A meeting of minds: the biology of mental health

External Event - 10th Oct 2017

Place: Charles Darwin House, 12 Roger Street, London WC1N 2JU
Time: 18:00-21:00, 10th October

This 'Policy Lates' event, discussing what biology can tell us about mental health and wellbeing, and how it can inform policy making, is being held by the Royal Society of Biology as part of its celebrations for Biology Week.

Improving people's wellbeing is perhaps the ultimate goal of almost all government policy. Mental health is a major driver of wellbeing, yet one in four people in the UK suffer from a mental health problem each year, with enormous cost to individuals and society. Treatment for mental health has historically been deemed a lower priority than physical health, but in the last few years, NHS England has stated in its Mandate the commitment to “put mental health on a par with physical health”.

Further, in January 2017 the Prime Minister unveiled plans to transform mental health support. Policy Lates will examine the biology that underpins mental health and how this can inform policy to improve wellbeing.

To book your free place, please register online

Policy Lates format

The meeting is part of RSB's Policy Lates series, which provides an opportunity for relaxed discussion with an interested and informed audience. It will begin with a brief introduction from the chair, followed by short talks from our four panellists, with ample time for audience questions and panel discussion. The event will end with time for informal networking and refreshments.

Chair

Professor Jeremy Pritchard CSciTeach FRSB - Director of Education for College of Life & Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham and Chair, RSB Education, Training and Policy Committee

Panellists

Dr Valerie Gladwell - Centre for Sports & Exercise Science, University of Essex

Dr Karen Mifsud - School of Clinical Sciences, University of Bristol

Professor Barbara Sahakian FRSB - Department of Psychiatry and Medical Research Council, University of Cambridge

Professor Clare Stanford FRSB - Faculty of Life Sciences, University College London

Social media

This event will be live streamed and available to view afterwards on the Biochemical Society Facebook page.

Contact

Please direct specific event queries to science policy officer, Dr Jonathan Carruthers, and any booking queries to events & regional manager, Karen Patel at events@rsb.org.uk

Supporters

This event is being run with support from the Biochemical Society, as well as the British Ecological Society and The Physiological Society - which this year has had a focus on making sense of stress.