Overview
Background
Dr Cathy Franklin is passionate about improving the health of people with intellectual disability and those on the autism spectrum. Cathy is a psychiatrist who has specialised in the psychiatry of intellectual disability and autism in adolescents and adults since 2004. Her career focussed on clinical work and education until 2015, when she commenced a part-time research appointment, in addition to her clinical work. Cathy is the inaugural Director of the Mater Intellectual Disability and Autism Service (MIDAS), a state-wide clinical service established in 2018 that works to improve the health and mental health of adults with intellectual disability and those on the autism spectrum. Cathy is also Director of QCIDD, the Queensland Centre for Intellectual and Developmental Disability, a centre established in 1997 by Professor Nick Lennox, and best known for its many contributions to health of people with intellectual disability, including the CHAP health assessment tool and the AbleX massive open-online course that Cathy contributed mental health content to.
Cathy's research interests include health services research and the biological underpinnings and health sequelae of conditions occurring in this population. She is Chief Investigator on several projects, including the EASY-Health (Enhancing Access to Services for Your Health) Project, funded by the Australian Government NDIS ($2.3 million 2020-2024) and the NHMRC funded grant ($1.5M), Bridge to Better Health, investigating whether specialised support to primary care nurses can improve the health of people with intellectual disability attending their practice. Cathy also led MIDAS' successful application as a lead consortium member for the National Centre of Excellence in Intellectual Disability Health ($22.6M over 4 years; consortium led by UNSW). Cathy is a regular presenter at national and internaitonal conferences, often as an invited speaker. She has served on the committee of the RANZCP Section of Psychiatry of Intellectual Disability for over 10 years, is chair of the Qld Branch of the Section and also serves as Vice-President of the Australian Association of Developmental Disability Medicine (AADDM). In 2020 she was awarded the Mater Research Sister Regis Dunne award for Outstanding Contribution to research relative to opportunity.
Availability
- Dr Catherine Franklin is:
- Available for supervision
- Media expert
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery and Medical Science, The University of Queensland
- Masters (Research), The University of Queensland
- Senior Member, Australian Association of Developmental Disability Medicine, Australian Association of Developmental Disability Medicine
- Member, Down Syndrome Medical Interest Group-USA, Down Syndrome Medical Interest Group-USA
- Fellow, Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists
- Member, Society for the Study of Behavioural Phenotypes, Society for the Study of Behavioural Phenotypes
Research impacts
Cathy, along with colleague Dr Katie Brooker, made a submission and gave evidence at the Queensland Parliament Mental Health Select Committee in 2022, outlining the evidence around the difficulties that people with intelelctual disabitliy and those on the autism spectrum experience when accessing healthcare. The Committee made a number of recommendations, including that there should be a Queensland Centre of Excellence established in this area. The Queensland Government accepted this recommendation and is funding a new Queensland Centre of Excellence in Intellectual and Developmental Disability Mental Health.
Works
Search Professor Catherine Franklin’s works on UQ eSpace
2023
Conference Publication
Down Syndrome regression disorder
Franklin, C. S. (2023). Down Syndrome regression disorder. 25th SSBP International Research Symposium: Expanding a Global Perspective on Behavioural Phenotypes, Virtual, 14 – 15 September 2023. Hoboken, NJ, United States: Wiley.
2023
Journal Article
Immunotherapy responsiveness and risk of relapse in Down syndrome regression disorder
Santoro, Jonathan D, Spinazzi, Noemi A, Filipink, Robyn A, Hayati-Rezvan, Panteha, Kammeyer, Ryan, Patel, Lina, Sannar, Elise A, Dwyer, Luke, Banerjee, Abhik K, Khoshnood, Mellad, Jafarpour, Saba, Boyd, Natalie K, Partridge, Rebecca, Gombolay, Grace Y, Christy, Alison L, Real de Asua, Diego, Del Carmen Ortega, Maria, Manning, Melanie A, Van Mater, Heather, Worley, Gordan, Franklin, Cathy, Stanley, Maria A, Brown, Ruth, Capone, George T, Quinn, Eileen A and Rafii, Michael S (2023). Immunotherapy responsiveness and risk of relapse in Down syndrome regression disorder. Translational Psychiatry, 13 (1) 276, 276. doi: 10.1038/s41398-023-02579-z
2023
Book Chapter
Forensic Aspects of Neurodevelopmental Disorders: An Australasian Perspective
Franklin, Catherine (2023). Forensic Aspects of Neurodevelopmental Disorders: An Australasian Perspective. Forensic Aspects of Neurodevelopmental Disorders Forensic Aspects of Neurodevelopmental Disorders: A Clinician's Guide. (pp. 277-299) edited by Jane M. McCarthy, Regi T. Alexander and Eddie Chaplin. Cambridge, United Kingdom: University of Cambridge. doi: 10.1017/9781108955522.023
2023
Journal Article
Cardiometabolic profiles in children and adults with overweight and obesity and down syndrome
