S1E4: Simon Rice: Showing up, sliding doors, and chasing your passion: The journey from high school teacher to global men’s health expert

Dr. Simon Rice is the Global Director of the Movember Men’s Health Institute and the founder of the Young Men’s Mental Health Research Program and the Elite Athlete Mental Health Research Program at Orygen, the Center for Youth Mental Health in Melbourne, Australia. He is also a Professor and Dame Kate Campbell Fellow in the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Science at the University of Melbourne.  Simon has significantly influenced the men’s mental health field, beginning with his foundational research on measuring depression in men. We discussed some of his origins, and I discovered that some serendipitous but pivotal moments influenced the trajectory of his career from high school teacher to eventual leader of a global research institute. I loved learning about some of these what Simon called “sliding door” moments. We also discussed his curious approach to his work and how being curious has allowed Simon to study and research a range of different topics, including his work on athlete mental health. Finally, Simon provides some thoughts on some issues that he believes will be important for the field of men’s mental health to address in order to help boys and men.