Graham Blackman

I am a Senior Clinical Researcher and Consultant Psychiatrist at the University of Oxford, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and the Wellcome Trust. My research focuses on improving diagnostic and treatment decision-making in first-episode psychosis through precision psychiatry approaches.

I use a range of methodologies, including prediction modelling, meta-analysis, electronic health record analysis, and implementation science, to develop clinically useful tools that can be embedded within routine care. A central aim of this work is to improve early identification of individuals with secondary (“organic”) causes of psychosis, as well as those at risk of poor treatment response, enabling more timely and targeted interventions within mental health services.

My current work spans both mechanistic and translational research. Through the Wellcome-funded Baseline Biomarker Check (BBC) study, I am investigating multimodal markers of treatment response. In parallel, I have been awarded an NIHR Post-Doctoral Award to lead the Psychosis Response Evaluation & Clinical Implementation for Stratified Early Detection (PRECISE) programme, which focuses on the development and evaluation of a scalable clinical assessment framework for first-episode psychosis to support decision-making in NHS Early Intervention in Psychosis services.

I undertook a degree in Psychology before studying Graduate Medicine. I completed the majority of my psychiatric training through the Maudsley Training Programme as an NIHR Academic Clinical Fellow, followed by a PhD at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King’s College London. I subsequently moved to Oxford to complete my clinical training and take up an NIHR Academic Clinical Lectureship.

Clinically, I work as a Consultant Psychiatrist within Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust. I co-chair the Medical Academic Working Group within the department and co-lead a leadership training programme for academic psychiatrists. I am actively involved in teaching and supervision at both the University of Oxford and King’s College London. I am also Treasurer of the British Neuropsychiatry Association (BNPA), contributing to national leadership in neuropsychiatry.