Prof McFarlane is Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Adelaide.   He is an international expert in the field of the impact of disasters and PTSD. He is a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies for outstanding and fundamental contributions to the field of traumatic stress studies. He has held to roles of the Senior Adviser to the ADF, and DVA.  He has advised the SA and NSW Governments about the recovery after disasters. He is a retired Group Captain of the RAAF specialist reserve. He has published over 480 articles and chapters and has co-edited three books.