Vinay Lakra

Associate Professor Vinay Lakra is the Divisional Director of Mental Health Services at Northern Health, Melbourne. Prior to this for over 10 years, he was a Clinical Director at North Western Mental Health, The Royal Melbourne Hospital. He was a member of the Victorian Board of the Medical Board of Australia during 2021-24. He also served as the Deputy Chief Psychiatrist of Victoria for three years during 2016–19.

He was the President of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) from May 2021 to May 2023. He continues to hold committee positions in World Psychiatric Association and the Asian Federation of Psychiatric Associations.

Associate Professor Lakra is also a Fellow of Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators, has a Masters in Health Management from University of New South Wales and is a Graduate of Australian Institute of Company Directors.

He brings diverse expertise in the mental health service delivery, policy and strategy, advocacy and governance, addressing health and social inequity, stakeholder engagement, workforce management and medical education/training. He also continues to be involved in clinical practice in general psychiatry with a special interest in physical health of people with mental illnesses. His area of research are health policy and data driven research to enable impactful policy change.

He has been recognised for his contributions with several awards including a Fellowship of Academy of Medicine, Singapore; an International Distinguished Fellowship of American Psychiatric Association and a Honorary Fellowship of World Association of Social Psychiatry. He was awarded the Margaret Tobin award by RANZCP in 2024. The award recognises the Fellow who has made the most significant contribution to administrative psychiatry in the region over the previous five years.