Dr Ava Carter

Dr Ava Carter is a Psychiatrist, Dental Surgeon and Clinical Operations Director at Deakin Private Hospital. She brings deep clinical experience, leadership, and a sharp eye for systems change - but it’s her commitment to the future of healthcare that truly sets her apart. Ava is passionate about mentoring the next generation of clinicians and building a culture that values continuous learning, research, and innovation. Through her leadership roles, she has seen firsthand the power of well-supported, collaborative teams to drive real progress in mental health. She is especially drawn to areas of high need — working with patients facing complex mental health challenges, including eating disorders, neuropsychiatric conditions, grief and loss and psycho-oncology. Ava’s work reflects this belief every day — combining clinical expertise with a vision for what mental health care, and medicine, can and should be: fair and individualised for the person, not the diagnosis. Outside of Deakin Private Hospital, Ava continues her commitment to advancing mental health care as a Clinical Associate Lecturer at ANU, a member of the Canberra Regional Medical Education Council and the Medicines Advisory Committee. She is also a Churchill Fellowship recipient, currently exploring the design and implementation of dedicated dental care units for psychiatric patients. She also loves ultra-running and is an overly enthusiastic very amateur painter.