Our experts

Areas of expertise 

• Unipolar and bipolar depression
• Organic affective disorders such as those associated with frontotemporal dementia
• Neurocognitive disorders and treatments
• Neuromodulation (for example, fMRI neurofeedback and vagus nerve stimulation)
• Digital health and decision support systems

Background

After two years as a specialist trainee and researcher in cognitive neurology at Aachen University Hospital, Roland Zahn went on to work at Freiburg University Hospital in 2000 to complete his clinical training in psychiatry and cognitive behavioural psychotherapy. In Freiburg, Professor Berger, one of the leading national experts for mood disorders, inspired him with an ethos of never giving up hope and trying to improve everyone's depression by pursuing all available treatments including intensive psycho- and pharmacotherapy.

Funded by a fellowship from the German National Academy of Sciences, Roland Zahn investigated the brain basis of emotions such as guilt at the US National Institutes of Health from 2004 until 2007. He then continued this research at the University of Manchester supported by a Stepping Stones Fellowship whilst undertaking top-up training in old age psychiatry with Professor Alistair Burns and since 2011 working as an Honorary Consultant Psychiatrist in specialist cognitive assessment and affective disorders services (led by Professor Ian Anderson) at Manchester University Hospitals.

In 2013, he joined the Centre for Affective Disorders at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience at King’s College London (led by Professor Allan Young) as a Senior Clinical Lecturer and since 2018 as a Clinical Reader in Mood Disorders.

As an Honorary Consultant Psychiatrist, his focus has been on mood disorders at the National Service for Affective Disorders at the Maudsley and in a primary care liaison mood clinic in South London. His clinical expertise is in treatment-resistant affective disorders, as well as differential diagnosis and treatment of cognitive and organic affective disorders. He is also co-programme leader for the MSc in Affective Disorders at King’s College London and leads the module on understanding affective disorders.

Education and Training

• 2006 - Certificate of equivalence with US MD PhD degree, International Research Education Foundation (USA), Medicine
• 1999 - Doctor of Medicine University of Aachen (RWTH) (Germany), Neurology and Neuropsychology
• 1997 - Completion of Clinical Studies (Staatsexamen) University of Aachen (RWTH) (Germany), Medicine
• 1993 - Completion of Pre-clinical studies (Physikum) University of Heidelberg (Germany), Medicine

• 2017 - Fellowship, Higher Education Academy, Teaching
• 2012 Certificate of equivalence of completion of higher specialist training, Royal College of Psychiatrists, Old Age Psychiatry
• 2007 - Specialist Register, General Medical Council, Adult Psychiatry
• 2007 - Completion of Specialist Training, University Hospital Freiburg (Germany), Adult Psychiatry and Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapy

Selected publications

For a full updated list please see the Kings College London website