Simon Gilbody DSc FMedSci
Professor of Psychological Medicine & Psychiatric Epidemiology

Profile

Biography

Professor Simon Gilbody is the founding Director (2005-2023) of the York Mental Health & Addictions Research Group (MHARG).  He is a leading clinical epidemiologist & population health scientist. 

Simon’s research draws upon his clinical background; having studied Psychology before completing training in Medicine, Psychiatry and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy [CBT]. He held a Doctoral Fellowship in Population Health with the Medical Research Council [MRC] (1996-2000) and completed his Doctorate (DPhil, York 2001) on screening and outcomes in mental health. 

Simon returned to York in 2005, after completing his specialist clinical training.  He established MHARG and has been Professor since 2007.  He holds a Personal Chair in Psychiatric Epidemiology at the University of York, and is Foundation Professor of Psychological Medicine at the Hull York Medical School [HYMS].  He holds a Higher Doctorate (DSc, York 2022) in Clinical Epidemiology and was elected Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences in 2023. 

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Three examples of Professor Simon Gilbody’s research

Taking a population approach to mental health, Simon conducts epidemiological studies, evidence syntheses and clinical trials to promote effective, efficient, and equitable NHS mental health services. Simon researches mental health across the lifespan, in primary care, and at the interface between mental and physical health. Here are three examples of Simon Gilbody’s work (and its impact)

[1] Tackling health inequalities in mental health services:  People with schizophrenia experience poor physical health and their life expectancy is reduced by around 20-years.  This is a profound and [historically] neglected health inequality.   Smoking-related illnesses represent the largest cluster of preventable health problems, and smoking is the single most important modifiable risk factor for early death.  Simon designed and led the SCIMITAR Trials that have shown that smoking cessation programmes are clinically and cost effective.  These form the basis of NHS-wide accredited training and effective treatment programmes.  His work helps mental health services to become ‘smoke free’ and empowers people who want to quit to quit safely and effectively.  Simon is Director of the UKRI Closing the Gap Network+ which leads interdisciplinary UK research to tackle this profound inequality.

[2] Taking a lifecourse approach to mental health:  Simon is part of a team exploring the environmental, social, psychological and economic determinants of mental health in the Born in Bradford cohort.  In 2021 the team secured substantial support from the Wellcome Trust to grow the largest multi-ethnic birth cohort in the world.  Simon oversees an ambitious programme to track the mental health of 30,000 young people in Bradford [and surrounding areas] as they pass across adolescence and into adulthood.  Simon is visiting Professor at the Bradford Institute for Health Research and speaks about his research in this Radio 4 programme. 

[3] Ensuring the primary care perspective in mental health: Depression is the leading cause of global disability, and depression is largely managed in primary care.  Research and policy does not always reflect this epidemiological and clinical reality.  Simon has delivered an internationally recognised programme of publicly-funded trials and evidence syntheses to enhance the evidential basis of primary care mental health.  He has shown that depression can be prevented [in the CASPER trials].  In the REEACT trials he has shown that computer delivered treatment can be effective; but only if it is supported.  With colleagues he has shown that behavioural activation [BA] is effective and scalable for depression; making it a parsimonious approach (compared to treatments such as CBT). During the COVID pandemic Simon led the BASIL trials programme.  BASIL+ is largest ever trial of a psychological intervention to prevent depression and loneliness.  Behavioural activation can be delivered at scale and is effective in combating loneliness whilst improving mental health.

Simon was made an honorary Fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners in 2019 and his DSc was awarded in 2022 for his primary care research.  He is a long-standing Editor for the Cochrane Common Mental Disorders Group. 

