King's College London

Professor Oram is Head of King’s Women’s Mental Health and is based in the Health Service and Population Research Department. She has built an international reputation for her work on interpersonal trauma, particularly its relationship with mental health, and for championing ethical, collaborative research that prioritises the safety and voices of survivors.

Introducing the lecture, Professor Sarah Byford, Head of the Health Service and Population Research Department, praised Professor Oram as an exceptional academic and colleague. She highlighted Sian’s leadership, collaborative approach and commitment to improving outcomes for disadvantaged and vulnerable populations, noting that her work exemplifies the department’s mission to deliver world-leading research and impact.

In her lecture, Professor Oram traced her personal and professional journey, from her early life growing up in Middlesbrough to her academic career at King’s. She reflected on how her research has evolved over the past 15 years, from documenting overlooked experiences of violence and abuse, to examining how services respond and more recently, to exploring recovery and what it means to live well after abuse.

A central theme of the lecture was the growing recognition of violence and abuse as fundamental determinants of mental health. Drawing on large-scale studies and systematic reviews, Professor Oram demonstrated that experiences such as domestic abuse are highly prevalent among people with mental health conditions, with women experiencing depression or anxiety significantly more likely to have experienced abuse. She also highlighted how traumatic experiences often overlap and accumulate across the life course, contributing to poorer mental health outcomes. Using data from UK Biobank, her work has shown that women are more likely to experience multiple forms of trauma, reinforcing the need for a more holistic understanding of adversity.

Professor Oram discussed research on domestic abuse perpetration and mental health, emphasising that while most people with mental health problems do not perpetrate violence, there is an important association that services must consider. Understanding these links, she explained, is essential for both prevention and effective intervention.

Her lecture also examined how mental health services respond to survivors of abuse. Her research with colleagues has found that many survivors are not routinely asked about abuse, and even when disclosures are made, responses are not always adequate or safe. She emphasised what constitutes effective support: validation, and listening, alongside prioritising safety, respecting autonomy, and connecting individuals with specialist services. Professor Oram also drew on her work in human trafficking research, presenting findings from studies with survivors which revealed extremely high levels of violence and mental health need. Crucially, she emphasised that recovery is shaped not only by past experiences, but by the support and safety people receive afterwards.

Looking ahead, she outlined three key challenges for the field: improving understanding of how violence affects mental health, developing better ways to measure recovery, and strengthening the evidence base for interventions that support survivors. She stressed that addressing these challenges will require sustained investment and meaningful partnership with those with lived experience.

The vote of thanks was given by Professor Louise Howard, Professor Emerita of Women’s Mental Health at King’s College London. She praised Professor Oram’s scientific excellence, leadership, and commitment to survivor-centred research, describing her as an exceptional researcher and role model whose work has already had significant impact on policy and practice.

Watch the full recording of the Inaugural lecture