2012 Celebrating Excellence Awards
Outstanding Contribution to Community or Environment
This award recognises initiatives by individuals or groups that promote social, environmental,
economic or cultural well-being of communities, whether locally, nationally or overseas.
Shortlisted Nominee:
Dr Ian Jones, School of Medicine
Dr Ian Jones
Dr Ian Jones is a Reader in Perinatal Psychiatry in the Institute of Psychological Medicine and Clinical
Neurosciences. In 2010 he was awarded the International Marce Medal for his work on Postpartum
Psychosis. In addition to research and clinical work he has led and himself made major contributions
to the innovative public engagement initiatives of the MRC for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and
Genomics and the National Centre for Mental Health. This has entailed significant interactions with
professionals, policy makers, patient groups and the wider public, and has included several very
productive collaborations between the MRC and artists, for example with conceptual artist Joan
Malloy in a project exploring Postpartum Psychosis called “Unravelling Eve”.
He has delivered a large number of public lectures and made festival appearances, and in 2009 he
was chosen to deliver the Royal College of Obstetricians annual public lecture – the first time a
psychiatrist has been given this honour.
Ian has worked extensively with patient groups such as Bipolar UK, and has contributed to the
development of national clinical guidelines for treating bipolar disorder. He has taken part in a
number of TV and radio programmes that have raised the awareness of the ground-breaking work of
Cardiff University in the areas of bipolar disorder and postpartum psychosis, including the Emmy
award-winning Stephen Fry documentary “The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive”, the BBC
documentary “Not mad, manic”, and the S4C documentary “Bipolar Disorder and Creativity”. For 3
years he was a script consultant on the BBC’s “East Enders” and provided expert input into story
lines that involved a character with bipolar disorder.
This is just a small sample of examples the outstanding work through which Ian has made a huge
contribution to the MRC Centre, the medical school, the wider University and beyond.