Prof Martin Prince receives IPA Distinguished Service Award
Professor Martin Prince’s service to the field of psychogeriatrics has been recognised by the
International Psychogeriatric Association (IPA) in its 2011 round of Distinguished Service Awards. Prof Prince’s work was recognised during the IPA 2011 International Congress at The Hague on 6th -9th September.
Prof Prince is Professor of Epidemiological Psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry (IoP) at King’s College London and co-Director of the
Centre for Global Mental Health. Professor Prince’s research focuses on mental health priorities in developing countries. He coordinates the
10/66 Dementia Research Group, a network of over 100 researchers from around the world, working together to promote better research into dementia in the developing world. He was a co-editor, with Professor Vikram Patel and Dr Shekhar Saxena, of the Lancet Series on Global Mental Health.
Prof Prince says: ‘I am delighted and honoured to receive this award from the IPA. I see this, above all, as an important recognition of the work of the 10/66 Dementia Research Group that I lead from the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London. Since the Group’s creation, we have surveyed over 20,000 older adults worldwide and drawn attention to the high prevalence of dementia, and its substantial contribution to the global disease burden.'
He adds: 'The coming epidemic of dementia will be concentrated in low and middle income countries, many of which are ill-prepared to respond. Our research continues as we work towards developing community interventions for people with dementia, frail dependent older people and their carers, and identifying potentially preventable risk factors. I would like to thank all of my friends and colleagues in the 10/66 Dementia Research Group, without whose support and outstanding efforts over 12 years, none of this would have been possible.’
The 10/66 Dementia Research Group was founded in 1998. It is a network of researchers from 26 centres in Latin America, India and China with the aim of generating research evidence to draw attention to the problem of dementia, and other chronic diseases, among older people in low and middle income countries.
With support from the Wellcome Trust, the World Health Organisation, the US Alzheimer's Association and some national governments the Group have conducted population surveys of the prevalence and impact of dementia, depression and other chronic diseases in a dozen countries round the world, with more due to start next year.
Prof Prince’s work with the 10/66 Dementia Research Group has contributed significantly to the 2009 and 2010 World Alzheimer Reports, which estimated that the number of people living with dementia worldwide would increase from 36 million to 115 million by 2050, at a global societal cost of US$600 billion. The 2011 report is due to be launched in New York on 13th September 2011.
Professor Shitij Kapur, Dean and Head of School at the IoP says: ‘Congratulations to Professor Prince on receiving the 2011 Distinguished Service Award from the IPA. The strength of his research within this field was instrumental in the formation of the Centre for Global Mental Health, a collaboration between King’s Health Partners and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
'His work within the 10/66 Dementia Group at the Institute of Psychiatry contributes every year to raising the awareness of dementia around the world. This year is no exception as Professor Prince and colleagues from around the world prepare to launch the 2011 World Alzheimer’s Report in the coming weeks.’
10/66 Dementia Research Group is part of Alzheimer's Disease International and is co-ordinated by the IoP. 10/66 refers to the two-thirds (66%) of people with dementia living in low and middle income countries, and the 10% or less of population-based research that has been carried out in those regions.