LECTURES & SOCIAL EVENTS

 

Programme: 185th Session, 2024-2025

President - Dr Caroline Jones

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The format for each evening is refreshments for members from 6.30pm, followed by a lecture at 7pm. If you are an LMI member, please email admin@lmi.org.uk or call (0151) 709 9125 to book your place; non-members can book using the Eventbrite links below. Everyone is welcome. There is no charge for these events.

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Click here to go straight to our next lecture.

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​Wednesday 9th October 2024: Dr Caroline Jones - Inaugural Address

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Title: A fortunate woman - the story of a portfolio GP

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​Biography: Dr Caroline M Jones MBChB, FFLM, MRCGP, DMJ is a forensic physician with over 20 years’ experience in sexual offences medicine and caring for victims of sexual assault and abuse.

 

• Studied medicine at the University of Glasgow from 1969-1976.

• General practice principal from 1981 until 2012.

• Psychosexual therapist from 1992, accredited by the College of Sexual and Relationship Therapy as therapist and supervisor of therapists, until retirement in 2013. This work involved assessment and treatment of sexual difficulties as well as couple therapy.

• Forensic physician from 1995 until 2022, both in custody and sexual offences medicine until 2008. After helping to establish the Sexual Assault Referral Centre, Safe Place Merseyside, in 2008, concentrated on working with child and adult complainants of sexual assault and abuse.

• Named Doctor for Safeguarding for Wirral.

• Honorary Senior Lecturer in the Lancashire Postgraduate School of Medicine and Health, University of Central Lancashire, focusing on forensic and psychosexual topics and led a postgraduate course in sexual crime between 2002 and 2007.

• Chief Examiner for Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine from 2018 to 2021.

• Expert Witness in Criminal and Family Court from 1999 until 2023.

• Fellow of the Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine.

• Holds the Cardiff University Bond Solon Expert Witness Certificate.

 

Eventbrite booking link: here

 

Thursday 24th October 2024: Dr Bernadette Butler

 

Title: Whither Forensic Medicine in the 21st century and why should it matter?

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Biography: Dr Butler qualified from St Thomas’ Hospital Medical School, University of London, in 1978. She worked in Obstetrics & Gynaecology until 2000 when she joined the Havens, a group of three specialist centres run by King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust for victims of rape and sexual assault. Professor Butler still works at the Havens as a forensic physician and as the clinical education and training lead. She is President of Faculty of Forensic & Legal Medicine.

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Eventbrite booking link for non-members: here

 

Wednesday 6th November 2024: Michelle Stoops

 

Title: Working with Sex Workers

 

Biography: Shelly studied Social Science, Race and Equality Studies at University. During this time, she initially worked as a volunteer at a domestic violence project in Merseyside and went on to be a full-time worker. She volunteered at a sex work support project in Liverpool between doing sessional outreach and supporting the sex worker drop-in, alongside this she studied for a post-grad in Gendered Criminology, Rights, and Justice.

 

She joined the NHS in 2005 as an outreach worker for street sex workers. In 2006, Shelly secured Home Office funding for a specialist post to support sex workers who had been victims of rape and sexual assault, she became the first Specialist Independent Sexual Violence Advisor (SWISVA) in the UK (or in the world) to work exclusively with sex workers, a project that went on to receive critical acclaim both nationally and internationally and is known as the ‘Merseyside Model’. This changed the way sex workers are viewed and policed strategically in the UK and has had some international impact too.

 

She became a Crisis Worker in 2008 when Merseyside opened SAFE Place, its adult SARC. She was then promoted and became its Operational Manager. She continues to do crisis work at the SARC. Shelly worked on many strategic projects alongside the Clinical Lead, Dr Caroline Jones and SAFE Place was part of a multi sited project to find the best service for rape victims in Europe. SAFE Place was ultimately voted as the best service.

 

Shelly sat on the planning group for the National Rape Action Plan for the UK alongside the DPP giving her expertise on victim care to ensure that the policy was trauma informed and victim centred.

 

She carried out the Home Office funded UKNSWP (UK Network of Sex Work Projects) consultation project around setting up a National ‘Ugly Mugs’ Scheme which she and Dr Rosie Campbell OBE wrote up and published in Summer 2011 and presented to The Rt Honourable Teresa May. This meeting secured the implementation of National Ugly Mugs.

 

She was a director of National Ugly Mugs and a board member of UK NSWP, sat on the National Police Prostitution Working Group at the National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC formerly ACPO) and is involved in several local and regional forums relating to domestic and sexual violence, sex work and CSE. Shelly is a passionate advocate of decriminalisation for sex work/ers. She has been involved with sex workers and fighting for their rights since the late 1990s.

