Steve Peters (born 5 July 1953) is an English psychiatrist who works in elite sport. He is best known for his work with British Cycling. He has published four books, A Path Through the Jungle in 2021, The Chimp Paradox in 2012, My Hidden Chimp in 2018 and The Silent Guides in 2018. [1]
Peters was born in Middlesbrough. His father worked on Tees Dock as a stevedore and his mother worked as an insurance agent. He was the middle child of three boys. He attended Grammar school having passed the scholarship entrance exams. He was not academically inclined and by self-admission would pass each academic hurdle throughout his entire career by achieving only what was necessary. He achieved eight ordinary levels and then took four Advanced level subjects in Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Biology; the first pupil at his school to take four ‘A’ level subjects.
After leaving school he went to Stirling University to study Mathematics and then went on to take a Post Graduate Certificate of Education at Sheffield University, where he gained a distinction in teaching practice. He taught mathematics for several years in secondary schools and colleges. During his teaching career he undertook extensive voluntary work that spanned across organisations such as ‘Help the Aged’, the NSPCC (working with educationally and socially disadvantaged children), the RSPCA and he also took classes at North Sea Camp for young offenders alongside work in the probation service. Peters’ interest in the support for victims of crime led him to help start a victim support scheme in his town of Boston. This movement spread and resulted in the National Victims Support Scheme. [ citation needed ]
Peters re-entered University to study medicine at St Mary’s Medical School, part of the University of London. During his time as an undergraduate he was the year representative in his first year, the Secretary of the students Union in his second year and became President in his third year. He won the prize for medical statistics. Whilst at St Mary’s he also directed the medical school opera and became the president of London University Athletics. He represented London University at the British University Championships where he made the final in the 200 metres. Peters was awarded colours for outstanding service to the University of London. [ citation needed ]
After graduating as a doctor he undertook several positions within hospitals and institutions across the UK in disciplines of surgery, medicine, general practice and various branches of psychiatry. He gained his membership exams for the Royal College of Psychiatrists and became a Consultant psychiatrist within the National Health Service, where he worked for twenty years. [2] During this time he was Clinical Director of Bassetlaw District General Hospital [2] and worked at the Special Hospital at Rampton working with patients with personality disorders. [3]
In parallel to his hospital clinical work he worked at Sheffield University as a Senior Clinical Lecturer in medicine where he became Undergraduate Dean [4] and Professor of Psychiatry (positions which he still currently holds as of 2015).
During his time at the University he gained a master's degree in Medical Education, a Post-Graduate Diploma in Sports Medicine and was awarded a Doctorate in Medicine. Peters set a precedent by being bestowed the Senate award for teaching excellence on two occasions, still a unique achievement, and represented the University at a meeting to celebrate teaching excellence at Downing Street. Peters set up the mentoring system for student support within the medical school and led on this for several years.
In 2001 a former student at Sheffield recommended Peters to the British Cycling team, and he moved from part-time to full-time work with the team in 2005. [5] Peters has been recognised by Olympic cyclists Sir Chris Hoy and Victoria Pendleton, as having helped them in their careers. [6] Sir Dave Brailsford has described Peters as "the best appointment I've ever made." [7] Peters stepped down from his role with British Cycling in April 2014 when Brailsford left his position as Performance Director. [8]
Peters has worked with Ronnie O'Sullivan since 2011 working with him when he won his 4th and 5th World Snooker Championships in 2012 and 2013. [9] O'Sullivan has acknowledged Peters' influence and help in his continued success. [10]
After the 2012 Olympics Peters was appointed by UK Athletics to work with the country's high performance athletes. [11] Sprinter Adam Gemili, who won gold at the 2014 European Athletics Championships in the 200 metres and silver at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in the 100 metres, attributed his ability to perform under pressure at major championships to his work with Peters. [12]
In November 2012 Peters started to work with Liverpool F.C. [13] In March 2014 he was recruited to help the England football team. [14]
A Path through the Jungle is a structured, practical self-development programme to help the reader attain psychological health and wellbeing. Professor Peters explains complex neuroscience in straightforward terms with his Chimp Management Mind Model. The 8 stages of the book help you to focus on yourself, empower you and leads you along a path to robustness and resilience. [15]
Peters' first book, The Chimp Paradox, was published in January 2012 and has since gone on to sell 615,000 copies in the UK (as of 31 March 2019). [16] In the book Peters uses his 'Chimp Model' to depict the irrational, emotional areas of the brain as a chimp and the logical areas as a human. [6]
Released in November 2018, My Hidden Chimp , is an educational children's book written to help children understand and manage their emotions. [17] It has sold over 50,000 copies (as of 24 February 2019). [18]
Released in November 2018 as a companion book to My Hidden Chimp, the book is aimed at adults, to help them understand their own mind and to support their children reading My Hidden Chimp. [17]
Peters established Chimp Management Ltd, a company which delivers consultancy and training services. [19] He presents a video programme every two weeks on The Troop, a membership platform set up by Chimp Management Ltd. [20]
Peters competes in masters athletics and has held multiple World Masters Champion titles and world records over the 100, 200 and 400 metres. [5] He currently competes in the M70 age group. [21]
The Great Ape Project (GAP), founded in 1993, is an international organization of primatologists, anthropologists, ethicists, and others who advocate a United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Great Apes that would confer basic legal rights on non-human great apes: bonobos, chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans.
