Simon Gilbody DSc FMedSci
Professor of Psychological Medicine & Psychiatric Epidemiology

Profile

Biography

Professor Simon Gilbody is an epidemiologist and behavioural scientist.  He is among the top 1% of most-highly cited scientists in the world.  He is Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences, NIHR Senior Investigator and holds a Higher Doctorate [DSc] from the University of York.  

Simon remains a practicing NHS clinician.  His training is in medicine, psychiatry and cognitive-behavioural therapy [CBT].  This informs the research programme he oversees.  He is Professor of Psychologica Medicine, a Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists and an honorary Fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners. 

Simon is Director of the Behavioural Therapeutics Lab.  At the BTxLab population and behavioural science are harnessed to build scalable and economically viable solutions to enable good mental health.  We address problems such as depression, anxiety and loneliness. 

In 2024 Simon co-founded the University of York’s first mental health ‘startup’ – Third Age Therapeutics.  The spinout emerged from York’s world leading research and the vibrant Yorkshire Health Innovation ecosystem.  Simon went back to school to complete an MBA [essentials] with the LSE whilst building the spinout and is a graduate of the Propel Health Tech accelerator programme.  ThirdAgeTx generates global impact by promoting healthy longevity for older people.  We are an ageing society and older people deserve the best mental health as they grow older.  Get in touch if you are interested in working with us to optimise the mental health of older people. 

These days Simon is mostly motivated by impact and knowledge exchange.  He leads mental health in the Yorkshire and Humber Applied Research Collaboration and is Chief Investigator for the world’s largest global mental health smoking cessation trial – SCIMITAR-South Asia.  Simon provides mental health leadership and expertise to the Wellcome-funded Born in Bradford Age of Wonder Cohort [officially the World’s largest multi-ethnic birth cohort].

Simon’s research is freely available via  ORCID ID 0000-0002-8236-6983.  Follow him on LinkedIn where he provides short videos & posts on topics where he has something interesting to say. 

Three examples of Professor Simon Gilbody’s research & impact

[1] An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure:  Prevention is having its moment, and is one of the NHS’ key priorities for the next decade.  Simon’s group has hosted the biennial Global Consortium for the Prevention of Depression.  His trials, evidence syntheses and economic studies examine ways in which we can prevent depression.  He is especially interested in harnessing behavioural activation [BA] and has shown that it can be delivered over the telephone and offered digitally to prevent depression.  BA is the less famous cousin to CBT, but is equally effective and very scalable.  Simon regularly speaks and gives public lectures on prevention and mental health.  His work features in the Financial Times and he can help organisations think about prevention in the workplace. 

[2] Loneliness as a global threat to health & wealth.  Loneliness is now recognised to be as bad for our health as smoking 15 cigarettes per day.  During the COVID pandemic Simon led the BASIL trials programme.  BASIL+ is the largest ever trial of a telephone-first psychological intervention to prevent depression and loneliness.  He speaks to global audiences on this topic and is an expert in understanding the relationship between human connection and mental health. 

[3] Closing the gap in life expectancy in mental health services:   Life expectancy for people with schizophrenia is reduced by around 20-years.  This is a profound and [historically] neglected health inequality.   Smoking-related illnesses represent the largest cluster of preventable health problems. Simon designed and led the SCIMITAR Trials that have shown that smoking cessation programmes are clinically and cost effective.  These form the basis of NHS-wide accredited training and effective treatment programmes.   He now works in South Asia [India, Pakistan and Bangladesh] as part of the NIHR’s Global Health Research programme.  His 2025 Editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine sets out a manifesto to tackle this global epidemic. 

