ProfessorMichael Berk

Deakin Distinguished Professor and Director, IMPACT

Faculty of Health/School of Medicine/Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation

  • Deakin Distinguished Professor and Director, IMPACT
    Faculty of Health/School of Medicine/Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation
  • HERB, Health, Education and Research Building (HERB), Level 1, 285 Ryrie Street, Geelong

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Alfred Deakin Professor Berk's research interests are predominantly in the area of novel therapy development. Research domains include mood disorders, particularly bipolar disorder and depression, schizophrenia and chronic fatigue syndrome. 

GRANTS

  • GRANT
    ASPIRE A new scalable and sustainable platform to improve survivorship care for assault victims living with severe physical and psychological deficits
    1 Oct 2025 - 30 Sep 2028
    People funded by this grant:
    MRFF Survivorship Care and Collaborative Research Prioritisation Grant - 2040467 - $1,996,698.00
  • CONTRACT RESEARCH
    Translating mental health peer support into practice for consumers in rural and regional emergency departments: feasibility and pilot testing
    11 Sep 2025 - 11 Sep 2026
    People funded by this grant:
    Medibank Private Ltd - $80,000.00
  • GRANT
    CALM-Kids: Co-design and evaluation of family-based lifestyle therapy versus placebo control for reducing child anxiety.
    1 Jul 2025 - 30 Jun 2027
    People funded by this grant:
    MRFF EPCDR Childhood Mental Health Research Grant - 2036091 - $998,924.41
  • GRANT
    SYNDICAT: Synergy for the Development of Innovative Clinical Treatments in Schizophrenia
    1 Jan 2025 - 31 Dec 2029
    People funded by this grant:
    NHMRC Synergy Grants - 2035912 - $5,000,000.00
  • GRANT
    Pathways of Influence through the Gut Microbiome in Post-Acute COVID-19 Sequelae: The RECOVERy Study
    1 Jun 2024 - 31 May 2026
    People funded by this grant:
    MRFF EPCDR - Post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 - 2033283 - $996,923.80
  • GRANT
    Silexan in the Treatment Of Posttraumatic stress disorder (STOP) trial
    1 Sep 2023 - 31 Aug 2027
    People funded by this grant:
    • Berk M,
    • Hopwood M,
    • Forbes D,
    • O'Donnell M,
    • Kanaan R
    US Department of Defense Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs - HT9425-23-1-0885 - $3,074,576.83
  • GRANT
    STUDENT APPLICATION: The role of biomarkers in late-life depression: Data analysis of the Aspirin for the Prevention of Depression in the Elderly (ASPREE) study
    1 Jul 2023 - 30 Jun 2027
    People funded by this grant:
    RANZCP Trisno Family PhD Research Scholarship - $60,000.00
  • FELLOWSHIP
    Development of a bench to bedside platform for novel therapy development for psychiatric disorders
    1 Jan 2023 - 31 Dec 2027
    People funded by this grant:
    • Michael Berk
    NHMRC - Investigator Grant - 2017131 - $3,249,688.00
  • GRANT
    Evaluating the efficacy of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy in treatment resistant depression
    1 Aug 2022 - 31 Jul 2027
    People funded by this grant:
    • Fitzgerald P,
    • Hoy K,
    • Kulkarni J,
    • Berk M,
    • Bailey N
    MRFF (NHMRC) - Innovative Therapies for Mental Illness Grant Opportunity - APP2014381 - $150,362.00
  • GRANT
    The ASPIRE program: ASsess, Predict, and InteRvEne: improving mental health outcomes following traumatic brain injury in victims of physical assault
    1 Jul 2022 - 30 Jun 2023
    People funded by this grant:
    VESKI Near-Miss Award Pilot - VNMA2206 - $74,000.00
  • GRANT
    Drug discovery for schizophrenia using patient-derived stem cells
    1 Jun 2022 - 30 Sep 2025
    People funded by this grant:
    MRFF (NHMRC) - SCTM Stem Cell Therapies Grant - 2017861 - $203,999.00
  • GRANT
