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On Wednesday 8 July 2026 the University of Oxford's Department of Psychiatry will showcase our world-leading research that could transform the way mental illness is diagnosed and treated. This all-day event will highlight the latest ground-breaking science and highlight emerging areas of research to deal with a changing world.  

Professor Steve E. Hyman (Harvard University) and Dr Lade Smith CBE (King’s College London) are confirmed as keynote speakers. There will also be several ‘Dragons’ Den’-style pitch sessions, where researchers will present how their work will positively impact patients in the years ahead to a panel of experts. 

The event will also mark 200 years of the Warneford Hospital, where the Department is based. It is also inspired by a one-day conference in Oxford, held in 1952, entitled ‘Prospects in Psychiatric Research’, which discussed what psychiatry would be like in 50 years’ time. This 2026 version will explore what the future may hold for psychiatry in terms of diagnoses, treatments and clinical practice. 

The event takes place at the Mathematical Institute, Andrew Wiles Building, Woodstock Road, Oxford, OX2 6GG and online. 

Agenda*

*Subject to change

Keynote Speakers

Steven E. Hyman, MD

Steven E Hyman is Harald McPike Professor of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University Distinguished Service Professor and a Core Institute Member of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard where he directs the Broad Program in Brain Health. He is principal investigator of the Psychiatric Biomarkers Network (PBN). This is a multisite academic-industry consortium to discover fluid biomarkers for schizophrenia-bipolar (psychosis) spectrum disorders and establish a repository for sharing of samples and data. 

From 2012-2024 Hyman directed the Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research at the Broad Institute. From 2001 to 2011 he served as Harvard University Provost (the chief academic office). From 1996 to 2001 he was Director of the US National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) where he modernized its research portfolio, emphasizing neuroscience, emerging genomic technologies, and initiating a series of large pragmatic clinical trials to inform practice. He has served as Editor of the Annual Review of Neuroscience (2002-2016) and chair of the International Advisory Committee for the revision of the chapter on Mental, Behavioral, or Neurodevelopmental Disorders of the International Classification of Diseases, 11^th edition, (ICD-11) for the World Health Organization (2006-2014). He was founding President of the International Neuroethics Society (2008-2013), President of the Society for Neuroscience (2015), and President of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (2018).  He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and distinguished life fellow of the American Psychiatric Association.  He is a member of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) where he chaired the Forum on Neuroscience and Nervous System Disorders (2012-2018), served on the NAM governing Council (2012-2018), and on the governing board of the National Research Council, the operating arm of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (2016-2019).  He currently chairs the Boards of Directors of the Charles A. Dana Foundation (NY) and the Wyss Center for Bio and Neuroengineering (Geneva, Switzerland). In the private sector he is a Director of Voyager Therapeutics, Cyclerion Therapeutics, and Vesalius Therapeutics, and is a founder of Emugen Therapeutics.  He serves on the Scientific Advisory Boards of J&J Innovative Medicines and F-Prime Capital. He received his BA, summa cum laude, from Yale, an MA from the University of Cambridge, which he attended as a Mellon fellow studying History and Philosophy of Science, and an MD, cum laude, from Harvard Medical School.

Dr Lade Smith CBE

Dr Shubulade (Lade) Smith CBE is a former President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

Lade is a Consultant Psychiatrist at the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and Visiting Senior Lecturer at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Kings College London. 

Lade graduated in Medicine from Guy’s Hospital Medical School, London, where she won prizes in Psychological Medicine. After training in psychiatry at the Maudsley, she undertook a Research Fellowship in antipsychotic side effects, supervised by Professor Sir Robin Murray.  She subsequently set up a joint medication review/physical health clinic, a “one stop shop” aimed at health promotion and management of physical problems in people with SMI, for which she was nominated a BMA Pioneer for innovation in psychiatry. Having trained in General Psychiatry and worked in Forensic Psychiatry, she is now the Lead for the Acute Forensic Pathway of the South London Partnership and Clinical Director of the Forensic Services at SLaM.

In 2019, Lade was awarded a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to Forensic Intensive Psychiatric care and was awarded Psychiatrist of the Year by the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

Lade was co-organiser of the RCPsych International Congress from 2019–23 – this has gone from strength to strength and now attracts 3000 delegates from all over the world.

Lade is the former Clinical and Strategic Director of the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health at the Royal College of Psychiatrists, providing medical leadership for the team developing mental health policy and guidelines. 

Lade has specialist expertise in mental health inequality and sat on the core working group of the Independent Mental Health Act Review, chaired by Professor Sir Simon Wessely. She was responsible for some of the key recommendations, including recommendations aimed at improving outcomes for Black people with mental health problems, which have now been taken up by the government. Between 2020–23, she was joint Presidential Lead for Race and Equality at the Royal College of Psychiatrists. Last year, she featured in HSJ’s list of 100 influential “Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic” leaders. 

Lade is a Trustee of National Mind. She is also a Trustee of the Bethlem Art Gallery. 

Dragon's Den Panellists 

sarah hughes

Dr Sarah Hughes is Chief Executive of Mind, the UK’s leading mental health charity. With more than 35 years’ experience in mental health and social justice, she has held senior leadership roles including Chief Executive of the international think tank Centre for Mental Health and CPSL Mind.

Her work in mental health began at 15 and became her life’s vocation. She trained as a social worker and went on to manage services in communities, residential care and Holloway Prison before moving into senior leadership. Sarah now serves on the boards of One Small Thing, A Better Way, and the Central East Integrated Care Board, and is the founder of The Muse Nine, an online leadership studio exploring rebellious leadership and feminist innovation.

