We are pleased to announce the appointment of Professor Elizabeth Bradbury and Professor Susan Duty as Co-Heads of Department for the Wolfson Centre for Age-Related Diseases (CARD) at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN), starting 1 May 2022.

This new leadership model replaces the conventional structure of a Head of Department and a Deputy and this is the first time in IoPPN’s history that a dual leadership model has been implemented. This reflects a careful assessment of the culture and requirements of Wolfson CARD, with an appreciation for collaborative leadership. Professor Bradbury and Professor Duty bring excellence in education and research, as well as extensive experience in leadership. They are well known for their ambition and innovation and are strong supporters of diversity and inclusion initiatives.

Elizabeth Bradbury is a Professor of Neuroscience & Regenerative Medicine. She joined King’s College London as a post-doctoral researcher in 1996 and later became the first MRC Fellow at the Wolfson CARD, where she established her research group in 2003 with a Career Development Award and subsequent Senior Fellowship Award.

Professor Bradbury is renowned for her work in neurotrauma. Her research focuses on understanding the biology of nervous system injury and repair and developing therapies to restore function following trauma, with a particular interest in scarring, extracellular matrix modification and neuroplasticity after spinal cord injury. She was awarded the IRP Schellenberg Research Prize in 2008 for advances in paraplegia research and the Suffrage Science Award in 2018 by the London Institute of Medical Sciences for her outstanding contribution as a leading female scientist.

Professor Susan Duty is a Professor of Neuroscience and Pharmacology. She first joined King’s in 1995 as a lecturer and has been a member of Wolfson CARD since it officially opened in 2004. Her research group works on novel strategies for providing symptom relief or disease modification in Parkinson’s Disease.

Professor Duty is an award-winning educator who has received the British Pharmacological Society Rang Prize for outstanding contribution to teaching non-clinical pharmacology in 2016 and the King's College London Teaching Excellence Award ‘Innovation’ category prize in 2017.

Professor Mark Richardson, Head of School of Neuroscience, added, "This innovative dual leadership approach is an important step forward in our school. As long-term members of the Wolfson CARD, Liz and Susan's proposal reflected their understanding of the working of the department and what type of leadership is needed. I am confident that their joint leadership will foster great research, excellent education, create an inclusive culture, and set a helpful precedent for our future leaders."