 

Since 2021, Shelly has been a lecturer in Policing, Law Enforcement and Investigation studies at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN). She teaches across a range of Policing programmes as well as Criminology and Psychology. Her specialist areas of interest are sex work and particularly violence against sex workers, domestic and sexual violence and CSE.  Shelley is an experienced trainer in these fields and has presented papers at conferences nationally and internationally about these subjects. She has also published several journal articles and books. She has won many awards for her commitment to rape victims and sex workers.

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Eventbrite booking link for non-members: here

 

Thursday 28th November 2024: Dame Vera Baird, DBE KC

 

​Title: Rape and the Broken Path to Justice

 

​Biography: Dame Vera Baird is a writer, lecturer and parliamentary consultant. She was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2017 New Year Honours for services to women and equality.

 

• Visiting Professor in Practice at the Mannheim Centre, London School of Economics

• Honorary Fellow of St Hilda’s College Oxford

• Hon Professor of Law at Exeter and Newcastle Universities

• Hon Doctorates at Northumbria and Loughborough Universities

• Former Victims Commissioner for England and Wales (2019-22)

• DBE for Services to Women and Equalities 2017

• Police and Crime Commissioner for Northumbria (2012-19)

• Chair of Association of Police and Crime Commissioners 2016

• Association of PCCs’ National lead for Supporting Victims (2012-19)

• Solicitor General for England and Wales (2007-2010)

• Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice (2006-7)

• Member of Parliament for Redcar 2001-2010

• Former Practising Criminal Barrister and QC

• Author of many articles, chapters & reports, most recently The Baird Review into Greater Manchester Police.

• Patron of Respect and Board Member of Revolving Doors

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Eventbrite booking link for non-members: here

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Tuesday 3rd December 2024: Mr Jon Malits

 

​Title: The story behind the world's first heart transplant

 

Biography: After 34 years as a lawyer then six as a professional photographer, Jon established himself as a cruise ship speaker giving talks on photography, destinations and other subjects of interest to passengers. One such subject was the story of the world’s first heart transplant, undertaken by Dr Christiaan Barnard, which took place in 1967 in Cape Town, South Africa. Jon looks at the life of Dr Barnard and examines the steps he took to put himself into the position of being able to carry out the operation. There were issues of organ rejection, ethics and morals, and even medical espionage. After the operation, how did Dr Barnard cope with the subsequent fame both professionally and personally?

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Eventbrite booking link: here

 

Wednesday 11th December: Joint Meeting between Liverpool Medical Institution and
Merseyside Medico-Legal Society

 

Speaker: Professor Catherine White

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6pm: Drinks and canapés
7pm: Lecture
8pm: Coffee and mince pies

 

Title: Non-Fatal Strangulation

 

Biography: Professor White is a forensic physician and the Medical Director for IFAS (Institute for Addressing Strangulation). She was Clinical Director of St Mary’s SARC (Sexual Assault Referral Centre), Manchester, until 2022 and Deputy Chief Examiner for the Faculty of Forensic & Legal Medicine, 2013-2015. Professor White’s research was used as evidence to change the law regarding strangulation. She was awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE) in The Queen’s 2014 New Year’s Honours List for services to vulnerable people.

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Eventbrite booking link for non-members: here

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**Tuesday 14th January 2025: Joint meeting with Liverpool Society of Anaesthetists (LSA): lecture followed by dinner**

​See LSA's website for details and to book your free place: https://www.lsoa.org.uk/lmi-meeting-january-2025
 

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Wednesday 15th January 2025: Pam Stanford 

 

Title: End of Life and Bereavement Care Model

 

​Biography: Pam Stanford is Deputy Director of Corporate Nursing at Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (LUHFT). Pam recently became the service leader of the SWAN End of Life and Bereavement Care Team at LUHFT. The SWAN acronym means Signs, Words, Action and Needs and encourages recognition of dying, communication, facilitating what is important to the individual and to ensure the needs of the patient and family are addressed. This model is used to support and guide the care of patients and their loved ones at the end of life and into bereavement. 

 

“I have been nursing for over 26 years and I am incredibly privileged to be a nurse. I have absolutely loved every job I have had from surgical nurse, Critical Care Nurse, Advanced Nurse Practitioner, Lead Nurse Practitioner, Director of Quality and now Director of Corporate Nursing. I feel the vision of all Trust’s and the NHS as a whole, is to deliver the highest quality of healthcare driven by world-class research and leadership will be for the benefit of our patients and patient experience. 

