Today, His Majesty the King announced the 2023 New Year Honours list and we are delighted that RCPsych leaders have been recognised for their contributions to psychiatry and mental health.
Two Honorary Fellows, a Fellow and a member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists have been recognised for their significant contributions:
RCPsych Honorary Fellow, Professor Sir Michael Marmot, Director of Institute of Health Equity at University College London received a prestigious Order of the Companions of Honour award for his services to Public Health.
RCPsych Honorary Fellow, Professor Louis Appleby CBE, Professor of Psychiatry, University of Manchester and Chair, National Suicide Prevention Strategy Advisory Group received a Knighthood for his services to Medicine and Mental Health.
Fellow of the College, Professor Rachel Jenkins, Professor Emeritus of Epidemiology and Mental Health Policy, Kings College London received an Order of the British Empire award for her services to Mental Health policy and research in the UK and overseas.
Member of RCPsych, Dr Isobel Heyman, Consultant Psychiatrist, Psychological Medicine Team, Addenbrooke's Hospital and Honorary Consultant Psychiatrist, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children received a Member of the Order of the British Empire award for her services to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services.
Dr Adrian James, President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said:
“I would like to wish our members who were recognised the utmost congratulations. Their Honours are richly deserved.”
Also recognised in the King’s first New Year Honours list were Dr Ramesh Mehta, President of the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin and Hamish Elvidge, Founder of the Support After Suicide Partnership, along with several others, for their tireless work over the years to improve services in mental health and equality.
Paul Rees, Chief Executive of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said:
“We are absolutely delighted and would like to extend our best wishes to all those whose efforts have been awarded by an Honour.
“The past few years have been hard on everyone with the pandemic and now the cost-of-living crisis, but our members have continued to ensure that mental health remains at the top of the health agenda.”
Details of RCPsych recipients
Professor Sir Michael Marmot – RCPsych Honorary Fellow
Professor Marmot has led research groups on health inequality for more than 40 years. He is a Professor of Epidemiology at University College London and Director of the UCL Institute of Health Equity.
He also sits on the advisory board of the College’s Public Mental Health Implementation Centre, which supports improved implementation of evidence-based interventions to treat and prevent mental disorders, prevent associated impacts, and promote mental wellbeing and resilience.
Professor Louis Appleby CBE – RCPsych Honorary Fellow
Professor Appleby created England’s first-ever suicide prevention strategy in 2002 and has championed suicide prevention for more than 25 years.
He was the Government's first National Director for Mental Health and helped re-design community services, reform mental health legislation and supported the commissioning of several NICE guidelines.
He is also a Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Manchester where he leads the Centre for Mental Health and Risk. The centre investigates suicide, self-harm and other areas of risk.
Professor Appleby has been the Director of the National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide by People with Mental Illness since it was created in 1996. It is now one of the top units for suicide prevention research in the world.
He was awarded the RCPsych Lifetime Achievement Award in 2021.
Professor Rachel Jenkins – Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)
Professor Jenkins directed the World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre at the Institute for Psychiatry for 15 years and continues to lead overseas projects. She works with governments to develop and implement mental health policy. She has also helped deliver training projects in Africa, the Middle East and Europe.
In 1993, she launched the British National Psychiatric Morbidity Survey Programme, which continues to help improve our knowledge and understanding of mental illness.
She is not only a member of the College but also sits on the British Journal of Psychiatry International Editorial Board and is a Committee Member of our History of Psychiatry Special Interest Group (HoPSIG).
Dr Isobel Heyman – Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)
Dr Heyman founded the first UK specialist clinic for young people with obsessive compulsive disorder and related difficulties in 1998.
She has worked as a Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children (GOSH) since 1998 and is an Honourary Professor at the Institute of Child Health, University College London. She is liaison psychiatrist to the epilepsy surgery program at GOSH and clinical lead for the Tourette Syndrome clinic.
Dr Heyman also worked as a Consultant at Maudsley Hospital during that same period and continues to hold an honorary position there.
List of other recipients
Commanders of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)
Dr Ramesh Dulichandbhai Mehta OBE, President, British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin. For services to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.
Officers of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)
Professor William Dominic Joshua Abrams FBA, Professor of Social Psychology, University of Kent. For services to the Social Sciences.
Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)
Dr Peter Winston Belfield, Lately Medical Director for Invited Service Reviews, Royal College of Physicians and lately Chair, St Gemma's Hospice. For services to Patient Safety and Care.
Elaine June Bousfield, Founder and lately Chief Executive, Kooth PLC. For services to Children and Young People's Mental Health.
Hamish Murray Andrew Elvidge BEM, Founder and lately Chair, The Support After Suicide Partnership. For services to Mental Health.
Sally Ann Ingram, Director, Student Health and Wellbeing Services, Newcastle University. For services to Student Mental Health and Wellbeing.
Dr Atiya Kamal, Health Psychologist and Senior Lecturer, School of Social Sciences, Birmingham City University. For services to Health Psychology during Covid-19.
Betsey Yoke-Chan Lau-Robinson, Head of Adult Safeguarding and the Mental Health Capacity Act, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. For services to Patient Safeguarding.
Ajibola Tokunboh Lewis, Campaigner, for the Mental Health Units (Use of Force) Act. For services to Mental Health.
Dr Stephen Huang Mowle, Honorary Treasurer, Royal College of General Practitioners and General Practitioner, Hetherington Group Practice, London Borough of Lambeth. For services to Healthcare.
June Deidre Sanders, President, Family Lives. For services to Charity and Mental Health.
Alana Stott, For services to Vulnerable Women and to Mental Health Awareness.
Professor Jacqueline Taylor, Lately President, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow. For services to Medical Education and to Health.
Professor Dr Simon Benjamin Nicholas Thompson, For services to Clinical Psychology Education and to Healthcare Improvements.
Rachael Clare Whitaker, Policy Manager, Offender Health and Secure Services, Department of Health and Social Care. For services to Mental Health Policy.
Medallists of the Order of the British Empire
Rosslyn Hill, Occupational Health, Safety and Environment Adviser, Defence Equipment and Support, Ministry of Defence. For services to Defence and to Mental Health.
June Lesley Lovell, Psychiatric Nurse Manager. For services to Mental Health in North Wales.
Jack Summers, Lately Health and Wellbeing Lead, Home Office. For services to Mental Health and Wellbeing.
The full New Year Honours list for 2023 is available on the Government’s website.
For further information, please contact:
- Email: press@rcpsych.ac.uk
- Twitter: @rcpsych
- Out-of-hours contact number: 07860 755896