Rob has been academic lead for the Clinical Record Interactive Search (CRIS) data resource since it was developed in 2007-8. 

With the help of South London and Maudsley colleagues and patients, CRIS has been used to support a range of research projects from childhood to old age, and across all mental health specialties. Under Rob’s oversight, CRIS has also been substantially enhanced through linkages to external datasets led by the Maudsley Clinical Data Linkage Service, and through the application of natural language processing techniques to maximise the structured information available for analysis, working closely with Richard Dobson, Angus Roberts, and their research groups. His research team have focused particularly on using this information to investigate physical health outcomes in people with mental disorders.

Having provided the first UK data on the reduced life expectancy experienced by people with severe mental disorders such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, Rob has supported research to clarify the points of inequality in healthcare and disorders responsible and to provide a detailed picture of who is most at risk. Rob is also a co-investigator on the MRC-funded eLIXIR ‘Born in South London’ initiative which links maternity, mental health, and neonatal/child health information across King’s Health Partners Trusts.

 

CRIS at the Maudsley has supported over 300 publications and a wide range of funded projects and fellowships. Many of these have involved research led by external partners, reflecting the growing national capability and collaborations in mental health data science. Supporting this, Rob is Co-Director for the DATAMIND HDRUK mental health hub.