Brian Draper
Brian Draper MBBS (Hons) MD FRANZCP, Australia
Board of Directors; Deputy Editor, IPA Online
Dr. Brian Draper is a conjoint professor in the School of Psychiatry at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia, the Assistant Director of the Academic Department for Old Age Psychiatry, Prince of Wales Hospital Randwick, Australia and honorary senior research fellow at Neurosciences Research Australia, Randwick, Australia.
Having studied medicine at the University of New South Wales where he graduated with honors in 1978, Dr. Draper later specialized in psychiatry and obtained his Fellowship of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP). He was awarded his MD (UNSW) in 2002.
Between 1985 and 1992 Dr. Draper was appointed to the St George Hospital, Sydney, where he established the psychogeriatric service. In 1989 he was appointed as the Foundation Director of Psychogeriatrics at St. George Hospital and at the Canterbury Hospital. From 1990 – 1991 he was the Acting Director of Psychiatry at St. George Hospital.
Since 1999, Dr. Draper has been the Foundation Chair of the Committee for Advanced Training in Psychiatry of Old Age, RANZCP and a member of the Fellowship’s Board of the RANZCP and was responsible for developing its curriculum and training program. He is also a member of the Executive of the Faculty of Psychiatry of Old Age, RANZCP. He was formerly the secretary/treasurer and newsletter editor of the Section of Psychiatry of Old Age.
Dr. Draper has served in a number of Editorial positions including Internet Editor of the IPA Bulletin, IPA Website Deputy Editor, Australasian Journal on Ageing Editorial Board and assessor for many national and international journals, publishers and granting bodies. He is a member of the Medical and Scientific Advisory Panel for Alzheimer’s Disease International and has served on local, state and national committees for mental health services.
Dr. Draper’s research interests are diverse. He has been involved in suicide research since 1993 with the publication of papers on attempted suicide in old age, suicide prevention in the elderly, suicidal ideation, and indirect self-destructive behavior in nursing homes. In recent years he has been running suicide prevention workshops for health professionals at conferences and seminars. Other research interests include behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia, carer stress, depression in old age, psychogeriatric service delivery, and professional development. He has published over 100 scientific articles and book chapters on these topics. He is the co-editor of an Oxford University Press book on Geriatric Consultation Liaison Psychiatry.
