PTSD to help people in the community pursue a diagnosis or consider seeking support.
- Led by Professor Fatima Yaqoot, the Let’s Yarn About Sleep program continued to improve sleep health and wellbeing for First Nations adolescents through culturally responsive, co-designed approaches.
- The Institute continued to build critical research infrastructure to support future growth and collaboration, including strengthening MRI imaging capability through the establishment of a coordinated advisory group and introduction of veterinary scanning.
- An external review recognised the Mental Health and Neuroscience programs as a model of educational innovation, highlighting their authentic assessment practices, proactive student success initiatives and accessible, technology-enhanced learning environments.
Young Tall Poppy Award for her work on ways to reduce the risk of dementia in older people through lifestyle changes.
Making a difference: Our research in action
Free PTSD Research Clinic: Translating research into community outcomes
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a significant public health concern, with an estimated 5–10 percent of Australians experiencing PTSD in their lifetime. However, current treatment approaches often fall short due to limited accessibility, treatment resistance, and patient dissatisfaction.
Launched in 2024, the Thompson Institute’s National PTSD Research Centre (NPRC) is working to provide more effective and accessible treatment options for people and families living with the impacts of PTSD. The Centre’s free PTSD Research Clinic is further strengthening the connection between research and care, providing a dedicated hub for evidence-based treatment, community engagement and clinical research participation.
Led by NPRC’s inaugural Director, Professor Alain Brunet, the Clinic’s Reconsolidation Therapy project is investigating memory reconsolidation blockade, a brief intervention that may be less distressing and more scalable than traditional trauma-focused therapies. By targeting the reconsolidation of traumatic memory, the therapy aims to reduce the emotional intensity of traumatic memories and produce durable reductions in PTSD symptoms.
Drawing on multidisciplinary expertise (including molecular biology, neuroimaging and general practice), the team’s first clinical trial is investigating factors that predict treatment response and evaluating whether memory reconsolidation blockade can durably reduce the impact of traumatic memories and associated symptoms. Thirty-four Clinic participants have enrolled to date, receiving more than 50 treatment sessions.
In addition to evaluating new treatment approaches, the program is focused on building partnerships and clinical capabilities to support improved outcomes in the community. In 2025, the team expanded national and international training in Reconsolidation Therapy, accrediting more than 110 mental health professionals across Australia and in Ukraine.
Their work attracted significant attention through media, PTSD-focused events and conferences, helping to raise awareness of emerging treatment options and establish the NPRC as a leader in the field.
In support of the Institute’s commitment to advancing veteran mental health, other initiatives included a successful consortium that secured $25 million in Department of Veterans’ Affairs funding for veteran mental health research.
While the Clinic is still in its early stages, the team’s next steps will focus on launching trauma-informed care training, further expanding patient access to Reconsolidation Therapy, and building research capacity for future trauma treatment trials.
Improving sleep and wellbeing for First Nations adolescents
Sleep health is an important but often overlooked aspect of adolescent wellbeing, with poor sleep closely linked to mental, emotional and physical health challenges. Historically, there has been a lack of culturally appropriate sleep health resources and services for First Nations young people, particularly in rural and remote areas. Addressing sleep health in ways that centre First Nations knowledge, leadership and lived experience is critical to strengthening youth wellbeing and supporting better mental health outcomes.
Since 2020, Thompson Institute Professor of Sleep Health Fatima Yaqoot has led the development of Let’s Yarn About Sleep (LYAS), Australia’s first sleep health initiative co-designed with and for First Nations adolescents. Developed in partnership with communities in Mount Isa, LYAS brings together First Nations cultural perspectives on sleep with Western sleep science to develop culturally safe resources and strengthen local capacity.
The research team worked with over 170 community Elders, young people, families, schools and local youth and health services to co-design a five-week sleep health program, including interactive sessions on how to sleep better, strategies to support relaxation and emotional wellbeing, and the development of culturally responsive sleep health resources, such as a totem animal yarning guide, sleep health assessment tools and a sleep diary. Six local community members who were trained as Sleep Coaches delivered the program to 70 First Nations adolescents (representing 23 Traditional Groups) in the Mount Isa region between Jan 2023 and April 2025.
Program participants showed meaningful improvements in sleep health, including better sleep knowledge, healthier routines, earlier bedtimes, and improvements in sleep duration. Reductions in psychological distress were observed, reflecting a positive trend consistent with what young people shared in yarning sessions.
The program’s success has been widely shared through community sessions, presentations to health services, and national media coverage. LYAS is now being delivered in six communities (including Cairns and Boulia), and its sleep health assessment and sleep diary have been used by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) and other health services to help clinicians better understand and address sleep health in culturally appropriate ways.
The next phase of this work will focus on expanding the program to additional communities, strengthening the First Nations sleep health workforce and continuing to embed sleep health within youth wellbeing and mental health programs.
Looking ahead: 2026 and beyond
Looking ahead, the Institute will focus on growth, impact and long-term sustainability. Guided by the 2025–2027 Operational Implementation Plan, we will continue to strengthen our position as a leading centre for mental health, neuroscience and brain health research while expanding contributions across research, education, clinical practice and community engagement.
Research priorities will include advancing trauma and PTSD research through the NPRC while strengthening connections across key research areas, including youth mental health, sleep, healthy brain ageing, neuroimaging, molecular biology and early-life research. In education, the Institute will build on the success of our Mental Health and Neuroscience programs through curriculum renewal, expanded industry engagement, new microcredentials and professional development offerings, and exploration of international partnership opportunities.
We will also increase our focus on research translation through clinical innovation, strategic partnerships and community engagement, while pursuing diversified funding streams and philanthropic opportunities to support future growth. As we approach our tenth anniversary, the Institute is well positioned to strengthen its national and international reputation and deliver meaningful benefits for individuals, communities and society.