About Us»Student Achievements     Wednesday, May 16, 2012


 

Professor Robin Murray Award 2010

Chesmal Siriwardhana was selected as this year's winner of the Professor Robin Murray Award for the best dissertation of the 2009-10 cohort. His comments on winning are below:

Chesmal Siriwardhana

It was one of the most rewarding experiences in my life as I had the chance to learn from global leaders in mental health. They were inspirational for me in many ways in developing my career as a researcher and an academic. I am currently conducting research among internally displaced people in Sri Lanka as part of my Wellcome Trust fellowship and knowledge and skills I learnt at the MSc in psychiatric Research is helping me immensely to conduct sound research. I had the honour of being selected as the first ever recipient of Professor Robin Murray Award for the best MSc dissertation in Psychiatric Research course, which was very rewarding and gratifying for me.

   

MSc in Psychiatric Research - New Award

Professor Robin Murray, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, is arguably one of the most prolific and influential psychiatrists of this generation. He is co-editor of Psychological Medicine and is author of hundreds of research articles in international peer-reviewed journals. He has also written over 20 books and many book chapters. According the Web of Science (ISI), Professor Murray is one of the most frequently cited psychiatrists in the world outside the USA.

Notwithstanding his outstanding achievements in psychiatric research over the last 35 years, it is teaching which has always been of special interest to Professor Murray. He is well known for his enthusiasm for graduate education and is highly regarded for his dedication to mentoring future mental health professionals.

It is therefore with great pleasure that we announce the Robin Murray Award for Best MSc Project. This prestigious award is given to the student whose final year research project stands out as an 'original, rigorous study' that also offers an important contribution to psychiatric research. All students enrolled on this MSc course are considered for this award. The first recpient of the this award has recently been offered the International Graduate Scholarship by King's College London.

Also see http://www.iop.kcl.ac.uk/news/?id=315

   

Recent Student Publications (2008 - 2011)

2011

Tsopelas C, Stewart R, Savva GM, Brayne C, Ince P, Thomas A, Matthews FE. (2011). Neuropathological correlates of late-life depression in older people. Medical Research Council Cognitive Function and Ageing Study.Br J Psychiatry.198:109-14.

Siriwardhana C, Sumathipala A, Siribaddana S, Samaraweera S, Abeysinghe N, Prince M, Hotopf M. (2011). Reducing the scarcity in mental health research from low and middle income countries: a success story from Sri Lanka. Int Rev Psychiatry. 23:77-83.

Jotheeswaran AT, Williams JD, Stewart R, Prince MJ. (2011). Could reverse causality or selective mortality explain associations between leg length, skull circumference and dementia? A South Indian cohort study. Int Psychogeriatr. 23:328-30.

Hodgins S, Calem M, Shimel R, Williams A, Harleston D, Morgan, C, Dazzan P, Fearon P, Morgan K, Lappin J, Zanelli J, Reichenberg A, Jones P (2011). Criminal offending and distinguishing features of offenders among persons experiencing a first episode of psychosis. Ealy Intervention in Psychiatry. 5:15-23.

Bisla J, Calem M, Begum A, Stewart, R (2011). Have we forgotten about dementia in care homes? The importantce of maintaining survey research in this section. Age and Aging. 40: 5 -6.

Prince M, Acosta D, Ferri CP, Guerra M, Huang Y, Jacob K, Jotheeswaran A, Liu Z, Rodriguez JJ, Salas A, Sosa AL, Williams JD. (2011) The association between common physical impairments and dementia in low and middle income countries, and, among people with dementia, their association with cognitive function and disability. A 10/66 Dementia Research Group population-based study. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry.26:511-9.

Prince M, Acosta D, Dangour AD, Uauy R, Guerra M, Huang Y, Jacob KS, Rodriguez JJ, Salas A, Sosa AL, Williams JD, Acosta I, Albanese E, Dewey ME, Ferri CP, Stewart R, Gaona C, Jotheeswaran AT, Kumar PS, Li S, Guerra JC, Rodriguez D, Rodriguez G. (2011) Leg length, skull circumference, and the prevalence of dementia in low and middle income countries: a 10/66 population-based cross sectional survey. Int Psychogeriatr 23:202-13.

2010

Sousa RM, Ferri CP, Acosta D, Guerra M, Huang Y, Jacob K, Jotheeswaran A, Hernandez MA, Liu Z, Pichardo GR, Rodriguez JJ, Salas A, Sosa AL, Williams J, Zuniga T, Prince M. (2010) The contribution of chronic diseases to the prevalence of dependence among older people in Latin America, China and India: a 10/66 Dementia Research Group population-based survey. BMC Geriatr. 6;53.

Jotheeswaran AT, Williams JD, Prince MJ. (2010) The predictive validity of the 10/66 dementia diagnosis in Chennai, India: a 3-year follow-up study of cases identified at baseline. Alzheimer Dis Assoc Disord. 24:296-302.

Jotheeswaran AT, Williams JD, Prince MJ. (2010) Predictors of mortality among elderly people living in a south Indian urban community; a 10/66 Dementia Research Group prospective population-based cohort study. BMC Public Health. 23;366.

Soremekun M, Stewart R, Portel F, Artero S, Ancelin M, Ritchie K. (2010) Neurological signs and late-life depressive symptoms in a community population: the ESPRIT study. Geriatric Psychiatry, 25:672 – 678.

