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Professor Peter Fonagy re-appointed Director of PALS
9 January 2023
Congratulations to Professor Peter Fonagy OBE who has been re-appointed Director of the UCL Division of Psychology and Language Sciences (PALS).
Professor Fonagy has led PALS since 2017 and was previously head of the Division’s Clinical, Education and Health Psychology research department. He will continue to lead PALS for the next five years, with his re-appointment beginning on 1 September 2023.
Professor Fonagy is also Chief Executive of the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families. He holds a visiting professorship at Yale Medical School. He is also the National Clinical Advisor in NHS England on Children and Young People’s Mental Health.
He is a Fellow of the British Academy, the Academy of Medical Sciences, the Academy of Social Sciences and the American Association for Psychological Science, and was elected to Honorary Fellowship by the American College of Psychiatrists.
Professor Fonagy has received lifetime achievement awards from several national and international professional associations and he has occupied a number of key national leadership positions. These include Chair of the Outcomes Measurement Reference Group at the Department of Health, Chair of two NICE Guideline Development Groups and Chair of the Strategy Group for National Occupational Standards for Psychological Therapies. He also co-chaired the Department of Health's Expert Reference Group on Vulnerable Children.
Professor Alan Thompson, Dean of the Faculty of Brain Sciences, said:
“Huge congratulations to Peter on his well-deserved re-appointment as Director of PALS. As Peter’s many lifetime achievement awards attest, he has made an exceptional contribution to the field of psychology and he has been instrumental in establishing the world-leading reputation of clinical psychology at UCL. Under Peter’s leadership, PALS has gone from strength to strength and I’m delighted that he will continue to shape the vision of PALS for the future.”
Professor Peter Fonagy said:
“It has been a great privilege and a massive pleasure to be Head of PALS, undoubtedly one of the most successful Divisions of UCL when research and teaching activity are considered together. We shared a very difficult time over the past three years and the courage, competence and commitment of professional and academic staff have been extraordinary and quite frankly humbling. I hope I can do justice to the brilliance of what PALS offers over the next few years. I am delighted to be offered this second term.”