Sir Isaac Newton once said ‘if I have been able to see further, it is by standing on the shoulder of giants’, and my giants indeed have been the people under my care, their families, my team, the clinical colleagues I work with and my pets, who keep me sane!
Professor Marta Di Forti
08 July 2025
Professor Marta Di Forti delivers Inaugural Lecture "A Journey Through Sicily, Through Curry to Cannabis"
On Wednesday 11 June 2025, Professor Marta Di Forti delivered her highly anticipated inaugural lecture as Professor of Drug Use, Genetics and Psychosis at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN), King’s College London.
Professor Di Forti is a leading researcher at the IoPPN’s Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Centre, and Honorary Consultant Adult Psychiatrist at Lambeth Early Intervention Community team in South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust.
She leads the UK’s first Cannabis Clinic for patients with psychosis at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. She also established Europe’s first dedicated clinic for young people with cannabis-induced psychosis.
Professor Di Forti was recently awarded the Schizophrenia International Research Society Outstanding Translational Research Award 2025. Together with her team, she was the first to demonstrate that high-potency cannabis like “skunk” significantly increases the risk of psychosis and affects psychosis rates across Europe.
The evening began with an introduction from Professor Matthew Hotopf, Executive Dean of the IoPPN, who reflected on Professor Di Forti’s remarkable achievements and her significant contributions to the field.
In her lecture, Professor Di Forti took the audience on a personal journey through the stages of her academic and professional life — from her early days in medical school in Italy, through her time in Tooting, to her pioneering research exploring the link between cannabis use and psychosis. She paid tribute to the many people who had supported and shaped her path along the way.
To close the evening, Professor Fiona Gaughran, a long-time friend and colleague, delivered a vote of thanks, celebrating Professor Di Forti’s passion, perseverance and impact. The event concluded with a drinks reception, where colleagues and guests gathered to continue the celebrations.
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Professor of Drug use, Genetics and Psychosis