RESEARCH PROFILE
- Current number of racademic staff: 27.
- Current number of research students: Over 50 PhD.
- Recent publications: Several Health Service and Population Research Staff have led or contributed to writing NICE guidelines, the basic building blocks for good clinical practice nationally and internationally. The department has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals and a series of important recent books. Details are available on the department website http://www.kcl.ac.uk/iop/depts/hspr/index.aspx
KEY FACTS
Student destinations
Past students have gained prestigious posts in many national and international research and policy organisations, including the World Health Organization.
Head of group/division
Professor Graham Thornicroft
Duration
Three years FT; six years PT. Accelerated PT rates available - email
iop.educationsupport@kcl.ac.uk for further information. Registration is carried out at four points in the year: October, January, April and July.
Denmark Hill Campus.
Year of entry 2013
Offered by
Institute of Psychiatry
Closing date
Applications are accepted throughout the year although you are advised to apply as early as possible, and at least three months prior to the date you wish to start. Students will be admitted on the basis of ability by suitably qualified supervisors who are limited in the number of students they may supervise.
Intake
No set number.
Fees
CONTACTS
Contact information
Professor Paul McCrone, tel 020 7848 0874.
Email
Website
RESEARCH DESCRIPTION
The Health Service and Population Research Department is led by Professor Graham Thornicroft, a Professor of Community Psychiatry and Consultant Psychiatrist.
The Health Service and Population Research Department (HSPR) seeks to find evidence-based ways to put innovatory treatments and services to the test – not only to improve people’s mental health but also to enhance their quality of life. Researchers in HSPR are developing ways of tailoring effective services to the age, gender or culture of people in need of help, discovering what sort of services offer best value for money and establishing how to reduce stigma and discrimination against people with mental illness.
HSPR aims to:
- Conduct high quality health service and population research in mental health relevant to policy and practice, nationally and internationally;
- Enable and promote service user and carer involvement in mental health research;
- Use a multidisciplinary approach to answer important mental health questions;
- Provide teaching and training in health service and epidemiological research skills; communicate our research findings widely.
There are three Research Centres within the Department:
The research focus of each of the Centres can be found on the relevant pages.
Our annual publication Towards Mental Health illustrates some of the research conducted.
The Health Service and Population Research Group has been honoured with a Queen’s Anniversary Award. These national honours are awarded every two years to institutions of higher and further education across the UK for work of outstanding excellence. Full details and the submission document can be found here: Queen's Prize
We run a range of teaching and training programmes, including short courses, MSc courses, and summer schools. To find out more about these programmes and extensive PhD opportunities, please see Section for Teaching and Learning
Staff interests associated with the research programme and its research groups
Interests:
Primary care; mental health care, notably detection and management of depression; educational initiatives for general practice.
Tel:
020 7848 0150
Fax:
Email:
Website:
Interests:
Tel:
020 7848 0589
Fax:
Email:
Website:
Interests:
Ageing and dementia in developing coutries, perinatal psychiatry, addiction.
Tel:
020 7848 0340
Fax:
Email:
Website:
Interests:
Epidemiology of psychosis
Social factors in the aetiology, course and outcome of psychosis
Culture, ethnicity and mental disorder
Illness behaviour and health service utilisation
Philosophy and sociology of mental illness
Research methodology
Tel:
020 7848 0351
Fax:
020 7848 5056
Email:
Website:
Interests:
Psychiatric aspects of primary care and training primary care staff.
Tel:
020 7848 0735
Fax:
Email:
Website:
Interests:
User-led research; social and cultural analysis of mental problems and mental health systems.
Tel:
020 7848 5066
Fax:
Email:
Website:
Interests:
Pathways into care of ethnic groups, health care beliefs and help-seeking, common mental disorders in different ethnic groups, cultural identity in adolescents, deliberate self-harm.
Tel:
020 7848 0047
Fax:
Email:
Website:
Interests:
Ethical aspects of community care (coercion, mental health legislation), carers, care planning, clinical governance.
Tel:
020 7848 0096
Fax:
Email:
Website:
Interests:
Mental health services research, needs assessment, mental health policy, community care.
Tel:
020 7848 0736
Fax:
Email:
Website:
Interests:
The development and application of qualitative research methodologies, carer research, the impact of dementia on carers, inventions to improve the quality of life for carers.
Tel:
020 7848 0025
Fax:
Email:
Website:
Interests:
Inpatient care, and ways to reduce conflict (violence, absconding, substance use, rule breaking, and medication refusal) and containment (as required medication, coerced sedation, seclusion, special observation, manual restraint, etc.)
Tel:
020 7848 5323
Fax:
Email:
Website:
Interests:
Use of services and outcomes for mothers and babies in perinatal psychiatry, systematic reviews in perinatal psychiatry, liaison psychiatry.
Tel:
020 7848 0851
Fax:
Email:
Website:
Interests:
All aspects of mental health economics and policy, community care, social policy.
Tel:
020 7848 0174
Fax:
Email:
Website:
Interests:
International mental health and epidemiology; dementia and retirement in developing countries.