Qualifications

• MBA [Essentials, with Distinction], London School of Economics 2025
• DSc [Clinical Epidemiology], University of York 2022
• hon-FRCGP [Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners], elected 2019
• FRCPsych [Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists], elected 2009
• PGDip [Cognitive Behaviour Therapy], Newcastle CBT Centre/University of Durham, 2005
• Diploma in Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) 2004
• DPhil [Health Science], University of York, 2001
• MRCPsych [Member of the Royal Collect of Psychiatrists], by exam 1995
• MSc [Psychiatric research], University of Leeds, 1995
• MBChB [Medicine and Surgery], University of Leeds, 1991
• BSc (hons, first class) [Psychology], University of Leeds, 1989

Research

Overview

Taking a population approach to mental health, Simon conducts epidemiological studies, evidence syntheses and clinical trials to promote effective, efficient and equitable NHS mental health services. Simon researches in primary care, and at the interface between mental and physical health.

Three recent examples of his work include:

Optimising the management of depression in the presence of long term physical health problems.

Depression often co-exists with long term health problems and is a ‘silent killer’. Simon has shown that collaborative care is effective and efficient for older people in the UK (the NIHR CASPER+ trials). With Prof David Ekers he co-leads the NIHR MODS programme to evaluate the use of behavioural activation in the presence of multi-morbidity (2018-22). 

Preventing depression & loneliness for people at high risk.

‘An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure’.  Simon and his York colleagues hosted the 2019 Global Consortium for the Prevention of Depression.  His contribution to knowledge in prevention comes from the first UK CASPER trials, funded by NIHR and published in JAMA in 2015.  The first CASPER trial showed that depression can be prevented in older people using simple telephone-delivered behavioural activation.  We have since explored this in a number of trials in the UK, Australia, South America and South Asia.

In response to the COVID pandemic of 2020 Simon leads a consortium of researchers to mitigate the psychological impacts on those who are forced to self-isolate.  The Behavioural Activation for Social IsoLation (BASIL-C19) trial is the first mental health interventional study to be adopted as an Urgent Public Health (UPH) priority by the NHS, and (in mid-2020) is recruiting across the UK.  We will learn if depression and loneliness can be prevented or mitigated in the face of the pandemic. 

Improving the physical health of people with severe mental illnesses (SMIs) such as schizophrenia.

This is the most profound health inequality in mental health services, and is driven by the complex interplay of social determinants, health risk behaviours and a ‘syndemic’.  Smoking is an important source of health inequality, but the epidemic of smoking in mental health services has been historically-ignored.  Simon led the first UK trials of smoking cessation (the SCIMITAR trials).  His team have shown that people with SMI can quit effectively, and that quit smoking services are cost-effective.  Simon continues to work with colleagues to tackle the smoking epidemic in mental health.  He co-leads the £2.6M NIHR SCEPTRE inpatient smokefree mental health programme with Dr Elena Ratschen, and has worked with Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) to produce videos with experts by experience.  This is a challenging, but rewarding, area in which to research & innovate. 

The Yorkshire and Humberside ARC also tackles health inequalities for people with severe mental ill health and Simon leads the £1.2M UKRI ‘Closing the Gap’ Network+, to develop innovative solutions (such as greenspace, creativity and the use of digital tech).  Underpinning the York-led research programme in this area is an interventional cohort of 10,000 (and counting) people – known as the Closing the Gap Cohort - led by Dr Emily Peckham and her team.  In 2018 the MHARG work in this area was extended to South Asia, with the formation of the NIHR IMPACT Global Trials Group, which Simon leads with Professor Najma Siddiqi.

Projects

Simon is Chief Investigator and co-investigator on the following publicly-funded projects. There are links to each of these projects if you would like to find out more:

Trials

Simon is an experienced trialist, and has led some of the largest pragmatic trials in mental health.  His trials have shown what works and what does not work, influencing practice and policy. 

The CASPER Trial: this large scale trial of telephone-delivered integrated care for older people at risk of developing depression. The results were published in JAMA and we showed that depression can be prevented. The trial was led by York (Chief Investigator Gilbody), and recruited in Leeds, Durham and Newcastle. Commissioned by NIHR HTA (ISRCTN02202951)

The CASPER+ Trial: is a sister trial of telephone-delivered integrated care for older people with clinical depression. This was the first large-scale UK study of Collaborative Care for older people (Chief Investigator Gilbody). We showed that collaborative care is clinically and cost effective. Funded by NIHR HTA (ISRCTN45842879).

