Dr Fiona Charlson
Dr

Fiona Charlson

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Background

Associate Professor Fiona Charlson is a NHMRC Research Fellow at the Queensland Centre of Mental Health Research and School of Public Health, University of Queensland. She is a psychiatric epidemiologist and health services researcher with strong experience in addressing some of the most challenging global mental health research questions. Her research utilises a wide range of highly-specialised research skills, from traditional qualitative and quantitative research methods to new and innovative methods aimed at breaking down barriers to progress in the field. She has been a core member of the Mental Disorders and Illicit Drug Use Research Group for the Global Burden of Disease Study since 2009 and is at the leading edge of research into the mental health impacts of climate change and leads the Social and Emotional wellbeing group of UQ’s Climate Change and Health Transdisciplinary Impact Research Network. Her technical expertise is highly sought after and has attracted collaboration requests and funding from a wide range of national and international stakeholders, including; Queensland Health, the World Health Organization, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (University of Washington), US National Institutes of Health, Alan Flisher Centre for Public Mental Health (University of Cape Town) and various organisations in low- and middle-income countries.

Availability

Dr Fiona Charlson is:
Available for supervision
Media expert

Fields of research

Biomedical and Clinical Sciences Climate change impacts and adaptation Environmental Sciences Health Sciences Human impacts of climate change and human adaptation

Research interests

  • Global Mental Health and Climate Change

Search Professor Fiona Charlson’s works on UQ eSpace

115 works between 2009 and 2024
All (115) Journal Article (106) Book Chapter (2) Conference Publication (3) Other Outputs (4)

81 - 100 of 115 works

2016

Journal Article

Applications of the epidemiological modelling outputs for targeted mental health planning in conflict-affected populations: the Syria case-study

Charlson, F. J., Lee, Y. Y., Diminic, S. and Whiteford, H. (2016). Applications of the epidemiological modelling outputs for targeted mental health planning in conflict-affected populations: the Syria case-study. Global Mental Health, 3 (e8) e8, e8.1-e8.13. doi: 10.1017/gmh.2016.4

Applications of the epidemiological modelling outputs for targeted mental health planning in conflict-affected populations: the Syria case-study

2016

Journal Article

Global and national burden of diseases and injuries among children and adolescents between 1990 and 2013 findings From the Global Burden of Disease 2013 Study

Kyu, Hmwe H., Pinho, Christine, Wagner, Joseph A., Brown, Jonathan C., Bertozzi-Villa, Amelia, Charlson, Fiona J., Coffeng, Luc Edgar, Dandona, Lalit, Erskine, Holly E., Ferrari, Alize J., Fitzmaurice, Christina, Fleming, Thomas D., Forouzanfar, Mohammad H., Graetz, Nicholas, Guinovart, Caterina, Haagsma, Juanita, Higashi, Hideki, Kassebaum, Nicholas J., Larson, Heidi J., Lim, Stephen S., Mokdad, Ali H., Moradi-Lakeh, Maziar, Odell, Shaun V., Roth, Gregory A., Serina, Peter T., Stanaway, Jeffrey D., Misganaw, Awoke, Whiteford, Harvey A., Wolock, Timothy M. ... Vos, Theo (2016). Global and national burden of diseases and injuries among children and adolescents between 1990 and 2013 findings From the Global Burden of Disease 2013 Study. JAMA Pediatrics, 170 (3), 267-287. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2015.4276

Global and national burden of diseases and injuries among children and adolescents between 1990 and 2013 findings From the Global Burden of Disease 2013 Study

2016

Journal Article

Excess mortality from mental, neurological and substance use disorders in the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010 – Corrigendum

Charlson, F. J., Baxter, A. J., Dua, T., Degenhardt, L., Whiteford, H. A. and Vos, T. (2016). Excess mortality from mental, neurological and substance use disorders in the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010 – Corrigendum. Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences, 25 (1), 91-92. doi: 10.1017/S2045796015000724

Excess mortality from mental, neurological and substance use disorders in the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010 – Corrigendum

2016

Journal Article

Post-traumatic stress disorder and major depression in conflict-affected populations: an epidemiological model and predictor analysis

Charlson, F. J., Flaxman, A., Ferrari, A. J., Vos, T., Steel, Z. and Whiteford, H. A. (2016). Post-traumatic stress disorder and major depression in conflict-affected populations: an epidemiological model and predictor analysis. Global Mental Health, 3 (e4) e4, e4.1-e4.11. doi: 10.1017/gmh.2015.26

Post-traumatic stress disorder and major depression in conflict-affected populations: an epidemiological model and predictor analysis

2016

Conference Publication

Mapping mental health system resources against planning benchmarks: examples and challenges

Diminic, Sandra, Harris, Meredith, Leitch, Elizabeth, Fjeldsoe, Kevin, Charlson, Fiona and Whiteford, Harvey (2016). Mapping mental health system resources against planning benchmarks: examples and challenges. Society for Mental Health Research 2016 Conference, Sydney, Australia, 7-9 December 2016.