The strategic themes to deliver exceptional patient experience, improve quality of life for our patients by providing excellent, safe accessible healthcare can be achieved and I wholeheartedly embrace the philosophy that underpins the NHS. 

Over the years I have worked in numerous positions that have allowed me to develop my skills, qualities and managerial capabilities. I am considered to be a strategic thinker, someone who will always start with the organisations core objectives Care, appreciate, and inspire, ensuring I always engage with frontline staff. I have a proven track record of achievement and of delivering outstanding patient care. I always complete my responsibilities promptly whilst ensuring they are completed to a high standard including the fundamentals of care programme, innovation work, SWAN collaboration, smoking cessation and opening up our new build through COVID. 

I work with amazing corporate nursing teams and love the fact we are the umbrella services over all our organisation. 

One of these teams is the SWAN Bereavement team. Working alongside the creator of SWAN Fiona Murphy MBE until she retired was an absolute honour for me. Fiona taught me what good looks like in end of life care she has inspired me to carry SWAN not only through our Liverpool hospitals but right across the Liverpool footprint”.

 

Eventbrite booking link for non-LMI members: Click here 

 

Wednesday 22nd January 2025: Professor Sir Stephen Huw Powis 

 

Title:  The current (and future) NHS

 

Biography: Professor Sir Stephen Huw Powis is a renal medicine consultant and has been the National Medical Director of NHS England since 2018. Previously he was the chief medical officer at the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust. He is also a professor at University College London. 

  

During the COVID-19 pandemic, he frequently spoke as part of the government's team for daily briefings. He was a member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) and advised senior ministers within HM Government throughout the pandemic. He was created a Knight Bachelor, for services to the NHS, particularly during Covid-19, in the Queen's 2022 Birthday Honours. 

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Eventbrite booking link for non-LMI members: click here

 

Thursday 27th February 2025: Mrs Linda de Cossart 

 

Title: Developing wise doctors in the 21st Century: why, how and to what end? 

 

Biography: Linda de Cossart was a consultant vascular surgeon at Chester for twenty-two years and Associate Postgraduate Dean in Merseyside. She is a visiting professor at the University of Chester and is a former vice-president of the Royal College of Surgeons of England and was awarded a CBE in the Queen’s birthday honours in 2010 for services to medicine and healthcare. 

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Eventbrite booking link for non-LMI members: click here

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Thursday 13th March 2025: Terry Kana MSc, RGN, RM, SFHEA

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Title: A midwife's perspective of sexual and reproductive health: the past, now and a call to action

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Biography: Terry is a Senior Lecturer in Tropical Nursing and Midwifery at LSTM and will speak about global maternal, sexual and reproductive health work from a midwife's perspective.

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"Terry is a registered nurse and midwife and has worked in a wide variety of hospital and community settings in the UK. She is a former Senior Midwifery Lecturer at Oxford Brookes University and a former Supervisor of Midwives. She has over fifteen years’ international programme management experience in development, conflict, post conflict and complex emergencies in Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Chechnya, Somalia, Burundi, DRC and Lesotho.

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Terry worked at the Centre for Maternal and Newborn Health and was the Country Lead for the Making it Happen programme in Bangladesh and Pakistan. She completed a consultancy with the GFA/GIZ Muskoka Porject in Cambodia where she set up five EmONC skills laboratories in Kampot, Kampong Thorn, Kampong Speu and Kep and provided training and mentorship for the trainers and managers.

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Terry was involved in a project conducting an evaluation of South Asia's current Community Health Worker (CHW) policies and support systems post-Astana as well as a project based in Kenya to reduce maternal and neonatal deaths.

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She also led the first multi-disciplinary skills drills Emergency Obstetric Care Training in Sri Lanka and is the in-house lead for the LSTM Life Saving Skills and Essential Obstetric Care.

In 2015, Terry was the recipient of the Wellbeing of Women/RCM International Fellowship Award.

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I am a member of the Research Ethics Committee, Quality Management Committee and a mentor with the Social Mobility Fund and the Royal College of Midwifery".

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[source: https://www.lstmed.ac.uk/about/people/terry-kana]

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Eventbrite booking link for non-LMI members: click here

 

Thursday 27th March 2025: Detective Superintendent Tim Keelan and Detective Chief Superintendent Brian McNeill

 

Title: The role of health professionals in criminal investigations.

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Biography: Brian McNeill
 
Brian McNeill is a Senior Lecturer in Policing at Edge Hill University, and was previously the Head of the Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Department within the Liverpool Centre for Advanced Policing Studies at Liverpool John Moores University.
 

