UK’s first Professor of Relational Psychiatry appointed at SOAS
The Centre for Anthropology and Mental Health Research in Action (CAMHRA) has welcomed Dr Russell Razzaque, the UK’s first Professor of Relational Psychiatry, to further CAMHRA’s anthropological research, education and public engagement on mental health.
A pivotal moment for mental health services across the country, Dr Razzaque also co-led the ODDESSI trial (Open Dialogue: Development and Evaluation of a Social Network Intervention for Severe Mental Illness), a major NHS-funded study evaluating Open Dialogue. Open Dialogue takes an alternative approach to mental health care - designed to bring together clinicians, patients, families and wider support networks to make collaborative decisions and reduce reliance on traditional crisis services.
Russell is a fantastic fit with CAMHRA, and his appointment strengthens CAMHRA's consolidation of ethnographic research as a core strand in mental health research, shaping innovations in care and culture change.
Dr Razzaque’s experience in the field involves developing relational approaches to psychiatry, challenging traditional models to care that focus primarily on the individual, rather than the wider relationships and social systems around them.
Speaking on joining SOAS CAMHRA Dr Razzaque said:
"Relationships ought to be at the heart of mental healthcare and, having watched SOAS and CAMHRA from close quarters in recent years, I have been inspired by the way in which they have become a beacon for promoting and furthering this work. There is, of course, a long way to go to make truly relational care a reality - Open Dialogue perhaps being the best opportunity we have had in years, especially with the forthcoming publication of the ODDESSI trial.
This has all been my life's work over the last couple of decades, and I could not imagine a better partner to embark on the next stage of this journey with. I'm thrilled to have been appointed the UK's first Professor of Relational Psychiatry and am looking forward to many years of very productive work; teaching and change making, with colleagues at CAMHRA. "
Professor David Mosse, Director of CAMHRA, added:
“I am delighted to welcome Prof Russell Razzaque to CAMHRA and the SOAS Anthropology Department. Russell has pioneered Open Dialogue in the NHS as a social network approach to psychiatric care. It is an approach that is fundamentally anthropological, concerned with the relational, attentive to diversity of perspectives, open-ended and collaborative. Russell is a fantastic fit with CAMHRA, and his appointment strengthens CAMHRA's consolidation of ethnographic research as a core strand in mental health research, shaping innovations in care and culture change, through practical action, education and training.
I'm hugely excited by what Russell will bring, deepening our connection to clinical practice and policy change.”
Through research, education and public engagement on mental health and role within Open Dialogue and the ODDESSI trial, CAMHRA’s work contributes to deepening the national and global understanding of therapeutic practice and how societies can build effective systems for care.
