Program Head of Mental Health and Youth Research at Telethon Kids Institute and Leader of the Raine Study’s Psychological Special Interest Group Associate Professor Ashleigh Lin was awarded $1.57 million in prestigious Investigator Grant funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) to further her innovative child health research.
The funding, announced by Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt as part of $472 million in grants for health and medical research across Australia, will support critical research into understanding and improving the mental health of trans and gender diverse young people.
Associate Professor Lin’s program includes several projects aimed at addressing knowledge gaps and developing and trialling interventions. Her team will seek to better understand key elements including the longitudinal trajectories of mental health in trans children, the social and emotional wellbeing of trans young people, and stigma and self-stigma in trans young people.
In partnership with the trans community and with parents of trans children and young people, they plan to co-design and trial interventions for individuals and families, including a ‘serious digital game’. Overall, the research program is aimed at delivering equitable mental health support to a group of young people who are unlikely to benefit from a one-size-fits-all approach to youth mental health.
NHMRC Investigator Grants provide the highest-performing researchers at all career stages with secure funding that enables them to pursue important new research directions and collaborations as they arise, rather than being tied to one specific research project.
For further details, please visit https://www.telethonkids.org.au/news–events/news-and-events-nav/2021/september/telethon-kids-researchers-secure-vital-funding/