Bruce Tonge

 

Emeritus Professor Bruce J. Tonge

Qualifications: MBBS, MD, DPM, MRC Psych, FRANZCP, Cert. Child Psych., RANZCP

Foundation Head, School of Psychology and Psychiatry and Head, Discipline of Psychological Medicine, Monash University. He is also Senior Clinical Advisor of the Mental Health Program of Southern Health at Monash Medical Centre in Melbourne, Australia. He has a distinguished record of teaching and research in child psychiatry. He established the internationally recognised Monash University Centre for Developmental Psychiatry and Psychology. He has research and teaching interests in the area of developmental psychiatry with a particular focus in the areas of Autism Spectrum Disorders and behavioural and emotional disturbance in children and adolescents with intellectual disability and neurodevelopmental disorders, and treatment outcome studies in childhood anxiety and depressive disorders.

Relevant publications over the past 10 years include: 27 books/book chapters; 270 papers; 5 videos; 5 manuals and 54 invited addresses. He is editor of the Handbook of Studies on Child Psychiatry (Elsevier), author of the book I just want you to be happy: preventing and tackling teenage depression (Allen and Unwin), a co-author of Autism: the early years (Jessica Kingsley Press) and co-author of the Developmental Behaviour Checklist, an instrument which assesses behavioural and emotional problems in children and adolescents with intellectual disability. This instrument is widely used in clinical and research settings both in Australia and internationally. He is the recipient of the Minister of Mental Health Victorian Public Healthcare Award for “Outstanding Individual Achievement in Mental Healthcare” in 2009, the RANZCP 2010 Meritorious Award for “Outstanding contribution to Victorian Psychiatry over many years”, the 2010 ASPR Founder’s Medal for “Contribution of significance to psychiatric research throughout career”, the 2010 Monash University David de Kretser Medal for exceptional contribution to the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences over a significant period of time and the Award for Distinguished Service to the Profession of Child and Adolescent
Psychotherapists in Victoria, VCPA, July 2011.

Research Interests:

• Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)
• Childhood anxiety and depressive disorders
• Behavioural and emotional disturbance in children and adolescents with Intellectual disabilities and neurodevelopmental disorders