Lee Allen

Associate Professor Lee Allen is an Associate Professor (Level D) in the Department of Psychiatry, Melbourne Medical School, at the University of Melbourne. She earned her MBChB from the University of Otago, holds Fellowship of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (FRANZCP), and a Graduate Certificate in University Teaching (GCUT). Her academic career at the University of Melbourne advanced from Senior Lecturer—during which she coordinated the Mental Health Subject for the Doctor of Medicine—to her current position following promotion in the Department of Psychiatry. As Mental Health Academic Lead, she oversees key educational programs including the Clinical Psychiatry Course (CPC), developed alongside colleagues such as Caroline Ma and supported by Samantha Susa, and the Mental Health Discovery Subject in collaboration with Dr. MJ Yoo and Ms. Simone Stahli-Quinn. These initiatives emphasize practical training in psychiatry for medical students.

In clinical practice, Allen serves as Consultant Psychiatrist at Austin Health in the Youth Early Psychosis Service. She holds prominent leadership positions as Deputy Chief Psychiatrist at the Office of the Chief Psychiatrist, Safer Care Victoria, and Chairperson of the Victorian Psychiatry Training Committee for the RANZCP, a role she has fulfilled for over a decade. Her research specializations include mental wellbeing of university students, curriculum design, teaching strategies, and facilitating difficult conversations in academic settings. Key publications feature her co-authorship of the report 'A framework for promoting student mental wellbeing in universities' (2017), the project report 'Stimulating curriculum and teaching innovations to support the mental wellbeing of university students' (2017), and contributions to 'Enhancing Student Mental Wellbeing: A Handbook for Academic Educators' (2017). These works offer evidence-based frameworks and practical guidance for educators to integrate mental health support into university curricula, reflecting her expertise in youth mental health and medical education.