UEMS – Mental Health

Posted by jchoules

3 January 2017

Quite a lot has been happening on the mental health front within the University over recent months that has relevance to APEx. I’d like to take this opportunity to update you all.

In particular, there have been a number of very important appointments.

Professor Clive Ballard

Firstly, Professor Clive Ballard was appointed as the new Dean of the University of Exeter Medical School and took up this role in November this year. Clive is a psychiatrist with a considerable international reputation for his research into a range of dementia-related areas including the prevention of dementia, biological mechanisms and drug discovery through to the needs of people with more severe dementia living in care homes and the overuse and harms of anti-psychotic medication in these individuals. Clive previously ran the Dementia Biomedical Research Centre at the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London.

You can hear Clive talk about his research when he presents at the APEx seminar on Wednesday 26 April 2017, 13.00-14.00, Room JS07, in the Smeall Building. The title of his talk will be announced nearer the time.

Anne Corbett

Secondly, with Clive came senior lecturer in dementia research, Anne Corbett. Anne has a background in molecular biology though more recently has focused on research communications and translational dementia research. Her research interests include treatment and care in care home settings, with a focus on the management of pain and behavioural symptoms, and prevention of dementia in healthy older adults. Anne will continue her research with Clive and also with Professor Linda Clare on the GREAT trial.

Professor Jonathan Burns

Thirdly, Professor Jonathan Burns has come from South Africa, where he was Head of the Department of Psychiatry at University of KwaZulu-Natal and Head of Psychiatric Services in KwaZulu-Natal Province. Jonathan has taken up the post of Honorary Professor and Consultant in Psychiatry in University of Exeter Medical School and Devon Partnership Trust. Jonathan’s clinical and research interests lie in the epidemiology of psychotic disorders. His experience of working to improve pathways to care for people with psychosis will be usefully applied to people with severe and enduring mental illness in Devon.

Finally, I am delighted to announce that I have been appointed as the Lead for the Dementia and Mental Health theme for the NIHR Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Heath and Care for the South West Peninsula (PenCLAHRC). I’ll be following in the sizable footsteps of my colleague Professor David Richards who has done really great work leading the theme so far. This is a really exciting opportunity to develop further research mental health in primary and secondary care settings.

Professor Chris Dickens
Professor of Psychological Medicine, UEMS