A regular media commentator and sought-after speaker, Sarah is frequently invited by governments and organisations worldwide to share her expertise on mental health and inclusive leadership. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, the Sciana Health Leaders Network and Salzburg Global, she holds a professional doctorate in women and leadership and an honorary doctorate from Hull University. Her leadership is rooted in lived experience of social injustice and a lifelong commitment to equity and inclusion. She lives in Cambridgeshire with her family — and an ever-growing collection of pets and plants.

John Isaac

John is an internationally recognized drug developer and biologist with deep expertise in neuroscience and other therapeutic areas. With over 30 years of industry and academic experience, he is passionate about leading innovative therapeutics discovery in areas of high unmet need to provide solutions for patients and their families.  He is a world-renowned expert on the disease biology of psychiatry, neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration with extensive experience in therapeutics development for small molecule, biologic and gene therapy modalities. He has served in leadership roles in academia, big pharma, not-for-profit and biotech. His current role is CSO for Slingshot Therapeutics, a biotech accelerator for the Syncona investment fund, focusing on creating and leading biotech spin outs across all therapeutic areas, with particular focus in oncology, inflammation & immunology and CNS disorders.

John’s previous roles include CSO at AviadoBio, a clinical stage gene therapy company focussed on neurodegeneration; Head of Neuroscience, External Innovation EMEA, Johnson & Johnson; Head of Neuroscience at Wellcome; Head of Neurophysiology at Eli Lilly & Co. John received a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and pharmacology, and a PhD in neuroscience from University of Southampton, UK, and has held academic faculty positions at the University of Bristol, UK and The National Institutes of Health, USA.

Jordan Lees

Jordan Lees has lived with treatment-resistant depression for most of his life, alongside experiences of trauma and neurodivergence.

He participated in the PAX-D clinical trial and, although pramipexole was not effective for him, he remained under the care of the Oxford Depression Research Clinic for three years. He now works in research involvement, advocating for the role of clinical research in providing hope to people living with treatment-resistant conditions.

Sarah Markham

Originally a mathematician, Dr Sarah Markham has used her personal experience of mental illness to build and inform service user involvement and is now a visiting researcher at IoPPN, where she focuses on resolving barriers to clinical trials and improving the quality of secure and forensic psychiatric services.

Joan Marsh

Dr Joan Marsh is the Editor-in-Chief of The Lancet Psychiatry. She joined the Lancet group in November 2013 as Deputy Editor to help to launch The Lancet Psychiatry and continued in that role until November 2021. She now has overall responsibility for the journal and its development, which includes manuscript assessment, overseeing peer review, and commissioning content.

Joan read Natural Sciences at Cambridge University, then completed a PhD in molecular biology. She worked as an editor with The Ciba/Novartis Foundation in London, editing and organizing their prestigious symposium series.  Joan then spent several years in South-East Asia, including two years in Hong Kong, where she worked for Hong Kong University and for Excerpta Medica. Joan returned to the UK in September 1999 and became an editor with John Wiley & Sons, commissioning books in the life sciences and medicine.

Joan is actively engaged with the European Association of Science Editors. She was on the Council for 12 years, including six as President. She chaired the Gender Policy Committee and is an Associate Editor for the Association’s journal, European Science Editing.

Michael Molete

Michael Molete is a nationally recognised Patient Champion and Carer Ambassador, bringing lived experience and professional nursing backgrounds across general, psychiatric, midwifery, and community practice. He serves as a Governor at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester and collaborates across NHS, research, and charity sectors to strengthen governance, equity, and lived experience leadership. Michael has received multiple PPIE awards, including the Innovations in PPI – Oral Presentation award at the International Clinical Trials Methodology Conference and the Silent Hero award from Carers UK for his outstanding contribution to carers. His contribution centres around championing relational care, carer burden, inclusion, and accountability in how health systems listen, learn, and act.

Andrea Young

Andrea has been a valued non-executive director on the Oxford Health board since 2022 and brings a wealth of experience and leadership to the role of Chair. She began her NHS career in 1977 as a student nurse and later trained and practised as a midwife.

Andrea went on to hold a range of CEO roles in the NHS at regional and local level, culminating in her appointment as chief executive of North Bristol NHS Trust, a position she held until her retirement in 2020. She recently stepped down after 4 years, from the governing Board at the University of West of England and held the role of Chair of Bristol Health Partners for six years.

She is currently a member of the Independent Reconfiguration Panel, advising Ministers on NHS service changes. She is also an accredited coach and mentor, and volunteers with the Samaritans. Andrea lives in Oxford with her husband.

Debate Speakers

Charlotte Blease

Dr Charlotte Blease originally from Belfast, Northern Ireland, is a health informaticist, Associate Professor at the Uppsala University, Sweden and Research Affiliate at Digital Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School. Her PhD was in philosophy of science and mind (2008). She has worked in health research for nearly 20 years, with 200 publications, holding academic posts in the US including at Harvard Medical School for five years, in Europe and the UK and in 2026 was Visiting Professor in the Department of Primary Care at University of Melbourne.  

Her critically acclaimed book “Dr Bot: Why doctors can fail us and how AI could save lives” was published with Yale University Press in September 2025, and was reviewed widely including by CNN, The Lancet, The Washington Post, and was endorsed by the Prime Minister of Ireland. She is also co-author of The Nocebo Effect: When Words Make You Sick (Mayo Clinic Press 2024).

Social media: @crblease, Charlotte's website, Scholar Google

Femi Oyebode

Femi Oyebode has been honorary professor of psychiatry at the University of Birmingham since 1999. He is President-elect of the Psychiatry & Clinical Neuroscience section of the Royal Society of Medicine.