Anthony F. Jorm

Career Anthony Jorm received a BA from the University of Queensland, achieving First Class Honours in psychology and a University Medal in 1973. He then completed a master's degree in clinical psychology (1975) and a PhD in psychology (1977) at the University of New South Wales. chair of the Board of Mental Health First Aid International, and chair of the Australian Rotary Health Research Committee (2009–2012).

At the Australian National University, he worked with A. S. (Scott) Henderson on the epidemiology of dementia and depression. This research included “integrated analyses of published work; instrument development; cross-sectional and prospective longitudinal surveys of cognitive decline, dementia and depression in general population samples; and a case-control study of Alzheimer’s disease”. Measures were developed for the assessment of dementia including the Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly (IQCODE) and the Psychogeriatric Assessment Scales.

In the mid-1990s, Jorm began research on mental health literacy, introducing this term and carrying out a national survey of the mental health literacy of the Australian public. An article on this work was listed as the 5th most-cited article in the 100-year history of the Medical Journal of Australia. The research on mental health literacy was a major influence on the development of Mental health first aid training. Jorm's current research at the University of Melbourne is on building the community's capacity for prevention and early intervention on mental disorders.

Jorm has published work on expert consensus in science, including its role in establishing scientific truth, in guiding professional practice and policy, and agreeing on what are acceptable scientific methodologies. He has also written specifically about the validity and use of the Delphi method for establishing expert consensus.

Jorm has been listed as one of the most cited researchers in the mental health field in Australia and the world. In 2020, he was ranked in the top 500 most-cited scientists in the world across all scientific disciplines.

Role in Mental Health First Aid In 2000, Jorm was a founder of Mental Health First Aid training, together with his wife Betty Kitchener. and was the inaugural chair of its board.

Editorial roles He was the editor-in-chief of the Australasian Journal on Ageing from 1997 to 2001 and editor-in-chief of Mental Health & Prevention from 2019 to 2024. He was an associate editor of the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry from 2005 to 2021 and an associate editor of Early Intervention in Psychiatry from 2006 to 2013. Australian Rotary Health Medal, 2007 Research.com Medicine in Australia Leader Award, 2023, 2024 ScholarGPS Highly Ranked Scholar- Lifetime, 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award, National Council for Mental Wellbeing (USA), 2025.

Personal life Jorm married Betty Kitchener in 1978 and they have two children. He is a keen cyclist. He is a member of Rotary.