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International accolade for Trust Psychological Medicine Lead

02/12/2019
This article is more than four years old.

Professor Michael Sharpe, Lead for Psychological Medicine at Oxford University Hospitals (OUH), has become the first person from outside the USA to be elected as President and Chairman of an international organisation that aims to improve the psychiatric care of people with medical illnesses.

Prof Sharpe started his new role at the Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry (ACLP), a medical speciality society based in the USA, in November 2019.

The appointment enhances the reputation of the Trust and its integrated psychological medicine service across the globe. It will also forge better links with American hospitals, such as Mass General in Boston, and many other leading University Hospitals.

Prof Sharpe, the 65th President, received the ACLP gavel from the previous President, Rebecca Weintraub Brendel of Harvard University, during the ACLP 2019 annual meeting in San Diego.

He said: "I am deeply honoured to be elected President of this world leading organisation. ACLP advocates for better psychiatric care of the medically ill - a topic I have devoted my career to.

"In this role, I will be able to enrich our Trust's already-strong links to other leading hospitals in the USA, and to ensure that our unique integrated psychological medicine services stays at the forefront of innovation internationally."

The Psychological Medicine team can look forward to more international experts visiting Oxford, as they learn from service innovations in the USA and elsewhere.

Examples of such innovation the Trust has already adopted in collaboration with members of ACLP include the Depression Care service in the Oxford Cancer Centre, based at the Churchill Hospital, and the HOME study of Proactive Psychological medicine currently taking place at John Radcliffe Hospital.

The Depression Care service provides high quality treatment for people with cancer and depression, and was developed in collaboration with colleagues in Seattle.

The HOME study is a clinical trial that aims to find out if outcomes for older medical inpatients in the John Radcliffe improve by adding a psychiatrist to their care team, a model of service developed with colleagues at Yale University.

Pictured: Professor Michael Sharpe, Trust Lead for Psychological Medicine, receives the ACLP gavel from previous President, Rebecca Weintraub Brendel