Professor Armin Raznahan appointed to prestigious W.A. Handley Chair

We are delighted to announce the appointment of Armin Raznahan to the WA Handley Professor of Psychiatry post in the Department of Psychiatry and Merton College, University of Oxford.

Professor Raznahan is a child and adolescent psychiatrist who is currently Chief of the Section on Developmental Neurogenomics at the US National Institute of Mental Health Intramural Research Program (NIMH IRP). His research uses clinical, neuroimaging, and genomic methods to better understand neurodevelopmental risk factors and identify opportunities for improved care. He and his research group have been particularly focused on studying developmental outcomes in groups at high genetic risk, understanding how sex can influence so many mental outcomes, and building computational tools to bridge different scales of brain measurement.

Professor Raznahan said: “I’m honoured and thrilled to have been appointed to the WA Handley Professorship in Psychiatry. Returning to the UK to work and learn with the remarkable community at Oxford is a real privilege. There is such a unique landscape of opportunity across the university and local NHS Trusts - to both advance our understanding of the developing human brain and make a difference in the way we care for youth experiencing mental health difficulties. I’m especially excited to help build capacity where different clinical domains, research approaches, and life experiences meet.”

The WA Handley Chair was created in 1969 and is one of the most prestigious and exciting clinical academic positions in the UK. Previous post holders include Michael Gelder, the founder of Oxford’s Department of Psychiatry, Professor Guy Goodwin and Professor John Geddes.

Professor Belinda Lennox, Head of the Department of Psychiatry at Oxford, said: 

“I am absolutely delighted that Armin Raznahan is joining the Department of Psychiatry as the W.A. Handley Chair. Professor Raznahan is a world-leading child and adolescent psychiatrist who is at the very cutting edge of research into the genetic and neurobiological foundations of psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders. He brings a wealth of clinical knowledge, research expertise and leadership and will be an incredible asset to our Department when he joins us next year.” 

Professor Raznahan read medicine at King’s College London, and then stayed in London to train in paediatrics at King’s College Hospital and psychiatry at the Maudsley, before specialising in child and adolescent psychiatry and securing a PhD in biological psychiatry at the Maudsley/Institute of Psychiatry. He moved to the US in 2010 to undertake postdoctoral training in developmental neuroimaging and functional genomics at the National Institute of Mental Health Intramural Research Program (NIMH IRP). Professor Raznahan joined the NIH-Lasker Clinical Research Scholars Program in 2015 and became a tenured Senior Investigator at the NIMH IRP in 2020.

Professor Raznahan is a member of the UK Royal Colleges of Paediatrics and Psychiatry, the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, and the American Society for Clinical Investigation. He is currently President-Elect of the Organization for the Study of Sex Differences. His research group has been recognized by awards from the NIMH Director (Outstanding Mentorship and Scientific Contributions), ACNP (Eva King-Killam Award for Translational Research) and the American Psychopathological Association (Robins-Guze Award).