    TIDE: Trimetazidine in bipolar depression
    17 May 2022 - 17 May 2025
    People funded by this grant:
    SMRI - Treatment Trials - Stanley Medical Research Institute - #21T-005 - $2,155,842.43
  • GRANT
    Schizophrenia and Weight Improvement From Tirzepatide (SWIFT)
    1 Feb 2022 - 31 Jan 2028
    People funded by this grant:
    • Siskind D,
    • Russell A,
    • Berk M,
    • Yung A,
    • Harris A
    MRFF Clinical Trials Activity: Rare Cancers, Rare Diseases and Unmet Need Grant - APP2014887 - $168,456.00
  • GRANT
    Repurposing drugs to treat bipolar depression using stem cell technology
    3 Dec 2021 - 3 Dec 2022
    People funded by this grant:
    Milken Institute and Baszucki Brain Research Fund - Bipoloar Disorder Grant - $269,566.99
  • GRANT
    The mental health data-sharing node: HeSANDA
    28 Oct 2021 - 22 May 2024
    People funded by this grant:
    ARDC Health Studies National Data Asset Program - Australian Research Data Commons - HS006 - $342,731.92
  • CONTRACT RESEARCH
    A Listening and Learning Healthcare System approach to improve outcomes for acute-care mental health consumers in the Barwon-Southwest Victoria Region.
    1 Jun 2021 - 31 Dec 2023
    People funded by this grant:
    Western Alliance - $197,613.00
  • GRANT
    Mental Health Australia General Clinical Trial Network (MAGNET)
    1 May 2021 - 30 Apr 2026
    People funded by this grant:
    MRFF Million Minds Mission Grant Opportunity - MRF2006296 - $11,998,907.76
  • CONTRACT RESEARCH
    Long term physical and psychological consequences of Covid-19 infection. A Comparitive Observational Study in Regional Victoria.
    21 Jan 2021 - 31 Dec 2023
    People funded by this grant:
    Department of Jobs, Precincts & Regions - $566,000.00
  • CONTRACT RESEARCH
    Counting on U: Supporting SME advisors & owners towards better mental health
    11 Jan 2021 - 30 Dec 2021
    People funded by this grant:
    DISER - BusinessBalance ad hoc grant - $2,238,000.00
  • GRANT
    Using 'omics to unravel the pathophysiology and repurpose drugs to treat ME/CFS
    1 Nov 2020 - 31 Oct 2025
    People funded by this grant:
    NHMRC Targeted Call for Research into Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME)/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) Grant Opportunity - APP1199363 - $1,083,010.00
  • CONTRACT RESEARCH
    An evaluation of the first two years of implementation of the Australian Mental Health Leaders Fellowship (AMHLF).
    23 Sep 2020 - 23 Dec 2020
    People funded by this grant:
    National Mental Health Commission - $76,958.45
  • GRANT
    Protecting the mental health of small-medium enterprise owners: Evaluating real-world approaches to mental health first aid and client-relationship building training for small business advisers
    1 Jul 2020 - 30 Jun 2023
    People funded by this grant:
    NHMRC - Partnership Project - GNT1179330 - $566,900.02
  • GRANT
    Protecting the mental health of small-medium enterprise owners: Evaluating real-world approaches to mental health first aid and client-relationship building training for small business advisers
    1 Jul 2020 - 30 Jun 2023
    People funded by this grant:
    Beyondblue Grant - Research - $150,000.00
  • GRANT
    Protecting the mental health of small-medium enterprise owners: Evaluating real-world approaches to mental health first aid and client-relationship building training for small business advisers
    1 Jul 2020 - 30 Jun 2023
    People funded by this grant:
    Institute of Public Accountants - $75,000.00
  • GRANT
    Protecting the mental health of small-medium enterprise owners: Evaluating real-world approaches to mental health first aid and client-relationship building training for small business advisers
    1 Jul 2020 - 30 Jun 2023
    People funded by this grant:
    Victorian Workcover Authority (WorkSafe Vic) - Partnership - $90,000.00