Prof Martin Prince new Head of HSPR Department
We are delighted to announce that Professor Martin Prince has been appointed Head of the Department of Health Service and Population Research (HSPR) at the Institute of Psychiatry (IoP), and will succeed Professor Graham Thornicroft from 1 June 2013.
After a period of consultation with HSPR staff, Professor Sir Rick Trainor, Principal of King’s College London, informed the Department of Professor Prince’s appointment.
Martin Prince is Professor of Epidemiological Psychiatry at the IoP and joint Director of the Centre for Global Mental Health, a collaboration between King’s and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Professor Prince’s research focuses on mental health priorities in developing countries, with a strong focus on capacity building in policy, prevention, treatment and care of mental illness worldwide. He coordinates the 10/66 Dementia Research Group, a network of researchers from around the world, working together to promote research into dementia in low and middle income countries.
Professor Trainor said: ‘The Institute of Psychiatry’s Department of Health Service and Population Research has established an exceptional reputation for health services research and teaching. Professor Prince’s outstanding track record in global mental health exemplifies the world class academic calibre at King’s.’
The Dean and Head of School of the IoP at King’s, Professor Shitij Kapur, added: ‘I am delighted that Professor Prince has agreed to head HSPR and steer our research and educational offerings in this area from strength to strength. I would like to express my gratitude to Professor Thornicroft. Under his leadership, the Department has had a demonstrable impact on how we care for people with mental health disorders. Professor Prince’s scholarship and breadth of experience makes him a most fitting successor to Professor Thornicroft.’
Professor Prince says of the appointment: ‘I am honoured by the opportunity to take on this role in such a diverse and multidisciplinary department, conducting population, primary and secondary care, and policy research in many countries worldwide. This is an exciting place to work, with a strong shared commitment to high quality research; driving up the quality and coverage of mental health services and improving outcomes for the people most affected.’
The Health Service and Population Research Department (HSPR) aims to better understand the different factors that contribute to mental illness and to improve the quality of life of people with mental health problems all over the world. HSPR hosts the Centre for Innovation and Evaluation in Mental Health, Centre for Public Mental Health and the Centre for the Economic Evaluation of Physical and Mental Health.
HSPR hosts a World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Mental Health and in 2009 was awarded a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for its work.
For further information, please contact Seil Collins, Press Officer, King’s College London, Institute of Psychiatry. Tel: (+44) 207 848 5377 or email:seil.collins@kcl.ac.uk