Dr Fitzgibbon is a Senior Research Fellow within the ASPREE Unit in the Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine at Monash University (2021-). She recently relocated from the Department of Psychiatry where she was the head of the “Pain, Addiction and Mental Health Group” at the Epworth Centre for Innovation in Mental Health and had held a Monash Bridging Postdoctoral fellowship (2012-2013) and a National Health and Medical Research Early Career Fellowship (2014-2018).

Bernadette’s research program has been dedicated to understanding the neurobiology of pain, mental health and the development of novel pain therapeutics using non-invasive brain stimulation. Her research program is now expanding into chronic illness in the ageing, and how these may influence health and wellbeing.

She has received several awards for her research including being invited to give the 2021 Tess Cramond Lecture at the Australasian Pain Society Meeting, the 2018 Australasian Brain Stimulation Society Early Career Award, the national 2014 Bethlehem Griffiths Research Foundation Young Investigator of the Year award, a 2014 Young Tall Poppy Science Award through the Australian Institute of Policy and Science and in 2018 was selected for the Veski inspiring women STEM sidebyside program.

She is also dedicated to the advancement of brain sciences within Australia, as reflected in role as chair of the Australian Brain Alliance EMCR Network (2017-2020) and an Executive Member of the Australian Brain Alliance (2017-), an initiative of the Australian Academy of Science to bring together strategic brain research across Australia. She holds several other professional roles including being an executive member of the Australasian Brain Stimulation Society.