Three new PhDs - congratulations to Shuo, Laurence, and Senta

We are very excited to share that three Lab members have just begun their PhDs!

Dr. Shuo Zhang and Dr. Laurence Telesia, two Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Trainees in the Lab, have gained places on the Wellcome Trust PhD programme in Mental Health Research for Health Professionals. Shuo’s PhD will use routinely-collected healthcare data to better understand inequities in mental health and education amongst racially minoritised young people whilst they are waiting for mental healthcare. Laurence’s PhD will focus on the relationship between ADHD and sleep, analysing existing data such as electronic health records to understand who is at risk of sleep problems, how young people are being prescribed sleep medications, and how digital technology can support clinicians to identify children with sleep problems. Shuo and Laurence will do their PhDs in collaboration with the CAMHS Digital Lab.

We are also saying a fond farewell to Senta Haussler, our Research Officer, who is leaving us to undertake her PhD – but not travelling far. Senta has moved just a few doors down to the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience's (IoPPN) Social, Genetic, and Developmental Psychiatry Centre to begin a PhD under the supervision of Evangelos Vassos and Robin Murray. There, she will be investigating both the genetic and environmental risk factors which predict long-term outcomes in people experiencing their first episode of psychosis, using data from the two largest longitudinal datasets on first episode psychosis in the UK and data linkages with electronic health records. She will continue to work with the Lab on our operations, and we wish her the best as she begins this exciting new research.

As a hybrid lab of researchers, academics, and clinicians, we are in a constant state of flux. We are excited for these promising academics as they continue their research journeys, and look forward to collaborating with them along the way!