Oreskovic, Nicolas M., Baumer, Nicole T., Di Camillo, Chiara, Cornachia, Michelle, Franklin, Catherine, Hart, Sarah J., Kishnani, Priya S., McCormick, Andrew, Milliken, Anna L., Patsiogiannis, Vasiliki, Pawlowski, Katherine G., Santoro, Stephanie L., Sargado, Sabrina, Scoppola, Vittorio, Torres, Amy, Valentini, Diletta, Vellody, Kishore, Villani, Alberto and Skotko, Brian G. (2023). Cardiometabolic profiles in children and adults with overweight and obesity and down syndrome. American Journal of Medical Genetics, Part A, 191 (3), 813-822. doi: 10.1002/ajmg.a.63088
2023
Journal Article
Response to Letter to the Editor by Palffy and Ghaziuddin
Santoro, Stephanie L., Baumer, Nicole T., Cornacchia, Michelle, Franklin, Catherine, Hart, Sarah J., Haugen, Kelsey, Hojlo, Margaret A., Horick, Nora, Kishnani, Priya S., Krell, Kavita, McCormick, Andrew, Milliken, Anna L., Oreskovic, Nicolas M., Pawlowski, Katherine G., Sargado, Sabrina, Torres, Amy, Valentini, Diletta, Vellody, Kishore and Skotko, Brian G. (2023). Response to Letter to the Editor by Palffy and Ghaziuddin. American Journal of Medical Genetics. Part A, 191 (5), 1470-1473. doi: 10.1002/ajmg.a.63116
2022
Journal Article
Unexplained regression in Down syndrome: Management of 51 patients in an international patient database
Santoro, Stephanie L., Baumer, Nicole T., Cornacchia, Michelle, Franklin, Catherine, Hart, Sarah J., Haugen, Kelsey, Hojlo, Margaret A., Horick, Nora, Kishnani, Priya S., Krell, Kavita, McCormick, Andrew, Milliken, Anna L., Oreskovic, Nicolas M., Pawlowski, Katherine G., Sargado, Sabrina, Torres, Amy, Valentini, Diletta, Vellody, Kishore and Skotko, Brian G. (2022). Unexplained regression in Down syndrome: Management of 51 patients in an international patient database. American Journal of Medical Genetics. Part A, 188 (10), 3049-3062. doi: 10.1002/ajmg.a.62922
2022
Journal Article
A systematic review of fragile X-associated neuropsychiatric disorders
Flavell, Joshua, Franklin, Catherine and Nestor, Peter J. (2022). A systematic review of fragile X-associated neuropsychiatric disorders. The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 35 (2), 110-120. doi: 10.1176/appi.neuropsych.21110282
2022
Journal Article
Assessment and diagnosis of Down syndrome regression disorder: international expert consensus
Santoro, Jonathan D., Patel, Lina, Kammeyer, Ryan, Filipink, Robyn A., Gombolay, Grace Y., Cardinale, Kathleen M., Real de Asua, Diego, Zaman, Shahid, Santoro, Stephanie L., Marzouk, Sammer M., Khoshnood, Mellad, Vogel, Benjamin N., Tanna, Runi, Pagarkar, Dania, Dhanani, Sofia, Ortega, Maria del Carmen, Partridge, Rebecca, Stanley, Maria A., Sanders, Jessica S., Christy, Alison, Sannar, Elise M., Brown, Ruth, McCormick, Andrew A., Van Mater, Heather, Franklin, Cathy, Worley, Gordon, Quinn, Eileen A., Capone, George T., Chicoine, Brian ... Rafii, Michael S. (2022). Assessment and diagnosis of Down syndrome regression disorder: international expert consensus. Frontiers in Neurology, 13 940175, 940175. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2022.940175
2022
Conference Publication
Treatment of Down Syndrome Regression Disorder with Electroconvulsive Therapy: A Case Series
Johnston, M. and Franklin, C. (2022). Treatment of Down Syndrome Regression Disorder with Electroconvulsive Therapy: A Case Series. RANZCP Congress 2022, Sydney, NSW Australia, 15-19 May 2022. London, United Kingdom: SAGE Publications. doi: 10.1177/00048674221088686
2022
Conference Publication
Fragile X-Associated Neuropsychiatric Conditions (FXANC)
Flavell, J., Franklin, C. and Nestor, P. (2022). Fragile X-Associated Neuropsychiatric Conditions (FXANC). RANZCP Congress 2022, Sydney, NSW Australia, 15-19 May 2022. London, United Kingdom: SAGE Publications. doi: 10.1177/00048674221088686
2022
Conference Publication
How can we build capacity for mainstream mental health services to better support people with intellectual and developmental disability? A review of interventions and methods of evaluation
Franklin, C. (2022). How can we build capacity for mainstream mental health services to better support people with intellectual and developmental disability? A review of interventions and methods of evaluation. RANZCP Congress 2022, Sydney, NSW Australia, 15-19 May 2022. London, United Kingdom: SAGE Publications. doi: 10.1177/00048674221088686
2022
Conference Publication
Intellectual and Developmental Disability in Mainstream Mental Health Services: Findings from a Complex Patient Cohort
Hagn, M. and Franklin, C. (2022). Intellectual and Developmental Disability in Mainstream Mental Health Services: Findings from a Complex Patient Cohort. RANZCP Congress 2022, Sydney, NSW Australia, 15-19 May 2022. London, United Kingdom: SAGE Publications. doi: 10.1177/00048674221088686
2022
Other Outputs
Mater Intellectual Disability and Autism Service (MIDAS), Mater and the Queensland Centre for Intellectual and Developmental Disability (QCIDD), Mater Research Institute-University of Queensland Joint submission to the Mental Health Select Committee
Franklin, Cathy , Brooker, Katie and Vinayagam, Ritwika (2022). Mater Intellectual Disability and Autism Service (MIDAS), Mater and the Queensland Centre for Intellectual and Developmental Disability (QCIDD), Mater Research Institute-University of Queensland Joint submission to the Mental Health Select Committee. Brisbane, QLD, Australia: Queensland Parliment.
