George Patton: global leader in adolescent health

Abstract

“What's a guy like you doing in a place like this?”, asked a criminologist to George Patton at a meeting on re-engagement for young offenders in Melbourne, Australia, 15 years ago. The colleague was referring to Patton's background in clinical psychiatry and epidemiology, and his work at the Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne. Today, Patton is a Professorial Fellow in Adolescent Health Research at the University of Melbourne and the nearby Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, and his eclectic professional positions have been an asset in his role as Chair of the Lancet Commission on adolescent health and wellbeing. Our future: a Lancet commission on adolescent health and wellbeingUnprecedented global forces are shaping the health and wellbeing of the largest generation of 10 to 24 year olds in human history. Population mobility, global communications, economic development, and the sustainability of ecosystems are setting the future course for this generation and, in turn, humankind.1,2 At the same time, we have come to new understandings of adolescence as a critical phase in life for achieving human potential. Adolescence is characterised by dynamic brain development in which the interaction with the social environment shapes the capabilities an individual takes forward into adult life. Full-Text PDF