Queensland Medical Women’s Society (QMWS) held our 2024 May Dinner on the Thursday, 30th May 2024 featuring our special guest speaker Dr Susan Roberts.
‘You are the bow from which your children as living arrows are sent forth” Kahlil Gibran (The Prophet)
Perinatal mental health in a changing world
Event Recap
By Dr Emma Karlsen
Our recent Queensland Medical Women’s Society May Dinner was a night to remember, brimming with engaging conversations, exceptional presentations, and a sense of unity among our members. The evening’s highlight was the remarkable speech delivered by Dr. Susan Roberts, a renowned perinatal psychiatrist at Gold Coast University Hospital. Her talk, centred on the profound theme from Kahlil Gibran’s “The Prophet” — “You are the bow from which your children as living arrows are sent forth” — explored the vital topic of perinatal mental health in a rapidly evolving world.
Dr. Roberts shared profound insights from her extensive work in assessing and managing women from preconception through to the first postpartum year. Her role involves supporting maternity, midwifery, and child health services in managing the complex needs of mothers, their infants, and their families. As the Clinical Lead of the Lavender Mother and Baby Unit, a four-bed statewide mental health mother and baby unit at Gold Coast University Hospital, Dr. Roberts is at the forefront of perinatal psychiatric care.
Her speech delved into the complexities of perinatal psychiatric care, particularly in the context of the domestic violence epidemic in Australia and changing family structures. Dr. Roberts highlighted the intricate challenges that perinatal mental health professionals face, emphasising the importance of holistic and compassionate care for both mothers and their infants.
A particularly fascinating aspect of Dr. Roberts’ talk was her discussion on the influence of social media and increased technology in the home on perinatal mental health. She explored how these modern trends can impact the attachment style between mother and infant, shedding light on the delicate balance needed to foster healthy development in a digitally saturated world. Her insights provoked thoughtful reflections on the role of technology in our lives and its potential effects on familial bonds.
Following Dr. Roberts’ inspiring presentation, Dr. Lydia Pritchard, Lead of the Sponsorship and Bursary Team, provided an update on our current sponsorship structure and the QMWS bursaries on offer. Dr. Pritchard’s presentation was both informative and encouraging, highlighting the various opportunities available for members to support and benefit from our community’s initiatives. Her detailed overview of the bursaries underscored the Society’s commitment to advancing medical education and supporting the professional growth of its members.
The evening was a wonderful blend of professional development and social interaction, leaving attendees inspired. We extend our heartfelt thanks to Dr. Susan Roberts and Dr. Lydia Pritchard for their valuable contributions and to all who attended and made the event a success.
About the speaker – Dr Susan Roberts
Dr Susan Roberts graduated from University of Queensland with MBBS (Hons) in 1987. She completed her psychiatry training in Queensland with her final year at Queens Medical Centre Nottingham UK with a joint position as Senior Lecturer at the University of Nottingham in 1996 and 1997. She has been working in the field of perinatal mental health for the past 25 years. She currently works as a perinatal psychiatrist at the Gold Coast University Hospital assessing and managing women from preconception through to the first postpartum year while supporting maternity, midwifery and child health services in their management of mothers, their infants and their families. Susan is also the Clinical Lead of Lavender Mother and Baby Unit, a 4-bed statewide mental health mother and baby unit at Gold Coast University Hospital. Up until April 2023 this was the only public mother and baby unit in QLD.
She is the current chair of the QLD Section of Perinatal and Infant Psychiatry and sits on the RANZCP Binational SPIP committee. She is also a member of the Maternal Mortality Subcommittee of the QLD Perinatal Maternal and Perinatal Quality Council. Her current research interests include eating disorders in the peripartum and the development of learning online modules for maternity care providers, child health, general practitioners, and obstetricians.
She is passionate about perinatal and infant mental health and with pursuing the goal of improving services for mothers, babies and their families on the Gold Coast and throughout Queensland and improving training and awareness of perinatal mental health.