Tel:
Fax:
Email:
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Interests:
Social work and social care in mental health services
Social capital and social inclusion theory, practice and research
Social interventions in mental health
Pedagogical research in postgraduate education related to mental health
Tel:
020 7848 5096
Fax:
Email:
Website:
Interests:
Depression, developing countries, epidemiology, international mental health, migration.
Tel:
020 7848 0136
Fax:
020 7848 0283
Email:
Website:
Interests:
Epidemiology, statistics.
Tel:
020 7848 0108
Fax:
020 7848 5056
Email:
Website:
Interests:
Personal recovery, outcome measures (Camberwell Assessment of Need, Threshold Assessment Grid), routine outcome assessment - further information at researchintorecovery.com.
Tel:
020 7848 0795
Fax:
Email:
Website:
Interests:
Health service evaluation (PRiSM); special hospital statistics; cluster analysis.
Tel:
020 7848 0710
Fax:
Email:
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Interests:
Economic evaluation of mental health services, economics of forensic services, cost of child psychiatric services.
Tel:
020 7848 0874
Fax:
Email:
Website:
Interests:
Personality disorder in primary care.
Tel:
020 7848 0568
Fax:
Email:
Website:
Interests:
Mental health policy; services; primary care; prison health care; outcome indicators; suicide.
Tel:
020 7848 0383
Fax:
Email:
Website:
Interests:
Vascular risk factors for dementia and cognitive decline; cognitive decline and dementia in UK ethnic minority groups, particularly African-Caribbean migrants.
Tel:
020 7848 0240
Fax:
Email:
Website:
Interests:
Economic evaluation of mental health and social care services, including services for children and adolescents
Tel:
020 7848 0043
Fax:
Email:
Website:
Interests:
Applying sound epidemiological methodology to health services research, particularly in old age psychiatry. Specific work includes: the development and evaluation of interventions for depression in later life; non-biological dementia and carer research; randomised controlled trials; and service evaluation. This is combined with general population-based epidemiological studies such as the neuropidemiology of Tourette Syndrome, the aetiology of squalor, and somatisation of the elderly.
Tel:
020 7848 0012
Fax:
Email:
Website:
Interests:
Social factors in the aetiology and treatment of common mental disorders.
Tel:
020 7848 5062
Fax:
Email:
Website:
ACADEMIC ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
General entry advice
Applicants should possess a minimum of an upper second class honours degree from a UK university or the overseas equivalent. Applicants whose qualifications have been gained outside the UK will be checked by the Health Schools Admissions Centre to establish equivalency with these standards before an offer is sent and applicants will need to demonstrate at interview that their background and experience, general education and scolarship are appropriate. All applicants need to possess an adequate level of English competence. Please contact iop.educationsupport@kcl.ac.uk for further information.
APPLYING TO KING'S
To apply for graduate study at King's you will need to complete our graduate online application form. Applying online makes applying easier and quicker for you, and means we can receive your application faster and more securely.
King's does not normally accept paper copies of the graduate application form as applications must be made online. However, if you are unable to access the online graduate application form, please contact the relevant admissions/School Office at King's for advice.
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
Firstly identify a suitable supervisor within the relevant department: for a searchable list of available supervisors, please see our website (
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/iop/depts/hspr/people/academic/index.aspx). Alternatively, you can contact the department directly for general guidance on potential supervisors whose research interests most closely match those of your own. You will then need to complete an application form, available from our website:
https://myapplication.kcl.ac.uk/ and provide two references. Successful applicants will be required to obtain approval for their research project prior to registration. The relevant form can be downloaded at
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/iop/study/index.aspx Forms should be completed in collaboration with your prospective supervisor. For information on application and project approval procedures please contact
iop.educationsupport@kcl.ac.uk
PERSONAL STATEMENT & SUPPORTING INFORMATION
No information required.
FUNDING
Self-funded, unless otherwise indicated. Please see the Institute's website, and the general postgraduate funding webpage, for funding opportunities.
Student profiles
Health Service & Population Research MPhil/PhD, MD(Res)After graduating from Medical school in 2006, I worked as a researcher in mental health in Sri Lanka. In 2009, I received a Wellcome Trust Masters Fellowship in Public Health & Tropical Medicine and followed the Masters in Psychiatric Research at the Institute of Psychiatry (IoP). 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. Subsequently, I was awarded a King's Overseas Research Studentship to follow a PhD in Health Services Research at the IoP.
I am currently conducting research in migration and mental health in the section of Epidemiology. My previous and current experience of education at King's is very rewarding and nurturing, greatly enhancing my skills and exposing me to world leaders in my academic field. I plan to make a an academic/research career in mental health and I think the education I receive at King's stands to be of great use for a successful future.
The Denmark Hill campus and Institute of Psychiatry, where I am based at are modern with many facilities that aid the educational process. It's located close to central London with good transport links.
On a personal note, I love the city of London, and prefer this city to live in over others. I love the vibrant, multi-cultural and multifaceted life in London. As a funded student, I think the city offers enough interesting to do in your free time to keep you sufficiently entertained while not being financially draining.