Professor John O'Brien
Professor John O’Brien is Professor of Old Age Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge and Honorary Consultant Old Age Psychiatrist. From 1995 to 2012 he was Senior Lecturer and then Professor at Newcastle University. He has research interests in the application of imaging biomarkers in dementia and late life depression, and has particular expertise in Lewy body and vascular dementias. He has published over 450 peer reviewed scientific papers on these topics, and is a NIHR Emeritus Senior Investigator.
Currently he leads several research programmes, including a NIHR Programme on improving the diagnosis and management of Lewy body dementia (DIAMOND-Lewy). He is a member of several national and international guideline, advisory and diagnostic groups, and was a member of the NICE Dementia Guideline Group. He co-leads the British Association for Psychopharmacology Dementia Guideline Group and he has had several international roles, including as a Past President of the International College of Geriatric Psychopharmacology. He has a keen interest in teaching and training, co-leads the annual BAP Old Age Course and has developed e-materials for both BAP and IPA.
He led the North East DeNDRoN Clinical Research Network from 2007-2012 and was appointed National Specialty Lead for Dementias in 2015.