Rina’s research focuses on self-harm and suicidal behaviour, and she studies the influence of social media and smartphone use on young people’s mental health.

Rina has a strong interest in training and capacity building, and in developing the next generation of researchers. In her role as Academic Career Development Lead for the NIHR Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre she delivers an innovative strategy for an extensive and enriching portfolio of research training opportunities for both clinicians and non-clinical scientists. She is also inaugural Deputy Director of the King’s Clinical Academic Training office.

Rina sub-specialises in Liaison and Occupational Psychiatry. Since 2009 she has worked as a Consultant Psychiatrist for the National Affective Disorders Service at the Maudsley Hospital, providing a specialist clinic for health care professionals with mood disorders.

Rina Dutta has previously held an MRC doctoral training fellowship and a Clinician Scientist Fellowship awarded by the Academy of Medical Sciences / Health Foundation.

Research Interests

• Suicidal behaviour and self-harm 
• Social media and mental health 
• Causes of premature mortality 
• Mental and physical co-morbidities 
• Use of datasets for clinical research and data science 

Expertise and Public Engagement

Dr Dutta’s work about using ‘big data’ and social media to benefit mental health has been used by the Academy of Medical Sciences (e.g. in March 2018) to profile the research they are funding and its implications for society. https://acmedsci.ac.uk/more/news/using-big-data-and-social-media-to-benefit-mental-health 

She has been media-trained by the Academy of Medical Sciences and was involved in the first BBC showcase of only 11 scientists on 15th January 2018.  

She has done a live radio broadcast on BBC radio 4 with Jenni Murray on Woman’s Hour, a prerecorded expert opinion for BBC radio 4 regarding self-harm and live radio appearances on Radio London.