Professor Paola Dazzan Awarded the European Psychiatric Association Constance Pascal – Helen Boyle Prize

Professor Paola Dazzan

Professor Dazzan was presented the award for Outstanding Achievement by a Woman in Working to Improve Mental Health Care in Europe.

Professor Paola Dazzan was selected by the members of the jury of the European Psychiatric Association (EPA) as the 2026 winner of the EPA Constance Pascal – Helen Boyle Prize of €10,000 for Outstanding Achievement by a Woman in Working to Improve Mental Health Care in Europe.

Professor Dazzan is a Professor of Neurobiology of Psychosis and Vice Dean for International Affairs at the IoPPN, and Theme Co-Lead for Psychosis and Mood Disorders at the NIHR Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre. Alongside her research work, Professor Dazzan is a working clinician and Consultant Perinatal Psychiatrist in the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. She obtained her medical degree in Italy and then moved to the UK, where she trained as a psychiatrist at the Maudsley Hospital (London), subsequently completing her PhD at the IoPPN.

Professor Paola Dazzan, Professor of Neurobiology of Psychosis said:

"I am deeply honoured to receive this EPA Award, dedicated to two women whose work helped shape the field I am so passionate about. This recognition is profoundly meaningful, not only personally but also for the teams, colleagues, and mentors who have supported and inspired me throughout the years. Improving mental health care in Europe is something we can only achieve together, and I feel privileged to contribute to this shared mission while helping nurture the next generation of scientists and clinicians."

Professor Dazzan’s main area of interest is the study of neurobiological risk factors for psychosis in the early illness stages, and in elucidating the relationship between brain, social and biological risk factors for psychosis across the life span, from pregnancy, through adolescence to adulthood. Her research has contributed to contemporary understanding of psychosis, demonstrating how brain structure and function are influenced not only by disease mechanisms but also by environmental exposures, social adversity, and individual vulnerability. Through these insights, she has helped steer psychiatry toward a more integrated, biologically informed, and person-centred approach. She has contributed more than 360 publications, which have attracted more than 22,000 citations and has been recognised as a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher every year since 2019.

She has received several prestigious International Awards, including Academic of the Year Award from the Royal College of Psychiatrists, NARSAD Investigator Awards and an Honorary Membership of the American Psychiatric Association in recognition of her contribution to psychiatry. More recently, she received a Senior Investigator Award from the UK National Institute of Health Research.

Professor Dazzan has been a member of the UK Medical Research Council and the National Institute for Health and Care Research panels and is an international advisor to the Italian Ministry of University and Research and a member of the European Group for Research in Schizophrenia (EGRIS). She serves in multiple scientific societies and is the current President of the Schizophrenia International Research Society (SIRS) and Editor-in-Chief of the journal Schizophrenia Research.

She has a strong interest in addressing gender inequality and promoting diversity in the academic environment, which she promotes within the IoPPN, and through her involvement in scientific societies.

 


Tags: Psychosis and Mood Disorders -

By NIHR Maudsley BRC at 23 Feb 2026, 11:04 AM


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