Japanese researcher awarded prize to carry out research at the IoP
Dr Ryu Takizawa, a psychiatrist and a post-doctoral researcher in the Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine at the University of Tokyo / University of Tokyo Hospital, has been awarded a Newton International Fellowship by the Royal Society to fund his research at King’s College London’s Institute of Psychiatry (IoP).
Over his career, Dr Takizawa has combined his clinical work with adults while developing his research interests in the pathogenesis and development of psychiatric disorders.
Dr Takizawa initially came to the Social Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry (SGDP) Centre at King’s IoP thanks to the IoP’s Research Excellence Travel Fellowships to work on the Environmental-Risk (E-Risk) Longitudinal Twin Study with Dr Louise Arseneault. Thanks to the Newton International Fellowship, he is able to return to the IoP to continue his work with the SGDP team.
Dr Arseneault, leader of the E-Risk Study at King’s IoP says: “We are delighted to host Dr Takizawa within our research team. He brings a unique expertise in clinical issues as we conduct further assessments with our twins at age 18 looking at the development of anxiety and depression symptoms from childhood to adolescence. It is refreshing to work on research papers with Ryu during this busy phase for the cohort.”
Dr Takizawa is also a researcher associated with the Tokyo TEEN cohort, the first cohort study on youth mental health in Japan. He says: “It is important to build bridges across different longitudinal cohorts in the world. I am here to learn how to manage a cohort and maintain a high retention rate among study participants. In the long term, I want to foster international collaborations between Japan and the UK to disseminate cross-cultural findings and contribute to mental health policy and services in both countries.”
The Newton International Fellowship scheme supports world-class early stage post-doctoral researchers, by facilitating their work for two years at UK research institutions. Run by The British Academy and the Royal Society, the scheme aims to develop a global pool of research leaders by encouraging long-term international collaboration.
On completion of the Fellowship, Ryu will also be eligible for additional funding, for up to 10 years, to support his collaborative activities with the UK.