Ronald Antonio O'Sullivan is an English professional snooker player, and current world number one. Widely recognised as one of the most talented and accomplished players in snooker history, he has won the World Snooker Championship seven times, a modern-era record he holds jointly with Stephen Hendry. He has also won a record eight Masters titles and a record eight UK Championship titles for a total of 23 Triple Crown titles, the most achieved by any player. He holds the record for the most ranking titles, with 41, and has held the top ranking position multiple times.
British Cycling is the main national governing body for cycle sport in Great Britain. It administers most competitive cycling in Great Britain, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. It represents Britain at the world body, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and selects national teams, including the Great Britain (GB) Cycling Team for races in Britain and abroad. As of 2020, it has a total membership of 165,000.
Ben Michael Goldacre is a British physician, academic and science writer. He is the first Bennett Professor of Evidence-Based Medicine and director of the Bennett Institute for Applied Data Science at the University of Oxford. He is a founder of the AllTrials campaign and OpenTrials, aiming to require open science practices in clinical trials.
Bubbles is a chimpanzee once kept as a pet by the American singer Michael Jackson, who bought him from a Texas research facility in the 1980s. Bubbles frequently traveled with Jackson, drawing attention in the media. In 1987, during the Bad world tour, Bubbles and Jackson drank tea with the mayor of Osaka, Japan.
Michael Theodore Lardon is an American sport psychiatrist. Lardon is an Associate Clinical Professor at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, and is the author of two books, "Mastering Golf's Mental Game" and "Finding Your Zone: 10 Core Lessons for Peak Performance in Sports and Life".
Sir David John Brailsford is a British cycling coach and performance director. He was formerly performance director of British Cycling and is currently team principal of UCI WorldTeam Ineos Grenadiers. He is currently working with French football club Nice and British football club Manchester United as part of his role as Director of Sport at Ineos.
The Dr. Paul Janssen Award for Biomedical Research is given annually by Johnson & Johnson to honor the work of an active scientist in academia, industry or a scientific institute in the field of biomedical research. It was established in 2004 and perpetuates the memory of Paul Janssen, the founder of Janssen Pharmaceutica, a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary.
Robert E. Michler is an American heart surgeon specializing in heart surgery, aortic and mitral valve repair, coronary artery bypass surgery, aneurysm surgery, and management of the failing heart. In 2017, Michler received the Vladimir Borakovsky Prize in Moscow from the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation for “his personal contributions to the development of cardiovascular surgery”.
John Gerald "Gerry" FitzGerald was a Canadian physician and public health specialist who was instrumental in the control of diphtheria, first by producing and freely distributing antitoxin, and then in 1924 by using mass production to enable widespread use of the vaccine devised by Gaston Ramon.
Steve R. Pieczenik is a Cuban-American psychiatrist, author, publisher, and conspiracy theorist. In 1976, he was made Deputy Assistant Secretary of State under Henry Kissinger, Cyrus Vance and James Baker. He was later a consultant of the United States Department of State.
Adam Ahmed Gemili is a British sprinter. He is the 2014 European champion at 200 metres, three-time European champion in the 4 x 100 metres relay, and part of the Great Britain team that won gold at the 2017 World Championships in the same event. He has finished fourth in the 200 m at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, and fourth and fifth in separate editions of the World Championships in the same event.
Norman Sartorius is a German-Croatian psychiatrist and university professor. Sartorius is a former director of the World Health Organization's (WHO) Division of Mental Health, and a former president of the World Psychiatric Association and of the European Psychiatric Association. He has been described as "one of the most prominent and influential psychiatrists of his generation" and as "living legend"
Harry Prosen was a North American psychiatrist. He was Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioural Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, USA; Professor of Psychiatry, University of Manitoba, Canada; and past president of the Canadian Psychiatric Association. He held leadership roles with the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and the American Psychiatric Association.
Donald Jay Cohen was an American psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, and director of the Yale Child Study Center and the Sterling Professor of Child Psychiatry, Pediatrics and Psychology at the Yale School of Medicine. According to the New York Times, he was "known for his scientific work, including fundamental contributions to the understanding of autism, Tourette's syndrome and other illnesses, and for his leadership in bringing together the biological and the psychological approaches to understanding psychiatric disorders in childhood"; his work "reshaped the field of child psychiatry". He was also known as an advocate for social policy, and for his work to promote the interests of children exposed to violence and trauma.
Dinesh Kumar Makhan Lal Bhugra is a professor of mental health and diversity at the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London. He is an honorary consultant psychiatrist at the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and is former president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. He has been president of the World Psychiatric Association and the President Elect of the British Medical Association.
Dr Allan Johnston MBBS, MRCPsych, Cert.Med.Ed(IU) is a consultant psychiatrist with the National Health Service in the United Kingdom, working at Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and a world leading Sports Psychiatrist at Spire Leeds Hospital working with professional athletes, dance artists, Premiership and Football League managers and coaches.
Steven Pitt was an American forensic psychiatrist.
Richard Freeman is a former sports physician known for his work with British Cycling and Team Sky.
Georg Peters was a German physician, microbiologist and university professor. From 1992 until his fatal mountain accident he headed the Institute of Medical Microbiology at the University of Münster. He was an internationally recognised expert in the field of staphylococci and the infectious diseases caused by them, to which he had devoted himself since the beginning of his scientific career.
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