2022
Other Outputs
Tools, strategies, and techniques developed to improve the health and wellbeing for autistic adults
Brooker, Katie , Bradshaw, Pia , Franklin, Catherine and Urbanowicz, Anna (2022). Tools, strategies, and techniques developed to improve the health and wellbeing for autistic adults. Brisbane, Australia: Cooperation Research Centre for Living with Autism.
2021
Other Outputs
Religious Freedom Bills: Third Exposure Drafts: submission by Queensland Centre for Intellectual and Developmental Disability
Brooker, Katie, Vinayagam, Ritwika and Franklin, Cathy (2021). Religious Freedom Bills: Third Exposure Drafts: submission by Queensland Centre for Intellectual and Developmental Disability. Canberra, ACT, Australia: Australian Government, Attorney-General's Department.
2021
Conference Publication
Practice Changing Literature In Autism
Franklin, C. and McAuliffe, J. (2021). Practice Changing Literature In Autism. RANZCP Congress 2021, Hobart, TAS Australia, 16-20 May 2021. London, United Kingdom: SAGE Publications. doi: 10.1177/0004867421100475
2021
Conference Publication
The National Disability Insurance Scheme And Developmental Disability In Mainstream Mental Health Services: The Queensland Experience
Franklin, C. and Shek, A. (2021). The National Disability Insurance Scheme And Developmental Disability In Mainstream Mental Health Services: The Queensland Experience. RANZCP Congress 2021, Hobart, TAS Australia, 16-20 May 2021. London, United Kingdom: SAGE Publications.
2021
Conference Publication
Institutional Abuse Of People With Developmental Disability: How Do Carers Become Abusers?
McLorinan, C. and Franklin, C. (2021). Institutional Abuse Of People With Developmental Disability: How Do Carers Become Abusers?. RANZCP Congress 2021, Hobart, TAS Australia, 16-20 May 2021. London, United Kingdom: SAGE Publications. doi: 10.1177/00048674211004750
2021
Book
Developmental Disability, at eTG online
Hall, Caroline, Amor, David, Cohen, Jonathan, Davis, Robert, Durvasula, Seeta, Franklin, Catherine, Hemsley, Bronwyn, Karve, Avanti, Kyrkou, Margaret, Lennox, Nicholas, Leonard, Helen, Marraffa, Catherine, McVilly, Keith, Ng, Raphael, Palmer, Hugh, Shek, Annie, Siegel-Brown, Natalie, Small, Jacqueline, Somerville, Ernest, Tracy, Jane, Wilson, Nathan J., Wishart, Jo and Zimmet, Marcel eds. (2021). Developmental Disability, at eTG online. Melbourne, VIC Australia: Therapeutic Guidelines.
2021
Book
Psychotropic Guidelines (eTG Complete)
Judd, Fiona, Burkett, Ellen, Chan, Betty, Franklin, Catherine, Isoardi, Katherine, Kalucy, Megan, Kanagarajah, Shanthi, Knott, Jonathon, Koutsogiannis, Zeff, McLorinan, C. Paula, Munir, Venita, Rowles, Greg, Waddell, Lisa and Wilkin, Claire eds. (2021). Psychotropic Guidelines (eTG Complete). Melbourne, VIC Australia: Therapeutic Guidelines.
Funding
Current funding
Past funding
Supervision
Availability
- Dr Catherine Franklin is:
- Available for supervision
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Media
Enquiries
Contact Dr Catherine Franklin directly for media enquiries about:
- autism mental health
- autistic adults
- chemical restraint in intellectual disability
- disability royal commission
- intellectual disability mental health
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