About Us

3DN is now part of the National Centre of Excellence in Intellectual Disability Health
Julian

Welcome to the Department of Developmental Disability Neuropsychiatry (3DN).

At 3DN we are working hard towards the goal of "the highest attainable standard of mental health and wellbeing for people with an intellectual or developmental disability".

Thank you for your interest in our work. We hope that you are stimulated by the range of projects you see, and the dedication and productivity of our staff. Please do not hesitate to contact us by telephone (02) 9065 8076 or email dddn@unsw.edu.au.

Professor Julian Trollor, Department Head

 

Vision, mission and principles
add

Our vision is the highest standard of health and wellbeing for people with cognitive disability.

Our mission is to improve the health and wellbeing of people with cognitive disability through high-quality research, education and training, consultancy, and clinical work.

Our guiding principles

  • We prioritise honesty, accuracy, and ethical conduct
  • We value co-designed and inclusive approaches
  • We identify and address critical health gaps in a timely manner
  • We strive to apply innovative thinking and creativity to our work

See our latest strategic plan and annual report

What we do
add

There are three main strands to our work.

1. We build capacity through teaching, training, health promotion, development of educational resources and the conduct of other professional activities.

2. We conduct research with high translational benefit to the disability and health sectors.

3. We provide consultancy of the highest standard, including: providing clinical consultations, sharing expertise and advice, engaging in advocacy and making detailed contributions to policy and legislative reviews.

About intellectual disability and health
add

Compared to the general population, people with intellectual disability experience poor health outcomes, including higher rates of physical and mental health conditions, and premature death from preventable causes.

Conditions are frequently undiagnosed, undermanaged or inappropriately treated. A range of barriers prevent people with an intellectual disability from accessing healthcare. For example, stigma and exclusion, the person or their family and carer(s) not being aware of symptoms, and a lack of adequate training for health professionals.

Find out more about us