About us
Aims and objectives
- Raise awareness of the value of understanding the contribution of evolutionary theory to psychiatry
- Encourage research into the evolutionary psychiatry
- Provide a forum for psychiatrists and others to discuss evolutionary models, research ideas and data with fellow evolutionists
- Facilitate networking with academic institutions and evolutionary scientists, biologists, psychotherapists, psychologists and other disciplines such as philosophy
- Keep members and supporters of the SIG informed via our webpage and newsletter
- Organise workshops, symposia and conferences on evolutionary psychiatry and related subjects
- Organise sessions at the WPA and the College's International Congress, as well as with Faculties and Devolved Nations and Divisions.
The EPSIG Executive Committee comprises:
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Riadh Abed | Chair |
| Annie Swanepoel | Financial Officer |
| Paul St John-Smith | Newsletter editor |
| David Geaney | Member |
| Derek Tracy | Member |
| Adam Hunt | Member |
| Agnes Ayton | Member |
| Tom Carpenter | Trainee Member |
| Nikil Chaudhary | Member |
| Muzaffer Kaser | Member |
| Leonard Cornwall | Member |
| Elena Titova-Chaudhry | Member |
| Arif Khan | Member |
| Monica Francis | PTC Rep |
| Emily Jackson | PTC Rep |
We are keen to recruit new SIG members and people to become members of the core executive committee.
If you would like to join, please email us, or fill in our online sign up via our website.
Increasing trainee involvement
The Evolutionary Psychiatry SIG (EPSIG) aims to increase trainee involvement in its activities to help raise awareness of the importance of evolutionary science to the understanding of mental disorder among trainees in the UK.
We are therefore reaching out to our members to invite expressions of interest from psychiatric trainees at all levels and in all specialties in the UK to join a group of evolutionary-minded trainees to form an EPSIG Trainee Executive Committee (that will work alongside the current EPSIG executive committee). Any psychiatric trainee in the UK is welcome to apply but our aim is to have representation from across the country as far as possible. The only requirements are an interest in understanding the implications of evolution to psychiatry and mental health and an enthusiasm to promote awareness of this among trainees within their Deaneries/regions.
We held a successful whole-day workshop for trainees at the college HQ in London (27 January 2023). Our 2nd Trainee Workshop will take place on Friday 1 March 2024. More details can be found here.
For further info please contact Tom Carpenter (CT2, trainee member on the executive committee of EPSIG): carpenter.te@gmail.com
Contact us
If you have any enquiries about the EPSIG please contact sigs@rcpsych.ac.uk.