NHS Lothian has recruited its first Professor of Psychiatry to help integrate world-leading research into new and innovative Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).
Professor Ian Kelleher has been appointed as a Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist at CAMHS and Chair of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the University of Edinburgh.
Working between the Royal Edinburgh Hospital in a clinical capacity and the University of Edinburgh, he will lead a major new research programme to improve the health and wellbeing of young people in Scotland and internationally.
A research team is also being funded by NHS Lothian and the University of Edinburgh, including the appointment of a Clinical Senior Lecturer in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. As part of the collaborative funding, a Postdoctoral Researcher is currently being recruited for and the team will also set out to find a suitable PhD candidate next year.
The research will take a data driven approach to harnessing information from Scotland’s health registers to help inform clinical services within NHS Lothian and develop world-leading innovation in CAMHS services.
Ian is one of only two professors of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in CAMHS in Scotland.
Tracey McKigen, Service Director for the Royal Edinburgh Hospital and associated services, NHS Lothian, said: “This is an exciting time for NHS Lothian CAMHS as we continue the development and expansion of our teams and clinical services.
“There is only one other Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in CAMHS Scotland and this appointment is a huge step in the right direction for the service. We know that our staff and patients will benefit significantly from Ian’s expertise and insight.
“The research taking place at the University of Edinburgh will be invaluable to young people across the UK and will be transformative for CAMHS services as a whole. I’m intrigued to see the outcomes of Ian’s research and to understand how this will inform our services going forward.”
Prior to working for NHS Lothian, Ian worked for CAMHS in Ireland and led a research team at University College Dublin, studying risk for serious mental illness in children and adolescents. He also worked previously at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and collaborated extensively with clinicians and researchers in Finland and Sweden. Using data from healthcare registers, he studied the prediction of mental health conditions like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
Ian Kelleher, Chair of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, said: “I’m really excited to be taking up this new and challenging role at such a critical time and to build on the good work already transforming patient care in NHS Lothian CAMHS.
“My priority right now is to ensure our research programme gets off to the best possible start. We want to harness data to better understand young people’s mental health trajectories. This can then inform new treatments and interventions to prevent the development of serious mental health conditions.
“It’s a big challenge, but one that we will be working hard on in the coming years – and one that I hope all stakeholders will get behind. Because we all want Scotland to be the best place in the world for children to grow up. Research will be key to unlocking that potential.”
The research will be supported by NHS Lothian CAMHS, University of Edinburgh, the third sector and patients and family members.
