Researcher in focus - FHRI Fund researcher Dr Aleksandra Miljevic explores novel treatment for youth mental health

Depression is the most common mental illness worldwide and one of the largest contributors to disease, it’s a growing and important public health dilemma. Dr Aleksandra Miljevic, a postdoctoral researcher at the Perron Institute received funding from the Future Health Research and Innovation (FHRI) Fund in late 2024, to identify and implement a personalised mental health model of care for youth under 25 years of age.

The FHRI Fund Translation Fellowships – Burden of Disease and Genomics program granted Dr Miljevic a 3-year fellowship to build an evidence base for non-pharmacological depression treatments, advancing the use of non-invasive brain stimulation with genetic screening as a treatment for youth with depression and suicide ideation.

The Translation Fellowships – Burden of Disease and Genomics program supported high-quality early- to mid-career researchers in the areas of burden of disease and/or genomics to partner with a service provider and undertake translational research.

Dr Miljevic hopes to improve the time it takes to reach an appropriate treatment by erasing the trial-and-error process often involved in care – through pre-prescription genetic screening – which will in turn, reduce the personal and economic cost of treatment.

To find out the outcomes of the Translation Fellowships – Burden of Disease and Genomics program, visit Future Health Research and Innovation Fund - Funding for translational research in burden of disease and genomics.