The REEACT 1 trial: the largest UK trial of computerised Cognitive Behaviour therapy (CBT) for adults with depression. We showed that the uptake of computer therapy is low, and that cCBT conferred no additional benefit when added to routine primary care. The trial was led by York (Chief Investigator Gilbody), and recruited in York, Hull, Manchester, Sheffield and Bristol. Commissioned by NIHR HTA (ISRCTN91947481)

The REEACT 2 trial: the largest UK trial of guided telephone support alongside computerised Cognitive Behaviour therapy (CBT) for adults with depression. We showed that cCBT with telephone support is more effective than cCBT with telephone support. The results were published in BJPsych. Though this result may seem unsurprising, this is the first large scale demonstration of the benefit of telephone support and cCBT continues to be offered without telephone support to this day. The trial was led by York (Chief Investigator Gilbody), and recruited in York, Hull, Manchester, Sheffield and Bristol. Funded by NIHR HTA (ISRCTN55310481)

The SCIMITAR trials: the first UK (and largest ever worldwide) trial of a specialist smoking cessation service for people with severe mental illness. This NIHR trial was led by York (Chief Investigator Gilbody), and recruited across the UK.  SCIMITAR shows that a tailored smoking cessation intervention is effective in the short term and in enabling longer term quitting.  Smoking cessation is always good VFM to the NHS, since it prevents downstream health problems.  However the additional investments in smoking cessation by mental health services has been shown to be cost effective in the SCIMITAR economic evaluation. Funded by NIHR HTA (ISRCTN79497236). 

Also co-instigator and recruitment site on; the OCTET trial of OCD (ISRCTN73535163); the COBRA trial of behavioural activation for depression (ISRCTN27473954); the MRC CADET trial of Collaborative Care for depression (ISRCTN32829227), the NIHR PANDA trial of SSRIs in primary care (ISRCTN84544741); the NIHR REDUCE trial on the role of maintenance antidepressants in primary care (ISRCTN15969819).

Cohort studies

Closing the Gap: Health Cohort. We have assembled a large clinical cohort (n=10,000 in mid-2020) of people with severe mental ill health. This unique resource examines health risk behaviours, social circumstances, environment and health. Participants are offered the opportunity to partake in observational & qualitative studies, and trials of behavioural interventions (including the SCMITAR smoking cessation trial and the NIHR DIAMONDS Programme on diabetes and SMI).  We are using the CtG Cohort to understand the impact of COVID on people with SMI.  The cohort is supported by a mixed economy, including the Wellcome Centre for Future Health, UKRI and the YH-ARC. 

Research group(s)

• Mental Health and Addiction

Publications

Full publications list

• Simon Gilbody's publications

Teaching

Undergraduate

• HYMS – Psychological Medicine (Phase 1 block 6) – Led by Prof Dean McMillan
• HYMS – Scholarship and Special Interest Programme (SSIPs) on primary care mental health and computer-delivered therapies
• HYMS – Mental Health (Phase 2 block 19) – centres on the recognition and management of psychological and psychiatric illness.

Postgraduate

• Health Sciences MSc – International Mental Health 

External activities

Memberships

• Member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists(by exam 1995); elected Fellow in 2009
• Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts
• Member of the Society for Social Medicine
• Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners (elected 2019)

Editorial duties

• Editor Cochrane Common Mental Disorders Group
• Editor (editorials) British Journal of Psychiatry (2009-2019)
• Member of the Editorial Board for British Journal of Psychiatry

Invited talks and conferences

National and international invited lectures: 

• World Psychiatric Association (2007); European Association of Consultation Psychiatrists (2009 & 10).
• UK Mental Heath Research Network (2009, 2010 & 2013).
• Keynote address British Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapists (2013).
• Visiting distinguished lecture McGill University 2010.

Media coverage

• Simon’s research into the management of depression in older people (the CASPER programme) was featured in a BBC documentary ‘Inside Out’ in 2012.