University academics recognised in King's Birthday Honours

Psychiatrist Professor Rachel Upthegrove has been awarded an MBE for services to mental health research and life sciences.

Professor Upthegrove, a Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Birmingham, and Consultant Psychiatrist in the Birmingham Early Intervention Services, was recognised in this year’s King's Birthday Honours.

Her research focuses on developing new treatments for psychoses, including schizophrenia and depression in the early stages of illness, developing the evidence for inflammatory biomarkers and novel targets.

Professor Upthegrove leads the NIHR Mental Health Translational Research Collaboration (MH-TRC) which connects experts and centres across the UK to accelerate discoveries in the field into clinical practice. The MH-TRC is currently delivering the Government’s Mental Health Mission, a £42M programme designed to increase capacity in mental health research and address areas of unmet need and high burden of mental illness. She will take up post as Director Designate of the Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre and Oxford University in August 2024.

Professor Upthegrove is very committed to developing new treatments for severe mental illness that improve lives and Patient and Public Involvement Engagement and Participation (PPIEP) a strong feature of her work, including in the set up of youth PPIEP groups in Birmingham.

A graduate of the Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine, Rachel completed general and specialist training in adult psychiatry whilst building research interests in schizophrenia and first episode psychosis. She completed her PhD at the University of Birmingham in 2011 and has worked for the University of Birmingham since 2013.

On receiving the award, Professor Upthegrove said: “I am thrilled to have been honoured with an MBE for services to Mental Health Research and Life Sciences. Improving our understanding of mental illness and creating new and effective interventions and therapies is vitally important, especially for those experiencing mental ill health and their families.

“I am proud this work has been recognised. This is a testament to the many collaborators, colleagues, patients and researchers who I have worked with nationally and internationally, and specifically at the University of Birmingham and University of Oxford over recent years who have been absolutely critical to making progress in this field and improving the lives of patients.”

Also recognised in this year’s Birthday Honours List is Professor Janice Thompson, Emeritus Honorary Professor in the School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences, who was awarded a British Empire Medal for services to public health.

Professor Thompson is a leading expert in the field of public health nutrition and exercise, and their role in preventing and treating risks for obesity.

With over 30 years of experience examining factors that influence diet- and physical activity-related lifestyle choices, Professor Thompson has been able to use her expertise to work in partnership with communities to develop and evaluate culturally tailored lifestyle interventions to reduce risks for obesity and type 2 diabetes.

She is a Fellow of both the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the European College of Sport Science (ECSS). In 2015, she was awarded the ACSM Citation Award in recognition of her significant contributions to the field of exercise science.