Mapping mental health system resources against planning benchmarks: examples and challenges

2016

Journal Article

Republished: Addressing the burden of mental, neurological, and substance use disorders: key messages from Disease Control Priorities, 3rd edition

Patel, Vikram, Chisholm, Dan, Parikh, Rachana, Charlson, Fiona J, Degenhardt, Louisa, Dua, Tarun, Ferrari, Alize J, Hyman, Steve, Laxminarayan, Ramanan, Levin, Carol, Lund, Crick, Mora, María Elena Medina, Petersen, Inge, Scott, James, Shidhaye, Rahul, Vijayakumar, Lakshmi, Thornicroft, Graham, Whiteford, Harvey and Group, on behalf of the DCP MNS Author (2016). Republished: Addressing the burden of mental, neurological, and substance use disorders: key messages from Disease Control Priorities, 3rd edition. Indian Journal of Social Psychiatry, 32 (3), 196-212. doi: 10.4103/0971-9962.193189

Republished: Addressing the burden of mental, neurological, and substance use disorders: key messages from Disease Control Priorities, 3rd edition

2015

Journal Article

Global, regional, and national comparative risk assessment of 79 behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks or clusters of risks in 188 countries, 1990-2013: A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013

Forouzanfar, M.H., Alexander, L., Anderson, H.R., Bachman, V.F., Biryukov, S., Brauer, M., Burnett, R., Casey, D., Coates, M.M., Cohen, A., Delwiche, K., Estep, K., Frostad, J.J., Astha, K.C., Kyu, H.H., Moradi-Lakeh, M., Ng, M., Slepak, E.L., Thomas, B.A., Wagner, J., Aasvang, G.M., Abbafati, C., Abbasoglu Ozgoren, A., Abd-Allah, F., Abera, S.F., Aboyans, V., Abraham, B., Puthenpurakal Abraham, J., Abubakar, I. ... Temesgen, A.M. (2015). Global, regional, and national comparative risk assessment of 79 behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks or clusters of risks in 188 countries, 1990-2013: A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013. The Lancet, 386 (10010), 2287-2323. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(15)00128-2

Global, regional, and national comparative risk assessment of 79 behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks or clusters of risks in 188 countries, 1990-2013: A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013

2015

Journal Article

Evaluation of a Leadership in Mental Health course for Pacific Island Nation delegates

Charlson, Fiona, Redman-MacLaren, Michelle and Hunter, Ernest (2015). Evaluation of a Leadership in Mental Health course for Pacific Island Nation delegates. Australasian Psychiatry, 23 (6), 38-41. doi: 10.1177/1039856215612977

Evaluation of a Leadership in Mental Health course for Pacific Island Nation delegates

2015

Journal Article

Burden of mental and substance use disorders in Indigenous Australians and Oceania

Charlson, Fiona J. and Erskine, Holly E. (2015). Burden of mental and substance use disorders in Indigenous Australians and Oceania. Australasian Psychiatry, 23 (6), 13-16. doi: 10.1177/1039856215608295

Burden of mental and substance use disorders in Indigenous Australians and Oceania

2015

Journal Article

Global, regional, and national disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) for 306 diseases and injuries and healthy life expectancy (HALE) for 188 countries, 1990-2013: Quantifying the epidemiological transition

GBD 2013 DALYs and HALE Collaborators, Charlson, Fiona J., Erskine, Holly E., Ferrari, Alize J., Gouda, Hebe N., Hoy, Damian G., Knibbs, Luke D., McGrath, John J., Scott, James G., Whiteford, Harvey A. and Lalloo, Ratilal (2015). Global, regional, and national disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) for 306 diseases and injuries and healthy life expectancy (HALE) for 188 countries, 1990-2013: Quantifying the epidemiological transition. The Lancet, 386 (10009), 2145-2191. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(15)61340-X

Global, regional, and national disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) for 306 diseases and injuries and healthy life expectancy (HALE) for 188 countries, 1990-2013: Quantifying the epidemiological transition

2015

Journal Article

Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 301 acute and chronic diseases and injuries in 188 countries, 1990-2013: A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013

