Monash University has received a $30 million philanthropic gift that will fund vital mental health research and preventative treatment initiatives to improve the lives of millions of Australians.

The generous gift from the David Winston Turner Endowment Fund will accelerate research by Monash’s Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health. The gift was announced by Monash University President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Margaret Gardner AC.

Professor Gardner said the funding was in addition to $13 million in previous gifts, which enabled the University to launch the Turner Institute, bringing the total donated to Monash by the David Winston Turner Endowment Fund to $43 million since 2015.

This latest gift will fund a ground-breaking study by the Turner Institute that will follow thousands of residents across all age groups in Melbourne’s south-eastern suburbs over a 10-year period, establishing a ‘living lab’ for preventing, monitoring and treating the signs of mental illness, dementia and other brain conditions.

Due to start in 2023, the longitudinal study will break new ground in sampling a whole population - not just those with a predefined condition - and will reimagine how we identify and treat mental health problems as the world continues to deal with COVID-19. A key focus will be inclusion across diverse ages, cultural backgrounds and genders, and the engagement of community and industry groups to realise this ambitious programme.