Professor Michael Sharpe

michael.sharpe@psych.ox.ac.uk

The Psychological Medicine Research Group is led by Professor Michael Sharpe and links the Universities of Oxford and Edinburgh (www.pmr-edinburgh.org).

Michael Sharpe is Professor of Psychological Medicine and an Honorary Consultant Psychiatrist.  He joined the Oxford Department of Psychiatry in 2011 from Edinburgh, where he held a Personal Research Chair in Psychological Medicine.  His main interest is in research at the interface of psychiatry and medicine and, in particular, in the development and evaluation of non-drug treatments to improve the care and quality of life for medical patients. He was awarded “Academic Psychiatrist of the Year” by the Royal College of Psychiatrists of the UK in 2009. He is a Fellow of The Royal Colleges of Physicians of London and Edinburgh, The Royal College of Psychiatrists of the United Kingdom, and of the American Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine.

The focus of the group’s research is on the improvement of understanding and treatment of symptoms in medical patients.  The main methodologies used are epidemiological studies and randomised trials (Symptom Management Research Trials) especially of complex and non-drug treatments.

Current major research topics include:

• Studies into the nature and management of symptoms unexplained by organic disease.  This work, supported by the Scottish Chief Scientist’s Office and the UK Medical Research Council, is conducted in conjunction with colleagues in Scotland (Charles Warlow, Jon Stone, Alan Carson, Jane Walker, David Weller, Chris Burton and others) and aims to determine the prevalence, outcome and effectiveness of self-help and specialist GP treatments  for patients attending neurological services and primary carewith unexplained complaints. (www.pmr-edinburgh.org)

• Studies of the management of depression in cancer patients. A series of studies, including three randomised trials (SMaRT Oncology 1, 2 and 3) to evaluate complex interventions in the management of depression in cancer patients.  These studies (with Gordon Murray, David Weller and Jane Walker) are funded by a programme grant from Cancer Research UK. (www.pmr-edinburgh.org/research/oncology.asp).

• A UK wide cluster randomised trial of better pain management for cancer inpatients  (with Marie Fallon) (www.ecrc.ed.ac.uk/epat)

• A trial of treatments for chronic fatigue syndrome.  The PACE trial is being conducted with colleagues in Edinburgh and London (Professors Peter White and Trudie Chalder) and aims to determine the effectiveness and safety of non-drug treatments for this condition (www.pacetrial.org)