Michael Owen (neurologist)

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Professor Sir Michael Owen Mike Owen 2016.jpg
Professor Sir Michael Owen
Professor

Sir Michael Owen
Nationality United Kingdom
Alma mater Birmingham University,
Occupation Psychiatrist

Professor Sir Michael John Owen [1] [2] is a Welsh research scientist in the area of psychiatry, currently the head of the Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences at Cardiff University. [1]

Welsh people nation and ethnic group native to Wales

The Welsh are a Celtic nation and ethnic group native to, or otherwise associated with, Wales, Welsh culture, Welsh history and the Welsh language. Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom, and the majority of people living in Wales are British citizens.

Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of mental disorders. These include various maladaptations related to mood, behaviour, cognition, and perceptions. See glossary of psychiatry.

Cardiff University public research university in Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom

Cardiff University is a public research university in Cardiff, Wales. Founded in 1883 as the University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire, it became one of the founding colleges of the University of Wales in 1893, and in 1997 received its own degree-awarding powers. It merged with the University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology (UWIST) in 1988. The college adopted the public name of Cardiff University in 1999, and in 2005 this became its legal name, when it became an independent university awarding its own degrees. The third oldest university institution in Wales, it is composed of three colleges: Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences; Biomedical and Life Sciences; and Physical Sciences and Engineering.

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Professor Owen is also the Director of Cardiff University's MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics and Emeritus Director of the Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute.

Career

Owen studied medicine and neurosciences at Birmingham University, gaining a B.Sc in Anatomy in 1977 and a PhD in Neuroscience in 1982, and qualifying MB ChB in 1983. He then trained in Psychiatry at Northwick Park and the Maudsley Hospital, London, obtaining his MRCPsych in 1987.

Maudsley Hospital Hospital in London

The Maudsley Hospital is a British psychiatric hospital in south London. The Maudsley is the largest mental health training institution in the UK. It is part of South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, and works in partnership with the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London. The hospital was one of the originating institutions in producing the Maudsley Prescribing Guidelines. It is part of the King's Health Partners academic health science centre and the National Institute for Health Research (‘NIHR’) Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health.

London Capital of the United Kingdom

London is the capital of and largest city in England and the United Kingdom, and the largest city in the European Union. Standing on the River Thames in the south-east of England, at the head of its 50-mile (80 km) estuary leading to the North Sea, London has been a major settlement for two millennia. Londinium was founded by the Romans. The City of London, London's ancient core − an area of just 1.12 square miles (2.9 km2) and colloquially known as the Square Mile − retains boundaries that follow closely its medieval limits. The City of Westminster is also an Inner London borough holding city status. Greater London is governed by the Mayor of London and the London Assembly.

He then undertook an MRC Fellowship in John Hardy’s lab at St Mary’s Hospital, London [3] before moving to Cardiff in 1990. He was awarded a personal chair in 1995 and the Chair in Psychological Medicine and Headship of the Department of Psychological Medicine in 1998.

St Marys Hospital, London Hospital in London

St Mary's Hospital is an NHS hospital in Paddington, in the City of Westminster, London, founded in 1845. Since the UK's first academic health science centre was created in 2008, it has been operated by Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, which also operates Charing Cross Hospital, Hammersmith Hospital, Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital and the Western Eye Hospital.

His research has focused on the genetics of major psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders and he has made notable contributions to the study of schizophrenia and Alzheimer disease. He has studied the impact of genetic risk factors across diagnostic boundaries and developed a theoretical framework to understand the relationship between different neurodevelopmental disorders. [4] He has also identified specific genes and sets of proteins involved in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s disease, which are potential therapeutic targets.

As well as continuing his work on psychiatric genetics, he is currently undertaking research aimed at translating recent genetic findings into a greater understanding of disease mechanisms and into the development of novel biomarkers to aid classification and diagnosis.

Awards

In recognition of his achievements Professor Owen was elected to Fellowship of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in 1997, the Fellowship of the Academy of Medical Sciences in 1999 and the Fellowship of the Learned Society of Wales in 2012.

Royal College of Psychiatrists

The Royal College of Psychiatrists is the main professional organisation of psychiatrists in the United Kingdom, and is responsible for representing psychiatrists, for psychiatric research and for providing public information about mental health problems. The college provides advice to those responsible for training and certifying psychiatrists in the UK.

The Academy of Medical Sciences is an organisation established in the UK in 1998. It is one of the four UK National Academies, the others being the British Academy, the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Royal Society.

The Learned Society of Wales is a learned society and charity that exists to "celebrate, recognise, preserve, protect and encourage excellence in all of the scholarly disciplines", and to serve the Welsh nation.

In 2011, he was awarded the Stromgren Medal for psychiatric research, in 2012 the Lieber Prize jointly with Professor Michael O'Donovan for schizophrenia research, [2] and in 2013 the William K Warren Distinguished Investigator Award for schizophrenia research.

He was also awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award of the International Society of Psychiatric Genetics in 2015, and the British Neuroscience Association Award for Outstanding Contribution to Neuroscience in 2017. [5]

Professor Owen was knighted in the 2014 Birthday Honours for services to neuroscience and mental health. [6] [7] [8]

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References

  1. 1 2 "Prof Michael Owen - Director, Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences". Cardiff University. Archived from the original on 15 June 2014. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  2. 1 2 "Dr. Michael Owen Recognized for Outstanding Achievement in Schizophrenia Research". bbrfoundation.org. 2 November 2012. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  3. "Professor Michael Owen". National Centre for Mental Health. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  4. "Professor Sir Michael Owen - People - Cardiff University". Cardiff University. Retrieved 2018-03-29.
  5. "Outstanding contribution to neuroscience". Cardiff University. Retrieved 2018-03-29.
  6. "Queen's Birthday Honours for Warren Gatland and Cerys Matthews". BBC Wales. 14 June 2014. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  7. "No. 60895". The London Gazette (Supplement). 14 June 2014. p. b2.
  8. "Knighthood for Cardiff psychiatry professor Michael Owen". BBC Wales. 14 June 2014. Retrieved 14 June 2014.