New leadership team for Child Mental Health and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Theme announced

Four members of child mental health theme leadership team

The Child Mental Health & Neurodevelopmental Disorders theme at the NIHR Maudsley BRC has completed its leadership team with the appointment of senior colleagues from the Insitute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust.

They will work closely with the CMHND Theme Lead, Professor Edmund Sonuga-Barke, to deliver a bold strategy that addresses the urgent and growing needs of children and young people with psychiatric and neurodevelopmental conditions. Professor Edmund Sonuga-Barke was appointed theme lead earlier this year, after Professor Grainne McAlonan stepped down from the role.  

The new appointees include:  

  • Deputy theme lead: Professor Johnny Downs, Professor of Child Psychiatry and Health Informatics, Honorary Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist. Johnny is based in the Department of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, King's College London. He is the Founding Lead of the CAMHS Digital lab within the King's Maudsley Partnership and BRC Centre for Translational Informatics. 
  • Professor Katya Rubia, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry at King’s   
  • Professor Jonathan O’Muircheartaigh is a Professor of Developmental Neuroscience and Imaging at the Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences at King’s  

Professor Johnny Downs, says,

“I'm honoured to be appointed as Deputy Lead for the CMNDD theme, working alongside Professor Sonuga-Barke and our incredible Maudsley BRC colleagues.  I'm pleased to bring my experience in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Translational Informatics to the role.  I look forward to building on the BRC's record of making meaningful, scalable improvements in mental health prevention and treatment for children, young people, and their families.” 

Professor Edmund Songua-Barke NIHR Maudsley BRC CMHND Theme lead says,

“With complementary expertise covering all aspects of the BRC Child Mental Health & Neurodevelopmental Disorder portfolio we will work together to support the implementation of the remaining phases of the current BRC programme, precision, novel therapeutics, digital and whole-person.”

 


Tags: Child Mental Health and Neurodevelopmental Disorders -

By NIHR Maudsley BRC at 14 Oct 2025, 09:28 AM


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