Professor Evie Stergiakouli's Inaugural Lecture

Evie Stergiakouli inaugural lecture

Title: Charting Neurodevelopment (and my academic journey) from birth to adulthood.

Timings:

Doors: 17:00

Welcome: 17:30

Evie's lecture 17:30

Abstract

I am delighted to have the opportunity to share my academic journey in the genetic epidemiology of neurodevelopment charting the advances in the field of psychiatric genetics over the last 20 years. I will explain how research on neurodevelopmental traits demonstrated their presence and impact across the life span and established the major role genetic factors play in neurodevelopmental disorders. I will discuss how research advances in the understanding of neurodevelopment have shaped public perceptions of neurodiversity. My talk will span my recent research activities on neurodevelopmental and mental health problems in children born with cleft lip and/or palate from the Cleft Collective. I will also reflect on my personal journey from arriving as an international student to the UK in 2005 to supporting > 900 postgraduate research students in the current challenging academic environment. Most importantly, I will emphasize how vital supportive mentors and colleagues have been for my growth and how they have shaped the way I work and support other people.

Bio

I am a Professor of Genetic Epidemiology and Public Mental Health in Bristol Medical School. I am also Academic Director of Postgraduate Research Studies in the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences and a member of the Integrative Epidemiology Unit and the Cleft Collective. I studied Applied Biology at the University of Ioannina in Greece and moved to the UK in 2005 to study for an MSc in Developmental and Reproductive Biology at Imperial College London. While at Imperial I found out that continuing with research was a possibility and was incredibly lucky to be accepted to do a PhD with Prof Anita Thapar and Prof Sir Mike Owen. Anita Thapar is a word-leading expert in ADHD and one of the most inspiring mentors in academia. After completing my PhD in Psychiatric Genetics, I met George Davey Smith and moved to Bristol to work with him and continue my research using world-class population health data from ALSPAC. I was part of the MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit since its inception and studied the causes and consequences of neurodevelopmental disorder across the lifespan. With support from a Wellcome Trust Collaborative Award across Bristol and Cardiff, we were able to establish the presence of widespread genetic confounding in neurodevelopmental traits, describe the natural trajectories of neurodevelopmental traits from early childhood to adulthood and show the impact of neurodevelopmental symptoms on young adults. I am incredibly lucky to be part of the Cleft Collective, the largest longitudinal study of children born with cleft lip and/or palate in the UK, and have funding from the MRC to investigate the causes of neurodevelopmental and mental health problems in children born with cleft.

Please be seated by 17:30 for Evie's lecture. Refreshments will be served afterwards.

If you have any queries about this event or require additional support, please contact Joanna, Amber, Sharon and Sarah at [email protected] at the earliest opportunity and we will endeavour to meet your requirements. Please also see access information about the Wills Memorial Building.

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Host or Publisher Bristol Medical School