About the Eating Disorders Genetics Initiative (EDGI)

Gerome is the Chief Investigator of EDGI and Professor of Psychiatric Genetics at the Social, Genetic, and Developmental Psychiatry centre. His primary research interests are in the biological basis of common mental health disorders using both bioinformatic and laboratory genomics to find ways to improve how we treat eating disorders and affective (mood) disorders. He is overall lead of the NIHR BioResource Centre Maudsley and the NIHR Mental Health BioResource. He also heads a biobanking and genomics/biomarker core facility laboratory that facilitates numerous genetic studies investigating the influence of genes on mental and physical health.

Janet is Professor of Psychiatry at King’s College London and the Clinical Lead for eating disorders at South London and Maudsley (SLaM) NHS Foundation Trust. After completing her PhD in 1975, she achieved her MBBS in 1978 and has since gained an MRCP, MRCPsych, FRCP and FRCPsych. She has received many awards throughout her career for her work with eating disorders, including an Order of the British Empire (OBE).

Gursharan is the manager at the NIHR BioResource Centre Maudsley. She has been involved in mental health research for several years, working in the UK and the USA. She is interested in the overlap between the various mental health disorders and their common and distinct pathways at the molecular level. She is also interested in mental health in minoritised ethnic groups.

Hubertus (he/him) is an Honorary Consultant Psychiatrist at the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM) and a Reader in Eating Disorders at King’s College London. His primary research interests are psychoimmunology, psychopharmacology and the therapeutic use of music. 

Karina is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist at the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM) Eating Disorder Service and a Visiting Senior Lecturer at King’s College London. She has worked in the field of eating disorders for almost 20 years, holding academic and clinical roles in Australia and the UK. She has been heavily involved in the England-wide roll-out of First Episode Rapid Early Intervention for Eating Disorders (FREED) and training in the Maudsley Anorexia Nervosa Treatment for Adults (MANTRA). Karina is co-principal investigator of the MRC / UKRI funded Eating Disorders Clinical Research Network, alongside Professor Gerome Breen.

Tom has worked at Beat, the UK's eating disorder charity, for almost 4 years, where he is currently the Director of External Affairs. EDGI works in collaboration with Beat, whose mission is to end the pain and suffering caused by eating disorders.

Anna Carnegie (she/her) is the Coordinator for the EDCRN project at KCL. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Social Science (Social Work) and a Masters degree in Public Policy, both from University College Dublin. Anna joins the EDCRN project with over 10 years experience in research coordination, management and stakeholder involvement. She has a particular interest in coproduction and ensuring that the voices of experts by experience are heard in the research process.