 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
The Scottish Mental Health Research Network was set up in April 2007 to create and develop sustainable cutting edge expertise and capacity for mental health multicentre trials in Scotland. The Network was led under the founding Directorship of Professor Michael Sharpe (2006 – 2009), who carried out the development work to establish the Network and achieve the original goals set for the Network.
Professor Stephen Lawrie took over as Director of the Network in October 2009. A full complement of staff was established and the official launch of the Network was in November 2009.
The primary goals of the Network were retained with the change in director. These were to increase the amount of mental health clinical research in Scotland and the numbers of people participating in mental health clinical research studies.
The scope of network activity was broadened in 2009 beyond multi-centre trials to include trials at various stages of development, as well as epidemiological, genetic and imaging studies, and generally take a broader view of health services research. The key challenge for the network will be to facilitate the development, set up and successful completion of large, well-funded research studies across Scotland.
The official launch of the Scottish Mental Health Research Network
The official launch of the SMHRN took place on 26th November 2009 at the Royal College of Physicians in Edinburgh. Over 140 people attended the event which marked the handover from the outgoing director Professor Michael Sharpe to the new director Professor Stephen Lawrie. The key note speakers were Professor Simon Wessely and Professor John Geddes. Dr Denise Coia (Principal Medical Officer, Mental Health) and Dr Richard Simpson (MSP) officially launched the Scottish Mental Health Research Network. Presentations with video footage for some of the speakers are available below:
'Research, Evidence and Practice' - Presentations
| Speaker | Title | Presentation Title | Video link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simon Wessely | Professor of Epidemiological and Liaison Psychiatry, Kings College London | 'Why we need research; a short history of evidence-free psychiatry' | |
| John Geddes | Professor of Epidemiological Psychiatry, University of Oxford | 'Why we need research; a short history of evidence-based psychiatry | Presentation 1 |
| John Eagles | Honorary Professor in Mental Health, University of Aberdeen | 'Doing Research: How a network can help' | Presentation 2 |
| Charlie McMillan | Director of Operations, SAMH | 'The importance and value of service user involvement in mental health research' | Presentation 3 |
| Michael Sharpe | Professor of Psychological Medicine, University of Edinburgh and Founding Director of SMHRN | 'Research, evidence and better services: From where to here?' | Presentation 4 |
| Stephen Lawrie | Professor of Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh and Director of SMHRN | 'Research, evidence and better service: From here to where?' | Presentation 5 |
The Network is funded by the CSO and works in close association with the following:
