Oxford Health non-clinical director Professor David M Clark (CBE) and fellow professor and researcher Anke Ehler have been awarded the 2024 Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Award in Dubai.

It is the first time the award has been given for work in mental health.

David is NHS England’s Clinical and Informatics Advisor for NHS Talking Therapies for Anxiety and Depression (formerly Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT)), Emeritus Professor of Experimental Psychology at the University of Oxford. and honorary member of the Oxford Centre for Anxiety Disorders and Trauma which is run by Oxford Health in partnership with the university under the umbrella of the NIHR  Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre (OH BRC).

Anke Ehlers is Co-Director and Professor of Experimental Psychopathology at the Oxford Centre for Anxiety Disorders and Trauma.  Prof. Ehlers is also Co Theme Lead for the OH BRC  Psychological Treatments Theme.

They are both well known for their pioneering work on the understanding and psychological treatment of anxiety disorder. Their work to develop treatments for anxiety has been with people who use Oxford Health mental health services locally.

The 2024 Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Award recognises David and Anke’s joint work in creating NICE recommended first line treatments for social anxiety disorder, panic disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), along with more efficient digital versions.

It also recognises David’s work on the development of the NHS Talking Therapies programme and in supporting the development of similar services in seven other countries.

David said: “It is really heartening to see Oxford work in mental health receive such international recognition. Most of the treatment development work was done with Oxford Health patients.”