Valeria Mondelli is Clinical Professor of Psychoneuroimmunology at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, and Liaison Consultant Psychiatrist at King’s College Hospital.

Her research interest focuses on the interplay between physical and mental health and on the role of biological systems involved in the stress response (e.g. the immune system) in the pathogenesis of psychiatric disorders.

Over the past few years she has co-led an international global mental health project aiming to identify adolescents at high risk of depression at an early stage (IDEA project) with the ultimate goal of reducing the onset of depression in adolescence. She is currently continuing her work with the consortium investigating the role of the immune system in the development of depression in adolescence.

After having obtained her medical degree and specialty degree in psychiatry at the University of Turin in Italy, she moved to London in 2005 where she obtained her PhD in Psychological Medicine in 2009. She was then awarded a NIHR Clinical Lectureship, and continued to conduct her research and clinical work between the IoPPN and the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust.

She has published over 190 papers, and her current H-index is 50. She is Associate Editor of the journal Brain Behaviour and Immunity, and 2022 Clarivate Analytics Highly Cited Researcher.

She is currently co-lead of the Psychosis and Mood Disorders Theme at the NIHR SLaM Biomedical Research Centre. She has received various awards, including the Emerging Leaders in Adolescent Mental Health Prize by the Medical Research Foundation and the BAP Senior Clinical Psychopharmacology Award.

Expertise and Public Engagement 

She is leading the virtual series “Immunopsychiatry Meetings” hosting international leaders in the field of immunopsychiatry and early career researchers with specific interest in this field.

She is part of organizing committees for scientific conferences including Psychoneuroimmunology Research Society, European College of Neuropsychopharmacology, International Society of Psychoneuroendocrinology.

She is Past President of the Psychiatry Section of the Royal Society of Medicine.