Vos, Theo, Barber, Ryan M., Bell, Brad, Bertozzi-Villa, Amelia, Biryukov, Stan, Bolliger, Ian, Charlson, Fiona, Davis, Adrian, Degenhardt, Louisa, Dicker, Daniel, Duan, Leilei, Erskine, Holly, Feigin, Valery L., Ferrari, Alize J., Fitzmaurice, Christina, Fleming, Thomas, Graetz, Nicholas, Guinovart, Caterina, Haagsma, Juanita, Hansen, Gillian M., Hanson, Sarah Wulf, Heuton, Kyle R., Higashi, Hideki, Kassebaum, Nicholas, Kyu, Hmwe, Laurie, Evan, Liang, Xiofeng, Lofgren, Katherine, Lozano, Rafael ... Global Burden of Disease Study 2013 Collaborators (2015). Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 301 acute and chronic diseases and injuries in 188 countries, 1990-2013: A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013. The Lancet, 386 (9995), 743-800. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(15)60692-4

Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 301 acute and chronic diseases and injuries in 188 countries, 1990-2013: A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013

2015

Journal Article

Time-course of PTSD symptoms in the Australian Defence Force: a retrospective cohort study

Waller, M., Charlson, F. J., Ireland, R. E. E., Whiteford, H. A. and Dobson, A. J. (2015). Time-course of PTSD symptoms in the Australian Defence Force: a retrospective cohort study. Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences, 25 (4), 393-402. doi: 10.1017/S2045796015000517

Time-course of PTSD symptoms in the Australian Defence Force: a retrospective cohort study

2015

Journal Article

The rising tide of mental disorders in the Pacific region: forecasts of disease burden and service requirements from 2010 to 2050

Charlson, Fiona J., Diminic, Sandra and Whiteford, Harvey A. (2015). The rising tide of mental disorders in the Pacific region: forecasts of disease burden and service requirements from 2010 to 2050. Asia and the Pacific Policy Studies, 2 (2), 280-292. doi: 10.1002/app5.93

The rising tide of mental disorders in the Pacific region: forecasts of disease burden and service requirements from 2010 to 2050

2015

Journal Article

Excess mortality from mental, neurological and substance use disorders in the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010

Charlson, Fiona J., Baxter, Amanda J., Dua, T., Degenhardt, Louisa, Whiteford, Harvey A. and Vos, Theo (2015). Excess mortality from mental, neurological and substance use disorders in the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010. Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences, 24 (2), 121-140. doi: 10.1017/S2045796014000687

Excess mortality from mental, neurological and substance use disorders in the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010

2015

Journal Article

Global, regional, and national age-sex specific all-cause and cause-specific mortality for 240 causes of death, 1990-2013: A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013

Naghavi, Mohsen, Wang, Haidong, Lozano, Rafael, Davis, Adrian, Liang, Xiaofeng, Zhou, Maigeng, Vollset, Stein Emil, Ozgoren, Ayse Abbasoglu, Abdalla, Safa, Abd-Allah, Foad, Aziz, Muna I. Abdel, Abera, Semaw Ferede, Aboyans, Victor, Abraham, Biju, Abraham, Jerry P., Abuabara, Katrina E., Abubakar, Ibrahim, Abu-Raddad, Laith J., Abu-Rmeileh, Niveen M. E., Achoki, Tom, Adelekan, Ademola, Ademi, Zanfi Na, Adofo, Koranteng, Adou, Arsene Kouablan, Adsuar, Jose C., Aernlov, Johan, Agardh, Emilie Elisabet, Akena, Dickens, Al Khabouri, Mazin J. ... GBD 2013 Mortality and Causes of Death Collaborators (2015). Global, regional, and national age-sex specific all-cause and cause-specific mortality for 240 causes of death, 1990-2013: A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013. The Lancet, 385 (9963), 117-171. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(14)61682-2

Global, regional, and national age-sex specific all-cause and cause-specific mortality for 240 causes of death, 1990-2013: A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013

2015

Book Chapter

Excess mortality from mental, neurological and substance use disorders in the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010

Charlson, Fiona J., Baxter, Amanda J., Dua, Tarun, Degenhardt, Louisa, Whiteford, Harvey A. and Vos, Theo (2015). Excess mortality from mental, neurological and substance use disorders in the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010. Disease control priorities: Volume 4, Mental, neurological, and substance use disorders. (pp. 41-65) edited by Vikram Patel, Dan Chisholm, Tarun Dua, Ramanan Laxminarayan and Maria Elena Medina-Mora. Washington, DC, United States: The World Bank.