Qualifications

• DSc [Clinical Epidemiology], University of York 2022
• hon-FRCGP [Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners], elected 2019
• FRCPsych [Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists], elected 2009
• PGDip [Cognitive Behaviour Therapy], Newcastle CBT Centre/University of Durham, 2005
• Diploma in Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) 2004
• DPhil [Health Science], University of York, 2001
• MRCPsych [Member of the Royal Collect of Psychiatrists], by exam 1995
• MSc [Psychiatric research], University of Leeds, 1995
• MBChB [Medicine and Surgery], University of Leeds, 1991
• BSc (hons, first class) [Psychology], University of Leeds, 1989

Research

Overview

Taking a population approach to mental health, Simon conducts epidemiological studies, evidence syntheses and clinical trials to promote effective, efficient and equitable NHS mental health services. Simon researches in primary care, and at the interface between mental and physical health.

Three recent examples of his work include:

Optimising the management of depression in the presence of long term physical health problems.

Depression often co-exists with long term health problems and is a ‘silent killer’. Simon has shown that collaborative care is effective and efficient for older people in the UK (the NIHR CASPER+ trials). With Prof David Ekers he co-leads the NIHR MODS programme to evaluate the use of behavioural activation in the presence of multi-morbidity (2018-22). 

Preventing depression & loneliness for people at high risk.

‘An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure’.  Simon and his York colleagues hosted the 2019 Global Consortium for the Prevention of Depression.  His contribution to knowledge in prevention comes from the first UK CASPER trials, funded by NIHR and published in JAMA in 2015.  The first CASPER trial showed that depression can be prevented in older people using simple telephone-delivered behavioural activation.  We have since explored this in a number of trials in the UK, Australia, South America and South Asia.

In response to the COVID pandemic of 2020 Simon leads a consortium of researchers to mitigate the psychological impacts on those who are forced to self-isolate.  The Behavioural Activation for Social IsoLation (BASIL-C19) trial is the first mental health interventional study to be adopted as an Urgent Public Health (UPH) priority by the NHS, and (in mid-2020) is recruiting across the UK.  We will learn if depression and loneliness can be prevented or mitigated in the face of the pandemic. 

Improving the physical health of people with severe mental illnesses (SMIs) such as schizophrenia.

This is the most profound health inequality in mental health services, and is driven by the complex interplay of social determinants, health risk behaviours and a ‘syndemic’.  Smoking is an important source of health inequality, but the epidemic of smoking in mental health services has been historically-ignored.  Simon led the first UK trials of smoking cessation (the SCIMITAR trials).  His team have shown that people with SMI can quit effectively, and that quit smoking services are cost-effective.  Simon continues to work with colleagues to tackle the smoking epidemic in mental health.  He co-leads the £2.6M NIHR SCEPTRE inpatient smokefree mental health programme with Dr Elena Ratschen, and has worked with Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) to produce videos with experts by experience.  This is a challenging, but rewarding, area in which to research & innovate. 

The Yorkshire and Humberside ARC also tackles health inequalities for people with severe mental ill health and Simon leads the £1.2M UKRI ‘Closing the Gap’ Network+, to develop innovative solutions (such as greenspace, creativity and the use of digital tech).  Underpinning the York-led research programme in this area is an interventional cohort of 10,000 (and counting) people – known as the Closing the Gap Cohort - led by Dr Emily Peckham and her team.  In 2018 the MHARG work in this area was extended to South Asia, with the formation of the NIHR IMPACT Global Trials Group, which Simon leads with Professor Najma Siddiqi.

Projects

Simon is Chief Investigator and co-investigator on the following publicly-funded projects. There are links to each of these projects if you would like to find out more:

Trials

Simon is an experienced trialist, and has led some of the largest pragmatic trials in mental health.  His trials have shown what works and what does not work, influencing practice and policy. 

The CASPER Trial: this large scale trial of telephone-delivered integrated care for older people at risk of developing depression. The results were published in JAMA and we showed that depression can be prevented. The trial was led by York (Chief Investigator Gilbody), and recruited in Leeds, Durham and Newcastle. Commissioned by NIHR HTA (ISRCTN02202951)

The CASPER+ Trial: is a sister trial of telephone-delivered integrated care for older people with clinical depression. This was the first large-scale UK study of Collaborative Care for older people (Chief Investigator Gilbody). We showed that collaborative care is clinically and cost effective. Funded by NIHR HTA (ISRCTN45842879).