He retired from Merseyside Police in 2011 after 30 years’ service. His last position with that force was as Head of Crime, prior to which he was the Detective Chief Superintendent, Director of Intelligence, Head of Special Branch and Scientific Support. As an accredited Senior Investigating Officer Brian had responsibility for leading reactive and proactive investigations into all levels of homicide including Category A+ Murders, Counter Terrorism investigations, corruption and covert operations into serious and organised crime.
 

Since retirement, he has performed the role as Staff Officer to the National Policing Crime Business Area, which involved the oversight, coordination and support of 12 Portfolios and 119 National Working Groups with responsibility for national and strategic level issues around policy, guidance and training. More recently, he has been a member of the NPCC National Coordination Team for all police forces in relation to the Public Inquiry into Undercover Policing.
 

Brian has been commended on 22 occasions and was awarded the Queens Police Medal in the New Year Honours List in 2011 for 30 years distinguished police service.

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Biography: Tim Keelan

Tim Keelan joined Merseyside Police in 1979 and worked in uniform within the Liverpool area, as such he was deployed in the riots of 1981 and 1985.
 

In 1986, he was transferred into a (reactive) investigative role and worked in Liverpool. He worked in different roles, both reactive and proactive, which involved him liaising with other external law enforcement agencies and travelling to (amongst other places) Columbia, where (despite concerns regarding threats posed by cartels) he gained evidence linking people involved in drug importation into the UK. He was also involved in many homicide investigations.
 

He became an SIO, within Liverpool and subsequently was given responsibility to lead (within Merseyside) the ‘Protecting Vulnerable People’ strand of investigations, as such he had strategic responsibility for (amongst other things) domestic abuse, child abuse, the management of sex offenders. He was also part of the ACPO working groups for prostitution and domestic abuse and developed many partnerships between Merseyside Police and other agencies, which included work in relation to people suffering from mental illness.
 

After retiring in 2015, he was awarded the ‘Queens Police Medal’ for services to policing and has delivered training within Merseyside Police and Knowsley Safeguarding Children’s Board
 

​Eventbrite booking link for non-LMI members: click here

 

Wednesday 30th April 2025: Dr Maw J. Tan and Dr Jackie Gregg

 

Title: Safeguarding children: past, present and future

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Biography: Dr Maw J. Tan - I have worked as a Consultant Community Paediatrician with interest in Neurodisability at Alder Hey Children’s hospital since 2008. I have also been working in the Rainbow Centre (Safeguarding Unit) at Alder Hey as part of my daytime and out of hours work. Prior to becoming a consultant, I spent 2.5 years doing an MD in the neurodevelopmental follow up of preterm infants, and also completed the registrar training programme in Paediatric Neurodisability in Liverpool. I have an interest in Paediatric education and am currently a College Tutor for Paediatrics and I facilitate on the Effective Education Supervision course. My other interests are walking and birdwatching.

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Biography: Dr Jackie Gregg - I was a consultant in developmental paediatrics at Alder Hey from 1993 to 2019. I had a particular interest in autism spectrum disorders. A significant part of my job was in child protection and I set up the specialist medical child protection team at the Rainbow Centre. For 10 years I was designated doctor for Safeguarding with the Sefton Local Safeguarding Children Board. All these roles meant multidisciplinary and multiagency working, which I loved. Retirement is busy! We have a dog to walk, I’m a school governor and a magistrate in the Family Court.

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Eventbrite booking link for non-LMI members: click here

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Tuesday 6th May 2025: Julia Galloway, Research Grants Officer, Alzheimer’s Society

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Title: Alzheimer’s Society: Our Research & Innovation Investments

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Biography: Alzheimer’s Society has been an active funder of dementia research in the UK for nearly 40 years. Over that time the investments the Society have made have been instrumental in supporting the needs of people living with and affected by dementia. From curtailing the dangerous overprescription of antipsychotic medications to people living with dementia in care homes, to supporting the ideas of early career researchers that eventually led to the development of the anti-amyloid disease modifying therapies, Alzheimer’s Society strives to continue to deliver impact in the dementia research field. Julia will give an overview of the Society’s Research & Innovation programme, talking about previous impact and exciting new projects and initiatives that the Society is currently involved in.

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Eventbrite booking link for non-LMI members: click here

Tuesday 13th May: Lunchtime Joint Meeting at The Athenaeum with Dr Richard Shepherd, Forensic Pathologist 

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Title: Unnatural Causes

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Venue: The Athenaeum, Church Alley, Liverpool, L1 3DD

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12:30: Arrival
12.45: Dr Shepherd’s presentation, followed by a soup and sandwich lunch, and tea & coffee. Soup: vegetable; sandwich choice: coronation chicken, smoked salmon, or egg mayonnaise (please confirm choice when booking). 

