This two-day course returns for 2026 with a new programme and line-up of speakers.
There is a pressing need for new interventions for psychiatric and neurological disorders. Experimental medicine studies and early-phase trials are important in providing mechanistic information, optimising and de-risking therapeutic development before proceeding to later stage clinical trials. This two-day course aims to inspire and prepare researchers embarking on careers in translational and experimental medicine.
About the course
The course will introduce pioneering approaches across research methods, including neuroimaging, non-invasive brain stimulation, psychopharmacology, digital therapeutics, genetics, sleep, and big data. It will also cover a range of practical essentials – from the fundamentals of study design, incorporating participant and patient perspectives, embedding open science and industry perspectives. The course will highlight the skills you need to succeed and provide guidance on how to develop them.
The event is tailored to those at early career stages, including, research assistants, PhD students and early postdocs, looking to enhance their knowledge and abilities in conducting translational research.
The course will feature inspiring talks, panel discussions with Q&As and networking opportunities. The course will be delivered by researchers based at King’s College London and the University of Oxford.
Keynote Speakers:
- Professor Cathryn Lewis, King’s College London – Polygenic Scores for Psychiatric Disorders
- Professor Mike Browning, University of Oxford – Translating Proof of Concept to Clinical Trials in Depression and Bipolar Disorder
- Associate Professor Helen Barron, University of Oxford – Building Deep Internal Models During Periods of Rest and Sleep
- Professor Ulrike Schmidt OBE, King’s College London – Current Affairs: Non-Invasive Neuromodulation in Eating Disorders
Programme: Thursday 10 September
9.30am – 5pm, followed by a drinks reception
- Inspiring Perspectives: Polygenic Scores for Psychiatric Disorders – Professor Cathryn Lewis
- Experimental & Translational Medicine – Professor Mitul Mehta
- Panel: Open Science with Dr Emily Hird, Dr Olivia Kowalczyk and Giada Brianza
- Fundamentals of Study Design – Professor Gemma Modinos
- Neuroimaging & Psychopharmacology – Dr Robert McCutcheon
- Statistics in Translational Medicine – Professor Ben Carter
- Inspiring Perspectives: Translational Medicine in Depression & Bipolar Disorder – Professor Michael Browning
- Panel: Things I Wish I’d Known with Professor Susannah Murphy as Chair. Panelists include: Professor Cathryn Lewis, Professor Michael Browning, Professor Mitul Mehta, Dr Robert McCutcheon and Dr Andreea Raslescu.
- Session: Novel Targets with Professor Mitul Mehta as Chair
- Mapping Excitation-Inhibition in Psychosis – Dr Ioana Varvari
- 5-HT4 Receptor Agonists – Professor Susannah Murphy
- Glutamate-Opioid Cross-Talk and Ketamine – Dr Luke Jelen
- Drinks reception
Programme: Friday 11 September
9.30am – 4.30pm
- Inspiring Perspectives: Deep Internal Models During Rest & Sleep – Dr Helen Barron
- Panel: Research Participant Perspectives with Chair, Caitlin Pentland, and Research participants
- Session: Digital Therapeutics with Professor Johnny Downs as Chair
- Lessons from SloMo & AVATAR Therapies – Dr Thomas Ward
- Translational Lessons from STOP & CURED – Kaan Alp Karamanli
- Cognitive Remediation for Bipolar Disorder – Michael Kalfas
- Session: Big Data with Dr Ekaterina Shatalina as Chair
- Target Trial Emulations & Experimental Medicine – Professor Max Taquet
- Normative Modelling in Neurodegeneration – Dr Miriam Vignando
- Scaling Computational Neuropsychopharmacology – Dr Ekaterina Shatalina
- Inspiring Perspectives: Non-Invasive Neuromodulation in Eating Disorders – Professor Ulrike Schmidt
- Panel: Embedding PPIE with Chair, Dr Amy Gillespie, and Professor Antony Vernon, Dr Carinne Piekema and Professor Ulrike Schmidt
- Reflective Session: Translating this Course into Your Research Practice – Dr Amy Gillespie
- Session: Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation with Professor Susannah Murphy as Chair
- Positive Emotional Bias in Antidepressant TMS Action – Professor Jacinta O’Shea
- Deep Brain Stimulation of the Hippocampus During Sleep – Dr Prince Okyere
- Low-Intensity Focused Ultrasound of the Amygdala – Miruna Rascu
- Industry Perspectives: Quantitative Translational Medicine for Better Drug Development – Dr Guy Meno-Tetang
Organisers
This course is being hosted by the Experimental Medicine and Novel Therapeutics Theme at the NIHR BRC: Maudsley in collaboration with NIHR BRC: Oxford Health.
NIHR BRC: Maudsley – Professor Mitul Mehta (BRC Experimental Medicine and Novel Therapeutics Theme Lead), Professor Alice Egerton (Deputy Theme Lead), Dr Cathy Davies, Dr Nicholas Livingston, Dr Elisa Bruno, Caitlin Pentland, Eman Yousuf, Daire Douglas and Bartlomiej Pliszka.
NIHR BRC: Oxford Health – Associate Professor Susannah Murphy (BRC Depression Therapeutics Deputy Theme Lead), Dr Amy Gillespie and Dr Riccardo De Giorgi.
Tickets:
Tickets for this course are £40, which should be recoverable through bench fees/studentship conference funds for eligible students.
For King’s College London students and staff with no other means, a small number of subsidised places have been reserved. Please contact maudsley.brc@kcl.ac.uk if this applies to you and you would like to attend.