Professor Zachary Steel holds the St John of God Chair of Trauma and Mental Health a partnership between Richmond Hospital, the School of Psychiatry UNSW and the Black Dog Institute. He heads a program of clinical research into the impact of trauma on veterans, first responders, refugees, asylum seekers and civilian populations. He has established a highly cited research program that has investigated the prevalence, social determinants, and intervention models for mental health problems within Australia and the Asia-Pacific region. The work of Dr Steel with asylum seeker populations in Australia has helped to develop an evidence base on the adverse mental health consequences of harsh asylum policies including the use of immigration detention and temporary protection visas. He has worked with legal colleagues to develop best practice guidelines for the better recognition of mental health conditions in the assessment of asylum claims.