Highest honour for Trust psychiatrist
One of the Trust’s longest serving psychiatrists has received one of the nation’s highest honours.
Sir Simon is a world-renowned academic psychiatrist and epidemiologist who trained at the Maudsley Hospital and has been with the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, (IoPPN) and King’s College London for over 37 years and is the first psychiatrist to receive the honour.
The citation describes Sir Simon as the ‘the pre-eminent psychiatrist of his generation in the UK’.
Wessely is a world-renowned academic psychiatrist and epidemiologist who trained at the Maudsley Hospital and has been with the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, (IoPPN) and King’s College London for over 37 years and is the first psychiatrist to receive the honour.
Sir Simon said: “Being the first psychiatrist to receive this honour shows just how far mental health in general, and psychiatry in particular, has advanced since I started my psychiatry training at the Maudsley Hospital back in 1984.”
“I remember very well that mixture of excitement and nervousness that I felt when I heard I had been accepted on to the Maudsley Psychiatry Rotation as it was called back in 1984.
“I had no idea that other than a few years at the National Hospital for Neurology and then the London School of Hygiene, I would never work anywhere other than Denmark Hill again. I think I have probably got over the nervousness by now, but the excitement is still there”.
“And to end on a serious note, I think that back in 1984 the idea that any one connected with mental health would ever receive an honour like this was unthinkable. Surgeons, physicians, yes. But not us. That’s a change to celebrate”
Sir Simon was elected President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists and then became the first psychiatrist to be elected President of the Royal Society of Medicine in over 200 years.
He was knighted in 2013 for services to military healthcare and psychological medicine, and in 2017 became the first Regius Professor of Psychiatry in the country.
As well as being a Professor of Psychological Medicine, Sir Simon is currently interim Head of the School of Academic Psychiatry. He established and now co-
directs the King’s Centre for Military Health Research, initially set up to explore Gulf War illnesses.
He has over 1,000 professional publications, focussing on psychological medicine and epidemiology, and is also the most published author on military health including long term outcome studies of the impact of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars on UK service personnel.
Professor Derek Tracy, the Trust’s Chief Medical Officer, congratulated Sir Simon on his award.
He said: “'I was frankly surprised to learn that there was an award left that Simon hadn't won. This is such a huge honour - quite literally, it's the biggest gong going - but it is entirely justified in its awarding.
“It recognises a life of service: to clinical work, largely within the Trust, to academic work, primarily at the IoPPN; and to policy and fostering national debate.
“Simon has advanced mental health care in this country and beyond through cutting-edge research, led our Royal College, taught and educated generations of psychiatrists and other professions, and been a voice and advocate for better mental health care provision.
“He's never been afraid to tackle controversial issues - indeed some might argue he's at his best in that space - with inevitable wit and humour never veiling genuine insight and thoughtfulness. We are truly delighted for him at the Trust, and I hope he has enough room on his mantlepiece, trophy cabinet, or wherever he keeps his many deserved awards.”
“Most of all I want to thank all the brilliant colleagues that I have met with, worked with, written with, watched football with, even played a few cricket matches with, in the 40 years since I first stepped foot in the Maudsley.”
