Professor Fiona Gaughran has had a visiting attachment to IoPPN since 2000 and took up a substantive role in 2014. She is a Professor of Physical Health and Clinical Therapeutics in Psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience. She is also Director of Research and Development at the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust in London, where she is the Lead Consultant for the National Psychosis Service. She also chairs the Board of the NIHR Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre. 

Professor Gaughran qualified in Medicine from University College, Dublin, later receiving her Doctorate from University College, Cork. She first worked in medicine in St Vincent’s Hospital, Dublin, achieving membership of the Royal College of Physicians in Ireland, and went on to complete general and specialist psychiatry training in the Irish Southern Health Board and National schemes respectively. She is a Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists as well as of the Royal Colleges of Physicians in Edinburgh and Dublin.

As part of her clinical role, Professor Gaughran is responsible for implementing new, evidence-based approaches to help people with psychotic illnesses that have not responded well to treatment. She publishes widely on psychosis and on the physical health of people with major mental illnesses. Professor Gaughran has published over 200 papers, books and book chapters and recently co-edited the widely-acclaimed book, the “Maudsley Practice Guidelines for Physical Health Conditions in Psychiatry”. She also has an interest in improving the implementation and application of digital technology and was the Theme Lead for Applied Informatics in the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration in South London from 2019-2024.

From 2020-2024, Professor Gaughran was named as a Clarivate Web of Science Highly-Cited Researcher. This is an accolade awarded to the 1 in 1,000 scientists “who have demonstrated significant and broad influence”, reflected by the publication of multiple papers among the top 1% most cited in their field over the last decade.

In 2024 Professor Gaughran was awarded a 2024 President’s Medal by the Royal College of Psychiatrists for exceptional contributions to psychiatry.