Professor Sean Hood, MBBS (University of Western Australia, 1993), MSc (Maastricht), FRANZCP, serves as Professor in the UWA Medical School, Psychiatry, Head of the School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, and Associate Dean for Community and Engagement in the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Western Australia. He completed junior doctor training in Perth following his undergraduate medical degree at UWA, then pursued advanced psychiatric training in the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2003, including academic training under Professor David Nutt at the University of Bristol. Upon returning to Australia in 2003, he joined UWA as Senior Lecturer in Psychiatry, established a Clinical Psychopharmacology laboratory within the School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, and advanced to his current leadership positions. In clinical practice, he heads the Treatment Resistant Anxiety and Mood Disorder Unit at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital Mental Health Unit and practices privately as a psychiatrist.

Professor Hood's research specializations encompass anxiety disorders, clinical psychopharmacology, mood disorders, general practice psychiatry liaison, and medical education. His work includes leading clinical trials on psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for treatment-resistant patients, subcutaneous ketamine for treatment-resistant depression, and pharmacogenetics to optimize antidepressant treatments in youth. He has secured grants from the Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital Research Advisory Committee, UWA Research Grants Scheme, and Raine Medical Research Foundation for projects such as deep brain stimulation for obsessive-compulsive disorder and serotonin roles in anxiety. Key publications include "Effect of ketamine on anxiety: Findings from the Ketamine for Adult Depression Study" (2025), "Economic evaluation of subcutaneous ketamine injections for treatment resistant depression: A randomised, double-blind, active-controlled trial – The KADS study" (2025), "Exploring perceived barriers and attitudes in young adults towards antidepressant pharmacotherapy, including the implementation of pharmacogenetic testing to optimize prescription practices" (2025), and "Increased brain serotonin turnover in panic disorder patients in the absence of a panic attack: Reduction by a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor" (2007). With over 6,200 citations on Google Scholar, his contributions significantly influence psychopharmacology. He chairs the Australian Pristiq Advisory Board, serves on Cymbalta, Vortioxetine, and Lurasidone advisory boards, represents Australia on the European Masters in Affective Neuroscience board (Universities of Florence and Maastricht), and leads the sixth-year psychiatry program for UWA MBBS students, having previously chaired the Systems Committee for the UWA Doctor of Medicine program.

Professional Email: sean.hood@uwa.edu.au