The REEACT 1 trial: the largest UK trial of computerised Cognitive Behaviour therapy (CBT) for adults with depression. We showed that the uptake of computer therapy is low, and that cCBT conferred no additional benefit when added to routine primary care. The trial was led by York (Chief Investigator Gilbody), and recruited in York, Hull, Manchester, Sheffield and Bristol. Commissioned by NIHR HTA (ISRCTN91947481)

The REEACT 2 trial: the largest UK trial of guided telephone support alongside computerised Cognitive Behaviour therapy (CBT) for adults with depression. We showed that cCBT with telephone support is more effective than cCBT with telephone support. The results were published in BJPsych. Though this result may seem unsurprising, this is the first large scale demonstration of the benefit of telephone support and cCBT continues to be offered without telephone support to this day. The trial was led by York (Chief Investigator Gilbody), and recruited in York, Hull, Manchester, Sheffield and Bristol. Funded by NIHR HTA (ISRCTN55310481)

The SCIMITAR trials: the first UK (and largest ever worldwide) trial of a specialist smoking cessation service for people with severe mental illness. This NIHR trial was led by York (Chief Investigator Gilbody), and recruited across the UK.  SCIMITAR shows that a tailored smoking cessation intervention is effective in the short term and in enabling longer term quitting.  Smoking cessation is always good VFM to the NHS, since it prevents downstream health problems.  However the additional investments in smoking cessation by mental health services has been shown to be cost effective in the SCIMITAR economic evaluation. Funded by NIHR HTA (ISRCTN79497236). 

Also co-instigator and recruitment site on; the OCTET trial of OCD (ISRCTN73535163); the COBRA trial of behavioural activation for depression (ISRCTN27473954); the MRC CADET trial of Collaborative Care for depression (ISRCTN32829227), the NIHR PANDA trial of SSRIs in primary care (ISRCTN84544741); the NIHR REDUCE trial on the role of maintenance antidepressants in primary care (ISRCTN15969819).

Cohort studies

Closing the Gap: Health Cohort. We have assembled a large clinical cohort (n=10,000 in mid-2020) of people with severe mental ill health. This unique resource examines health risk behaviours, social circumstances, environment and health. Participants are offered the opportunity to partake in observational & qualitative studies, and trials of behavioural interventions (including the SCMITAR smoking cessation trial and the NIHR DIAMONDS Programme on diabetes and SMI).  We are using the CtG Cohort to understand the impact of COVID on people with SMI.  The cohort is supported by a mixed economy, including the Wellcome Centre for Future Health, UKRI and the YH-ARC. 

Research group(s)

• Mental Health and Addiction

Publications

Full publications list

• Simon Gilbody's publications

Teaching

Undergraduate

• HYMS – Psychological Medicine (Phase 1 block 6) – Led by Prof Dean McMillan
• HYMS – Scholarship and Special Interest Programme (SSIPs) on primary care mental health and computer-delivered therapies
• HYMS – Mental Health (Phase 2 block 19) – centres on the recognition and management of psychological and psychiatric illness.

Postgraduate

• Health Sciences MSc – International Mental Health 

External activities

Memberships

• Member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists(by exam 1995); elected Fellow in 2009
• Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts
• Member of the Society for Social Medicine
• Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners (elected 2019)

Editorial duties

• Editor Cochrane Common Mental Disorders Group
• Editor (editorials) British Journal of Psychiatry (2009-2019)
• Member of the Editorial Board for British Journal of Psychiatry

Invited talks and conferences

National and international invited lectures: 

• World Psychiatric Association (2007); European Association of Consultation Psychiatrists (2009 & 10).
• UK Mental Heath Research Network (2009, 2010 & 2013).
• Keynote address British Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapists (2013).
• Visiting distinguished lecture McGill University 2010.

Media coverage

• Simon’s research into the management of depression in older people (the CASPER programme) was featured in a BBC documentary ‘Inside Out’ in 2012.