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Dr Susanna Every-Palmer 2019 thumbnailMBChB (Akld), MSc in Evidence-based Health Care (with Distinction, Oxon) FRANZCP, Adv Cert Forensic Psychiatry (RANZCP), PhD (Otago)

Susanna is an academic psychiatrist who is passionate about using multidisciplinary research collaborations to inform the highest quality evidence-based care for people with mental illness.

Alongside her role in the university, Susanna is concurrently employed at the Central Regional and Forensic Services. She has worked in a number of different areas across the mental health sector, including as Clinical Director and Director of Area Mental Health Services (DAMHS) of the Forensic and Rehabilitation Services covering courts, prisons and inpatient and community forensics across New Zealand's lower north island and as New Zealand's Acting Director of Mental Health at the Ministry of Health.

Between 2021–2023, Susanna was the Chair of the New Zealand Committee of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists and a Board Member of the Council of Medical Colleges. She is currently a Vice-President of the Pacific Rim College of Psychiatry and Co-secretary of the World Psychiatry Association Section on Multi-morbidity.

Susanna completed medical training at Auckland University and obtained RANZCP Fellowship in 2008 and an Advanced Certificate in Forensic Psychiatry in 2010. She has a Masters in Evidence Based Medicine from Oxford University and her PhD focussed on mitigating harms in the treatment of serious mental illness.

Contact details

Email susanna.every-palmer@otago.ac.nz

Positions

  • Head of Department, Department of Psychological Medicine
  • Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist, MHAIDs, Te Whatu Ora
  • Vice President Board Director for the Pacific Rim College of Psychiatrists
  • Deputy Editor of the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry
  • Co-secretary of the World Psychiatry Association Section on Multi-morbidity

Research summary

  • Mental health service development and co-design
  • Reducing health inequities in mental health care
  • Multidisciplinary management of serious mental illness

Research interests

Susanna's academic and clinical interests include

  • Reducing health inequities in mental health care
  • Multidisciplinary management of serious mental illness, especially schizophrenia
  • Antipsychotic treatment and its side effects, with a particular focus on clozapine
  • Forensic psychiatry: legal frameworks, prisons, and forensic rehabilitation
  • Trauma-informed care
  • Mental health service development and co-design

Susanna is interested in supervising postgraduate students in any of the research areas listed above or related areas. Please contact her directly

Publications

Cunningham, R., Carr, G., Every-Palmer, S., Peterson, D., Haitana, T., Butler, H., … Iupati, S. (2025). Place of death for people with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder in New Zealand: A national retrospective cohort study. Journal of Palliative Care. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1177/08258597251339868 Journal - Research Article

Flanagan, R. J., Obee, S. J., Kim, A. H. M., Every-Palmer, S., Sanchez, P. L. V., Evans, L., … Reeves, S. (2025). Plasma clozapine in treatment refractory schizophrenia: What is the target range? Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1097/jcp.0000000000002007 Journal - Research Article

Ataera-Minster, J., Every-Palmer, S., Cunningham, R., & Kokaua, J. (2025). Common mental disorders and psychological distress among Pacific adults living in Aotearoa New Zealand. New Zealand Medical Journal/Te ara tika o te hauora hapori, 138(1613), 36-49. Retrieved from https://www.nzmj.org.nz/ Journal - Research Article

Watson, R., Hammans, L., Hansby, O., Barry-Walsh, J., & Every-Palmer, S. (2025). Misogyny, racism, and threats to our families: A qualitative study of harassment of female politicians. Kōtuitui. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1080/1177083X.2025.2473949 Journal - Research Article

Every-Palmer, S., Northwood, K., Tsakas, J., Burrage, M. K., & Siskind, D. (2025). Clozapine-related tachycardia: An analysis of incidence. CNS Drugs. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1007/s40263-025-01177-5 Journal - Research Article

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