Who we are
The formation of Bedfordshire Centre for Mental Health Research in association with the University of Cambridge (BCMHR-CU), now known as Centre for Mental Health Research in association with the University of Cambridge (CMHR-CU) was announced by Prof. Peter Jones in November 2003, during the 4th Luton International conference. The centre at inception was co-directed by Dr Rashid Zaman and Professor Peter Jones with Dr Mark Agius as its Senior Research Fellow and secretary.
It now has number of Fellows and Senior Fellows, including individuals of International repute.
The primary aims of CMHR-CU (formerly BCMHR-CU) is to foster collaborations between researchers/clinicians from both academic and non-academic backgrounds in subjects related to Psychiatry. It has been behind formation of close academic links between University of Cambridge and South Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (SEPT), other mental health Trusts (including CPFT, HPFT) and other institutions. Indeed the collaborations went beyond UK and has involved number of countries, including, Australia, Belgium, Bosnia, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Malta, New Zealand, Poland, Qatar, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia & USA with ever growing world wide links.
Since its inception the Centre has organised a number of successful major international conferences in field of mental health, which have attracted world class speakers and international participants that has resulted in international collaborations.
These conferences moved to Cambridge since 2005 and are held biennially.
An article on Cambridge conferences organised by CMHR-CU was published in Royal College of Psychiatrist journal the Registrar (July 2020),
Pls see article 8, "International Psychiatry at its Best: The Biennial Cambridge International Conference on Mental Health" in the link below,
A particular strength of the centre is its inclusiveness of the memebers, who vary from students to world class scientist, psychiatrists, psychologists and opinion leaders.
The centre has been particularly successful in encouraging medical students to consider psychiatry as a career, by encouraging them to present their work at international conferences (including ones in Cambridge) and publishing in pubmed journals.
The centre is interested in studies involving ADHD, bipolar disorders, child & adolescent psychiatry, depression, e-mental health, lifestyle psychiatry/mental health, neurodevelopmental disorders, old age psychiatry, PTSD, psychosis, psychiatry in primary care, development of mental health services, stigma and global mental health. The centre aims to involve researchers from all disciplines involved in the field of mental health work, as well as, encourage user (of mental health services) led research.