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To book, please contact the Concierge Desk at The Athenaeum on 0151 709 7770. Payment via card is required to confirm your booking. Price: £17.50.

 

Biography: Richard Shepherd was born in West London but grew up in Watford. At the local grammar school, he was introduced to a medical textbook smuggled into the classroom by a friend which opened his eyes to the world of crime and murder, setting him on a lifelong quest to understand death in its many forms.  Richard trained as a doctor at St George's Hospital medical school at Hyde Park Corner, qualifying in 1977, and then completed his postgraduate training as a forensic pathologist in 1987. He immediately joined what was then the elite forensic department at Guy's Hospital. Richard is an experienced Senior Lecturer and Professor who has taught at universities around the world and lectured to professional audiences at national and international conferences. He has also talked to students in several secondary schools to encourage them to study medicine, science and the law.

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Tuesday 20th May 2025: Zoë Armfield, Head of Learning at Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. Preceded by the AGM at 6pm.

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Title: ‘We cannot mend ourselves with medicine alone’ - exploring the transformational power of music and creative health.

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Biography: Now in her 16th year at Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Zoë leads the award-winning music education, talent development, social action and creative health programmes, reaching over 60,000 people each year. Zoë is passionate about the power of music to improve wellbeing, encourage recovery, and improve life chances, with diversity and inclusion central to all programmes. Zoe works closely with NHS Trusts, schools, higher education institutions, community groups, artists, arts organisations, donors and funders, delivering impactful and long-term partnerships that are redefining the role of an arts organisation within its community. Liverpool Philharmonic’s Music & Health programme recently won the Music & Culture for Wellbeing award at the Northern Music Awards 2025.

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Eventbrite booking link for non-LMI members: click here

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Thursday 22nd May, 17.30: 2025 Henry Cohen History of Medicine Lecture - Professor Matthew Smith, Professor of Health History at the University of Strathclyde’s Centre for the Social History of Health and Healthcare

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Flyer available here

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Title: Can History Help Solve the Mental Health Crisis? Five Insights from the Past.

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Abstract: Rates of mental illness are rising, waiting lists are lengthy and recent BBC programmes have revealed scandalous conditions and abuse at psychiatric facilities.  Apart from demanding more funds to support an ineffective mental health system, few solutions have been suggested.  What if we’re looking in the wrong place? History provides examples of preventive approaches to mental health, ranging from the role of diet and nature in preserving good mental health to acknowledging the detrimental effect of socioeconomic problems. Past societies also accepted that there were many different ways of being ‘normal’. Most solutions, historic and present, have required investment. What are we willing to pay? 

 

Biography: Matthew Smith is Professor of Health History at the University of Strathclyde’s Centre for the Social History of Health and Healthcare, where he is also one of the University’s co-leads for the strategic theme: Health and Wellbeing. His books include The First Resort: The History of Social Psychiatry in the United States and Hyperactive: The Controversial History of ADHD. He is co-editor of three edited volumes, including Preventing Mental Illness: Past, Present and Future and Deinstitutionalisation and After: Post-War Psychiatry in the Western World.  Matthew is a BBC/AHRC New Generation Thinker and co-edits the Palgrave book series ‘Mental Health in Historical Perspective’.

 

This year's lecture will take place here at Liverpool Medical Institution. Please reserve your free place using TicketSource. Both LMI members and the general public should use this link to register, any problems please let us know and we will complete the registration for you.             

Thursday 26th June 2025: Professor Caroline Wilkinson, LJMU

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Title: Face Lab

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Biography: Caroline Wilkinson is Director of the newly established (2023) Forensic Research Institute (FORRI). Caroline is a chartered forensic anthropologist Level I (craniofacial specialism) by the Royal Anthropological Institute (RAI) and is an experienced forensic practitioner. Caroline is Chair of the COST-funded Migrant Disaster Victim Identification network involving over 100 members from across the world.

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Caroline is also Director of Face Lab, a LJMU research group that carries out forensic/archaeological research and consultancy work including craniofacial analysis, facial depiction and forensic art. Craniofacial analysis involves the depiction and identification of unknown bodies for forensic investigation or historical figures for archaeological interpretation. Face Lab research relates to facial identification, craniofacial reconstruction, preserved bodies and facial animation.

 

(Source: https://www.ljmu.ac.uk/about-us/staff-profiles/faculty-of-arts-professional-and-social-studies/liverpool-school-of-art-and-design/caroline-wilkinson).

 

Eventbrite booking link for non-LMI members: click here

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