28 Sep 2023
We are delighted to announce that Dr Naomi Launders has been awarded the prestigious Michael King Prize for best mental health thesis in 2022/23. The award was presented at the Institute of Mental Health Conference (IoMH) on 20 September.
The focus of Naomi’s winning thesis was investigating physical health and related secondary care use in people with severe mental illness (SMI) using electronic health records.
Individuals affected by SMI are more likely to develop physical health conditions, including heart disease and diabetes. This confluence of mental and physical health conditions means they are more likely to visit hospital emergency departments. Looking at routine GP and hospital data, Naomi’s research strives to delineate the physical health landscape of those with SMI, offering a comparative perspective to individuals without SMI, and to uncover the patterns of hospital use among those with SMI.
The prize was first awarded in 2022 in honour of Professor King, the first Director of the UCL Division of Psychiatry, who also led psychiatry research at the Royal Free Hospital for many years before the Division was created. The prize was presented at the conference by IoMH Director, Professor Anthony David, who said:
“We are delighted to announce that Naomi Launders is the 2022/2023 winner of the Michael King PhD Prize. This is the second year of the prize which honours the previous head of the Division of Psychiatry at UCL. The award was based on scientific excellence as well as the student’s personal statement. The topic concerns the increased prevalence of medical conditions affecting people with serious mental illness and therefore exemplifies the ‘biopsychosocial approach’ followed by the late Professor King and indeed the Institute of Mental Health.
On receipt of the award, Naomi said: "I am really honoured to win this award for my PhD thesis investigating the physical health of people with SMI using electronic medical records, funded by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities. A big thank to my brilliant supervisors David Osborn and Joseph Hayes, and those on my thesis committee.”
Congratulations from everyone at NIHR ARC North Thames, Naomi!
