The Board
Dr Philip Tam - President
Dr. Philip Tam is a Sydney-based child psychiatrist and researcher in private practice, and a lecturer with Sydney University. He has a long-standing clinical, teaching and advocacy interest in the challenging field of internet and computer-related disorders, and regularly lectures on the topic to both specialist and general audiences. He also regularly comments and writes on the field across the Australasian media. In 2013, he was asked by the American Psychiatric Association, to join their influential International Working Group which was set up to assist in the research and classification of what is termed 'Internet Gaming Disorder'. This is a rare honour for an Australasian-based psychiatrist.
JILL SWEATMAN
Jill is a Sydney-based Neuroscience Strategist in Learning & Development, who researches, educates and consults in enhancing the use of positive technology, corporate culture, and employee relations.
She works at the coalface with young people and parents, often in the family setting, and integrates cutting-edge research into increasing effectiveness in strategic decision-making, and heightened learning for greater impact.
Her 20-plus years of practice incorporates her passion for applying neuroscience in strategic, business and educational contexts, and her keynote presentations have spanned the globe from Antarctica to the Middle East, and the USA to Asia. She is a prolific writer and regularly contributes to international journals, business forums, and via LinkedIn. Her website is www.jillsweatman.com , and email address is : jill@jillsweatman.com
Expert Advisory Panel
Professor Garry Walter, AM
Garry is Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the University of Sydney. Previously Director of the highly-regarded Rivendell Adolescent Unit in Concord, and Director of Northern Sydney Local Health District's Mental Health Services, he now works in private practice and continues his international research and writing. A child and adolescent psychiatrist of global renown, Garry has lectured and published extensively across a range of topics, including in ethics, cultural and media-related fields, in addition to the more “traditional” subjects such as psychiatric disorders and their treatment. From 2001-2014, Garry was been Editor of "Australasian Psychiatry", and he is also International Editor-at-Large of the "Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry".
Professor Kimberley Young
Prof. Kim Young is a licensed psychologist and an internationally known expert on Internet addiction. She founded the Center for Internet Addiction in 1995 and is nationally-known speaker, author, and researcher. She has written numerous articles and books on Internet addiction including Caught in the Net, the first to identify Internet addiction, Tangled in the Web, Breaking Free of the Web: Catholics and Internet addiction, and Internet addiction: A Handbook and Guide for Evaluation and Treatment. She is a professor at St. Bonaventure University and her work has been widely featured in the media such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The London Times, USA Today, Newsweek, Time, and CNN. Prof. Young visits Sydney in August, 2013, and is particularly pleased to be invited to join the Expert Advisory Board of niira.
Research Group
Vladan Starcevic, MD, PhD, FRANZCP
Vladan is a psychiatrist and Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Sydney, Sydney Medical School – Nepean. He is based at Nepean Hospital and also has private practice. His main area of research and professional interest has been anxiety and related disorders. In recent years, he has developed an interest in excessive video game and Internet use and with his colleagues has conducted a large international online survey on video game use. Vladan has also established collaboration with video game and Internet use researchers based in South Korea and United States and intends to continue research into patterns of problematic video game use. Vladan is pleased to direct the research section of niira. If researchers have any current projects, ideas for potential research, or areas they might like to seek collaboration on, they can contact Vladan on : Vladan.starcevic@health.nsw.gov.au
Dr. Wayne Warburton, PhD
Dr Wayne Warburton is Senior Lecturer in developmental psychology with the Department of Psychology, and Deputy Director of the Children and Families Research Centre, at Macquarie University (Sydney). Wayne is also a registered psychologist with a strong research interest in the fields of aggressive behaviour, media impacts and parenting, and has published very widely on these topics in scientific journals, books, and general articles. He is co-author of the International Society for Research on Aggression ‘Statement on Media Violence’. His most recent book, Growing Up Fast and Furious: Reviewing the Impacts of Violent and Sexualised Media on Children (with Danya Braunstein) is available from The Federation Press. Wayne is delighted to be on the Research Board of niira, and can be contacted on: wayne.warburton@mq.edu.au