Professor Shôn Lewis

Mental Health Research Domain Academic Lead and Professor of Adult Psychiatry at the University of Manchester

Shôn Lewis is Professor of Adult Psychiatry at the University of Manchester, honorary consultant psychiatrist and CCIO at Greater Manchester Mental Health Foundation Trust and Academic Lead for the Mental Health Domain. He is past Chair of the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ research committee and has served on the Wellcome Trust and the MRC Neurosciences and Mental Health Boards.

He has published 5 books and 240 scientific articles, including 6 citation classics. He was elected in 2008 as a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences. He held an NIHR Senior Investigator award 2008-2016, now Emeritus. His research interests focus on new interventions in schizophrenia and psychosis, with a recent focus on the use of new technologies. He is founding director of the award-winning digital healthcare start-up company Affigo.io, and Medical Director of the online mental health service Xenzone.

Professor Nav Kapur

Mental Health Research Domain Clinical Lead and Professor of Psychiatry and Population Health at the University of Manchester

Nav Kapur is Professor of Psychiatry and Population Health at the University of Manchester, UK, and an Honorary Consultant Psychiatrist at Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust.

He is Head of Research at the Centre for Mental Health and Safety in the University of Manchester and leads the suicide work programme of the National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide which collects data on all suicide deaths among people in contact with health services in the UK.

He was Chair of the Guideline Development Group for the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) self-harm guidelines (longer term management) and also chaired the Quality Standards for self-harm. He is currently chairing the NICE guidelines for depression in adults and is topic expert on the NICE guidelines for suicide prevention in the community.

He also chairs the Health Education England/Royal College of Psychiatrists group developing core competencies for clinical staff in the assessment of self-harm and suicidal ideas. He is a member of the Department of Health’s (England) National Suicide Prevention Strategy Advisory Group. He has published extensively on suicide and self-harm with much of his research focussing on how health services might best contribute to suicide prevention.