Excess mortality from mental, neurological and substance use disorders in the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010

2014

Journal Article

Mental and substance use disorders in Sub-Saharan Africa: predictions of epidemiological changes and mental health workforce requirements for the next 40 years

Charlson, Fiona J., Diminic, Sandra, Lund, Crick, Degenhardt, Louisa and Whiteford, Harvey A. (2014). Mental and substance use disorders in Sub-Saharan Africa: predictions of epidemiological changes and mental health workforce requirements for the next 40 years. PLoS One, 9 (10) e110208, e110208.1-e110208.11. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0110208

Mental and substance use disorders in Sub-Saharan Africa: predictions of epidemiological changes and mental health workforce requirements for the next 40 years

2014

Journal Article

The global epidemiology and burden of opioid dependence: results from the global burden of disease 2010 study

Degenhardt, Louisa, Charlson, Fiona, Mathers, Bradley, Hall, Wayne D., Flaxman, Abraham D., Johns, Nicole and Vos, Theo (2014). The global epidemiology and burden of opioid dependence: results from the global burden of disease 2010 study. Addiction, 109 (8), 1320-1333. doi: 10.1111/add.12551

The global epidemiology and burden of opioid dependence: results from the global burden of disease 2010 study

2014

Journal Article

The global burden of mental and substance use disorders: changes in estimating burden between GBD1990 and GBD2010

Baxter, A. J., Ferrari, A. J., Erskine, H. E., Charlson, F. J., Degenhardt, L. and Whiteford, H. A. (2014). The global burden of mental and substance use disorders: changes in estimating burden between GBD1990 and GBD2010. Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences, 23 (3), 239-249. doi: 10.1017/S2045796014000237

The global burden of mental and substance use disorders: changes in estimating burden between GBD1990 and GBD2010

2013

Journal Article

The contribution of major depression to the global burden of ischemic heart disease: A comparative risk assessment

Charlson, F.J., Moran, A.E., Freedman, G., Norman, R.E., Stapelberg, N.J.C., Baxter, A.J., Vos, T. and Whiteford, H.A. (2013). The contribution of major depression to the global burden of ischemic heart disease: A comparative risk assessment. BMC Medicine, 11 (1) 250, 1-12. doi: 10.1186/1741-7015-11-250

The contribution of major depression to the global burden of ischemic heart disease: A comparative risk assessment

Current funding

  • 2024 - 2025
    Using Systems mOdelling fOr menTal Health (SOOTHE) to identify more efficient and effective support measures for communities impacted by climate change-driven extreme weather events (UniCbr NHMRC SI)
    HEAL Innovation Fund
    Open grant
  • 2024 - 2027
    How parents manage climate anxiety: coping and hoping for the whole family
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant

Past funding

  • 2021 - 2022
    Climate Change and Mental Health Research
    Palladium International Pty Ltd
    Open grant
  • 2018 - 2022
    Establishing innovative methods in psychiatric epidemiology and services research: achieving better outcomes in vulnerable populations
    NHMRC Early Career Fellowships
    Open grant

Availability

Dr Fiona Charlson is:
Available for supervision

Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.

Available projects

  • Exploring the development of community-based interventions to mitigate the mental health impacts of climate change

    Climate change is the greatest threat to global health in the 21st century. While certain physical health impacts of climate change are well understood, for example heat-related morbidity and mortality, the acute and chronic mental health impacts of climate change remain poorly understood. Depression is already the single largest contributor to global disability. Failing to adequately consider the climate change implications on mental health could further exacerbate and accelerate growing global trends in mental ill-health.

    The many varied links between climate change and mental health, which are highly socially and culturally mediated, raise challenges in the understanding, operationalisation and measurement of these complex relationships. This impedes our understanding of how to design and deliver effective interventions that reduce the mental health impacts of climate change and secure community social and emotional wellbeing. This PhD research will address these gaps through exploring the development of interventions that aim to mitigate the mental health impacts of climate change.

    This PhD research will be conducted in partnership with the UQ Social and Emotional Wellbeing in Climate Change Network and supervised by Associate Professor Fiona Charlson, School of Public Health, and by Dr Anne Cleary, Institute for Social Science Research.

Supervision history

Current supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Modelling Global Treatment Coverage for Mental Disorders

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Harvey Whiteford

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Exploring links between social determinants of mental health, the impact of a climate driven flood event, and mental health outcomes.

    Principal Advisor

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Beyond Recovery: Developing A Decision Making Framework For State and Provincial Level Governments To Design And Deliver Mental Health and Wellbeing Services That Promote Resilence and Foster Growth To Communites Impacted By Climate Risk Disasters

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Kristiana Ludlow

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Mental health stigma in refugee and migrant communities: co-designing a mental health promotion framework

    Principal Advisor

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Weathering the Storm: How Young People Respond to and Cope With Climate Change

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor James Scott, Dr Hannah Thomas

Completed supervision

Enquiries

Contact Dr Fiona Charlson directly for media enquiries about:

  • climate change
  • mental health

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communications@uq.edu.au