Honours for IoP Professors
Professor Sir Simon Wessely, Professor Janet Treasure OBE and Visiting Professor David Clark CBE of King’s College London’s Institute of Psychiatry (IoP), have all been recognised in the New Year Honours 2013.
Awarded Knight Bachelor for services to Military Healthcare and to Psychological Medicine, Professor Sir Simon Wessely was cited as having ‘dramatically improved mental health services for the Armed Forces. His academic work led to a better understanding of Gulf War Illness and to more effective psychological support for the armed services. His work has spread beyond the UK to the US and Australia and he works closely with a number of charities in support of ex-servicemen and women.’
Professor Janet Treasure was awarded Officer of the Order of the British Empire for Services to People with Eating Disorders.
For his role as National Clinical Adviser, Department of Health, Professor David Clark was awarded Commander of the Order of the British Empire for services to Mental Health.
Professor Shitij Kapur, Dean and Head of School IoP at King's, said: "It is an exceptional year for the IoP – to have Professor Wessely honoured with a knighthood and Professors Clark and Treasure with a CBE and an OBE. In academic circles we have long known the remarkable contributions they have all made to scientific progress and enhancing clinical care. What is particularly heartening is to see their many accomplishments being recognized in this public manner. Three in one year is truly outstanding. On behalf of the IoP and all our colleagues – I thank them for all that they have done for the field and for the honour they bring to us as an institution.”
Sir Simon Wessely, Professor of Psychological Medicine, Director of the King’s Centre for Military Health Research and Vice Dean for Academic Psychiatry at the IoP at King's, is a clinical psychiatrist with an international research reputation. His main interests are the boundaries between medicine and psychiatry and military health, and he has led research teams and published extensively in these areas. He has acted as a spokesperson for psychiatry and medicine and is committed to public engagement in these areas. Professor Sir Wessely's research is informed by epidemiology and interdisciplinary collaboration within and outside of medicine. Through his teaching experiences and contact with junior faculty, he has become committed to improving psychiatry education for all trainees.
Professor Sir Simon Wessely said: “I am surprised and delighted with this honour. It may be a cliche but in truth this is not just for me, it is for all the amazingly talented people I have been fortunate to work with at the IoP, King's College London and the Maudsley. I have spent a large part of my career trying to improve the health of service men and women and I want to thank them for their fortitude, their inspiration and most of all their patience with our research."
Professor Janet Treasure OBE & Professor David Clark CBE
Janet Treasure OBE is a Professor of Psychiatry and a consultant psychiatrist who has specialised in the treatment of eating disorders for more than 20 years. She is Chief Medical Advisor of the eating disorders charity Beat and is Director of South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust’s Eating Disorders Unit at the Bethlem Royal Hospital.
Professor Janet Treasure OBE said: “I have worked with a clinical and research team in The Maudsley Hospital, Bethlem Hospital and Institute of Psychiatry for over 30 years. We have worked with patients and their families to translate these findings into new treatments. I am very pleased this award has highlighted this much needed area of research.”
David M Clark CBE is a Visiting Professor of Psychology at the IoP and a Fellow of King’s. His research focuses on cognitive approaches to the understanding and treatment of anxiety disorders and has led to the development of new and effective cognitive therapy programmes. Further research has focused on disseminating the new treatments as widely as possible including the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme that aims to train an extra 6,000 new psychological therapists by 2015. Professor Clark has been involved with IAPT since its inception and is currently the National Clinical Advisor.
Professor David Clark CBE said: "I am honoured and delighted to receive this award which recognizes the value of scientific research on psychological therapies and their dissemination, as well as the need for public transparency in reporting the outcomes of our mental health services."
Other awards within King’s include Sarah Cowley, Visiting Professor of Community Practice Development at the National Nursing Research Unit (NNRU) at King’s, who received a DBE for services to Health Visiting. King’s PhD student, Katherine Grainger, received a CBE for services to Rowing. King’s alumnus and Fellow Professor Peter Higgs (BSc Physics, 1950, MSc Phsyics, 1952, PhD in 1954) received a Companion of Honour for services to Physics. Colleagues from the College’s partner NHS trusts were also recognised in this year’s Honours. Dr Keith Ison, Head of Medical Physics at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust was awarded an OBE for Leadership and Development in Healthcare Science, Medical Physics, Engineering and Technology. Dr David Fenton, Consultant Dermatologist at St John’s Institute of Dermatology at Guy's was awarded an MBE for services to the Treatment of Skin and Hair Disorders. Michael Billington, Fellow of the College and theatre critic for the Guardian was awarded an OBE for services to the Theatre.
For further information, please contact Louise Pratt, PR & Communications Manager, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, email: louise.a.pratt@kcl.ac.uk or tel: 0207 848 5378