Michelle Blanchard

Dr Michelle Blanchard is Executive Director – Strategic Projects at the National Mental Health Commission, leading the development of the National Stigma and Discrimination Reduction Strategy. Before joining the Commission, Michelle was Deputy CEO at SANE Australia and the Founding Director of SANE’s Anne Deveson Research Centre, which partners with people affected by complex mental health issues, trauma and distress to catalyse social change.

Michelle is also an Honorary Senior Fellow at the Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences at the University of Melbourne.

Prior to joining SANE in 2017, Michelle held leadership roles at the Butterfly Foundation for Eating Disorders and the Young and Well Cooperative Research Centre. From 2011 to 2016, Michelle was also an Honorary Research Fellow at the Centre for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne.

Michelle was a Non-Executive Director of the youth mental health organisation, batyr, from 2016–2021, Co-Chair of the Australian American Young Leadership Dialogue from 2017–2019 and a participant in the United States Government’s International Visitor Leadership Program in 2018.

Michelle holds a PhD in Youth Mental Health, a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree in Psychology and Political Science, a Graduate Diploma in Adolescent Health and Welfare and a Diploma in Leadership and Management.