Schizophrenia research wins award from BMA
Posted on 08/12/2014
Dr Rina Dutta, Senior Clinical Research Fellow at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN), has received a prestigious British Medical Association Margaret Temple award for research into schizophrenia along with one of her PhD students, Dr Javier López-Moríñigo.
They will investigate in depth the role insight plays in suicide in schizophrenia. The award will enable the comparison of a cohort of patients following a first episode of schizophrenia from South-East London with a cohort from Santander in Spain. Their work will compare the two groups on a range of demographic and clinical variables that are already known to be associated with suicide in schizophrenia. It is anticipated that the international collaboration will improve clinical understanding of insight in schizophrenia to a point where, in the longer term, talking therapies can be tailored to be more effective.
Dr Dutta said: “The BMA has been most generous in their support of our research into an often neglected topic associated with shame and stigma. I have been fortunate to receive the Margaret Temple award on three occasions: in 2008, 2011 and 2014.
"I was delighted that Professor Til Wykes was able to attend from IoPPN on the awards evening. She has been a source of support, inspiration and encouragement as my research interests have developed."
Commenting on the awards, Dr Mark Porter, the BMA’s Chair of Council said: “The BMA Research Grants continue to successfully fund important and innovative research to advance medical research and the medical profession. With research funding budgets being squeezed across biomedical research and the medical profession, we will strive to maintain levels of funding and continue supporting first-class research projects.”
Dr Dutta's research interests include suicide, self-harm, causes of premature mortality, mental and physical co-morbidities and the use of datasets for clinical research. Dr Dutta and Dr López-Moríñigo received their award at a ceremony at BMA House, where Dr Helen Fisher, also from IoPPN, who won the Margaret Temple award in 2012, gave a presentation on 'Prevention of prodromal schizophrenia using a triad of early risk factors in a longitudinal cohort of children'.
For further information contact Tom Bragg, Press Officer at IoPPN, King’s College London, on +44(0)2078485377 or email ioppn-pr@kcl.ac.uk