Five King's academics have been ranked among the top female scientists in the world.
Professor Irene Higginson, Professor Cathryn Lewis, Professor Happé CBE, Professor Janet Treasure and Professor Lucilla Poston have been named in the Research.com ranking which takes into account the number of publications and citations made in their specific field.
The academics from the University span eating disorders, palliative care, the early life origins of health and disease, and neuroscience, demonstrating King's research power in health and life sciences.
Professor Janet Treasure, from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience
Professor Treasure, who ranked 11th in the UK, is a Professor of Adult Psychiatry based in the Department of Psychological Medicine in the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience. She has a specific research interest in the field of eating disorders.
Being listed as a leading female researcher recognises the importance and relevance of the field that I entered 43 years ago when I was lucky enough to be appointed to a locum job on the eating disorders unit at the Maudsley Hospital led by Professor Gerald Russell.
Professor Janet Treasure, from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience
She added: "At that time patients on the unit were invited to join a randomised trial that compared the efficacy of family versus individual psychotherapy on the 5-year outcomes post discharge. The trial clearly showed that for those treated with family therapy within 3 years of the onset of their illness had a superior outcome to those treated when the illness either had followed a longer course or had developed at a later phase of adolescence. This sparked my interest in clinical academic research.
"First, it led to the twin research that I undertook with Tony Holland to study the factors that predisposed to the development of an eating disorder. This work stream (funded for the most part by carers with lived experience) has found that the risk to develop anorexia nervosa involves a combination of metabolic and psychological factors. Unfortunately, the question of how to help those with a protracted and/or a more diverse form of illness remains unsolved. I hope that the combination of research involving people with lived experience, a major strength in this field, and recognition of the unfulfilled need that we will find the answers."
Professor Irene Higginson OBE, from the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery & Palliative Care
Professor Higginson is Director of the Better Health & Care Hub, Founding Professor of the Cicely Saunders Institute, Honorary Consultant in Palliative Medicine, NIHR Emeritus Senior Investigator and Fellow of the Academy of Sciences. Her research has transformed understanding of palliative and end-of-life care, improving treatments, symptom management and access to care. She has published more than 960 papers, with over 64,000 citations, and was awarded an OBE for Services to Medicine in 2008.
It's wonderful to see so many women recognised for their contribution to science. This achievement reflects the work of a whole community of colleagues I've been fortunate to work alongside throughout my career, whose shared commitment to improving care for people with serious illness continues to inspire me every day.
Professor Irene Higginson OBE from the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery & Palliative Care
Professor Cathyrn Lewis, from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience
Professor Lewis is Head of School of Mental Health & Psychological Sciences and Professor of Genetic Epidemiology and Statistics at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience. Her research has been instrumental in advancing our understanding of the genetics of psychiatric disorders. Through her research group, the Statistical Genetics Unit, she applies her statistical training to identify the inherited genetic variants that contribute to mental health disorders. She is an Executive Director of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium and is Co-Deputy Lead of the Trials, Genomics and Prediction theme at the NIHR Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre.
It's a pleasure to be named alongside such inspiring scientists, but science is a team effort, built on collaboration and shared ideas, so this recognition belongs to everyone I have had the privilege of working with.
Professor Cathyrn Lewis from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience
Professor Lucilla Poston, from the Faculty of the Life Sciences & Medicine
Professor Poston's research focusses on the early life origins of health and disease, including the role of maternal nutrition and complications in pregnancy on the lifelong health of the child. She leads the 'eLIXIR Born in South London' cohort of maternal and childhood data which provides real time electronic health records for life course research. Professor Poston is President of the International Society for Developmental Origins of Health and Disease, an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (FRCOG) and was elected Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences in 2009. In 2017 she was awarded a CBE for Services to Women's Health.
We know that a focus on the early years of live will reap enormous benefit for disease prevention; there has been no more appropriate time than the present to implement this important health message.
Professor Lucilla Poston from the Faculty of the Life Sciences & Medicine
Professor Francesca Happé CBE, from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience
Professor Happé is Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience. She is known for her extensive research on autism, particularly in under-researched groups such as girls, women and older adults. She is a Fellow of the British Academy and the Academy of Medical Sciences and past-President of the International Society for Autism Research. She has received the British Psychological Society Spearman Medal and President's Award, the Experimental Psychology Society Prize and the Royal Society Rosalind Franklin Award, and in 2021 was awarded a CBE for Services to the Study of Autism.