Suttajit S, Punpuing S, Jirapramukpitak T, Tangchonlatip K, Darawuttimaprakorn N, Stewart R, Dewey M, Prince M, Abas M. (2010). Impairment, disability, social support and depression among older parents in rural Thailand. Psychological Medicine. 40: 1711-1721.

Sumathipala A, Siribaddana S, Hewage S, Lekamwattage M, Athukorale M, Siriwardhana C, Munasinghe K, Sumathipala K, Murray J, Prince M (2010) .Understanding of research: a Sri Lankan perspective. BMC Med Ethics. 27;11:7.

Suttajit S and Pilakanta S (2010) Impact of depression and social support on nonadherence to antipsychotic drugs in persons with schizophrenia in Thailand. Patient Prefer Adherence. 4: 363–368.

Suttajit S and Pilakanta S (2010) Comparison of methods used in measuring nonadherence and the barriers agains adherence to antipsychotic drugs in outpatients with schizophrenia. Chiang Mai Medical Journal. 49: 97-103

Kirkwood BR, Manu A, Tawiah-Agyemang C, ten Asbroek G, Gyan T, Weobong B, Lewandowski RE, Soremekun S, Danso S, Pitt C, Hanson K, Owusu-Agyei S, Hill Z. (2010) NEWHINTS cluster randomised trial to evaluate the impact on neonatal mortality in rural Ghana of routine home visits to provide a package of essential newborn care interventions in the third trimester of pregnancy and the first week of life: trial protocol. Trials. 17:11:58

Sousa RM, Dewey ME, Acosta D, Jotheeswaran AT, Castro-Costa E, Ferri CP, Guerra M, Huang Y, Jacob KS, Rodriguez Pichardo JG, Garcia Ramírez N, Llibre Rodriguez J, Calvo Rodriguez M, Salas A, Sosa AL, Williams J, Prince MJ. (2010) Measuring disability across cultures--the psychometric properties of the WHODAS II in older people from seven low- and middle-income countries. The 10/66 Dementia Research Group population-based survey. Int J Methods Psychiatr Res. 9:1-17.

2008/2009

Perera G, Soremekun M, Breen G and Stewart R. (2009). The psychiatric case register: noble past, challenging present, but exciting future. British Journal of Psychiatry. 195: 191-193. Suttajit S. (2009). The roles of neurotransmitters, hormones and brain-derived neurotrophic factors in the pathogenesis of depression. Chiang Mai Medical Journal. 48:1 – 41.

Sousa RM, Ferri CP, Acosta D, Albanese E, Guerra M, Huang Y, Jacob KS, Jotheeswaran AT, Rodriguez JJ, Pichardo GR, Rodriguez MC, Salas A, Sosa AL, Williams J, Zuniga T, Prince M.(2009) Contribution of chronic diseases to disability in elderly people in countries with low and middle incomes: a 10/66 Dementia Research Group population-based survey. Lancet. 28;374:1821-30.

Sosa AL, Albanese E, Prince M, Acosta D, Ferri CP, Guerra M, Huang Y, Jacob KS, Rodríguez JL, Salas A, Yang F, Gaona C, Joteeshwaran AT, Rodríguez G, de la Torre GR, Williams JD, Stewart R. (2009) Population normative data for the 10/66 Dementia Research Group cognitive test battery from Latin America, India and China: a cross-sectional survey. BMC Neurology;9: 4

Suttajit, S Srisurapanont M, Schizophrenia: Epidemiology and treatment. (2009) Journal of the Psychiatric Association of Thialand. 54:(Supplement 1):21S037S.

Weobong B, Akpalu B, Doku V, Owusu-Agyel S, Kirkwood B, Prince M. (2009). The comparative validity of screening scales for postnatal common mental disorders in Kintampo, Ghana. Journal of Affective Disorders. 113: 109 - 117.

Begum A, Tsopelas C, Lindesay J, Stewart R. (2009). Cognitive function and common mental disorders in older people with valcular and non-vascular disorders: a national survey.  Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 24:701-8.

Yoon J, Kim S, Kim J, Yoon S. (2009) Cigarette smoking is associated with depression and suicide ideation in patients with schizophrenia. Major Psychoses and Substance Abuse. Edinburgh International Conference Centre, Edinburgh Scotland (Conference Proceedings). 

Hill Z, Manu A, Tawiah C, Gyan T, Turner K, Weobong B, Kirkwood B. (2008) ‘How did formative research inform the development of a home-based neonatal care intervention in rural Ghana?’  Journal of Perinatology. Suppl 2:S38-45.

 
SUBMITTED FOR PUBLICATION

Velivasis A, Walshe M, Nosarti C, Stahl D, Rooney M, Healy E, Rifkin L, Wyatt J, Murray RM, Allin MPG. Cannabis use and psychiatric illness in young adults born preterm. Submitted.

Pauli A., Prata D., Mechell A., Picchioni M., Fu C., Chaddock C., Kane F., S K., McDonald C., Kravariti E., Toulopoulou T., Bramon E., Walshe M., Ehlert N., Murray R., Collier D., McGuire P., Submitted. Epistasis between DAT 3’ UTR VNTR and D-Amino acid oxidase activator (DAOA; G72) on brain function during verbal fluency in healthy subjects. Submitted.

 

   

2009 Graduation

Congratulations to the 2009 Graduates!

 
 

News

Alumni Visit in March

Thanks to Mishael Soremekum for generously giving up her time to speak to students about her clinical psychology training. We hope the students found inspiration from her visit. 

 


   

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