Professor John Cox

Professor John Lee Cox has made significant contributions to British Psychiatry at a number of levels, in a number of ways. I shall follow three aspects of his contributions. Having graduated from Oxford, he attained his membership of the Royal College of Physicians in 1970 and Membership of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in 1978. He received his DM from Oxford in 1978 and was elected as a fellow of Royal Colleges of Physicians of Edinburgh in 1985 and of London in 1997. He worked as an academic psychiatrist in London, Uganda and Edinburgh before being appointed as Foundation Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Keele. In this role, and as Head of the Department during two periods, he not only motivated a generation of psychiatrists from the UK and abroad but also led a service development in a number of subspecialties in the Department. His clinical interest and contributions in the field of perinatal psychiatry have been enormous. He won the Hospital Doctor of the Year Award in 1992, which in his humble style he attributed to those around him. His leadership in developing innovative services and his research interests led to the development of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) as a widely recognised and used screening instrument. It is apposite that the second edition of the book on the EPDS is being launched here.

He was awarded the Marcé Medal in recognition of his distinguished contribution to the field of perinatal psychiatry and he served as President of the Marcé Society. As a teacher, he established MSc in General Psychiatry in Keele, which has been extremely popular among local and international students. His interest in the field of transcultural psychiatry, spirituality and cultural matters have led to a number of changes in clinical practice and management. His interest in education and training, along with his charm and enthusiasm, led to his election as Dean of the College having previously been the first Chair of Section of General Psychiatry. As President of the College, he made his mark by being one of the most approachable, innovative and interested leaders. The College can truly look towards an international role, largely due to his influence. His interest in issues of race have led to the College assessing institutional racism within itself using external assessors. The international activities have led to his election as Secretary General of the World Psychiatric Association – the first British psychiatrist in 30 years to achieve this.

In summary, Professor Cox is a psychiatrist of significant stature, who is well known nationally and internationally for his contribution to the advancement of mental health in general, and transcultural psychiatry and perinatal psychiatry in particular. He is an excellent clinician and scientist, and is outstanding for his hard work in both academic and service development areas. He has made significant contributions at local, regional and national levels where his international status in the field of perinatal psychiatry is distinguished and outstanding. He can justifiably be singled out as one of the outstanding individuals across various medical disciplines.

President, ladies and gentlemen, it is appropriate that I present Professor John Lee Cox to you in this city, whose name will forever be linked with him.