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Anita Thapar  MBBCh PhD, FMedSci, FLSW, CBE

Professor Anita Thapar

(she/her)

MBBCh PhD, FMedSci, FLSW, CBE

Comment
Media commentator

Teams and roles for Anita Thapar

Overview

I am a clinician scientist by background. My primary interests are in neurodevelopmental disorders/neurodivergence, primarily ADHD, and youth mental health. I am the lead editor (joint) of Rutter’s Child and Adolescent Psychiatry-the leading textbook for clinicians and scientists (6th and 7th edition).

Translation of our research into mental health and neurodivergence policies

I am on the Welsh Government Adult ADHD Task and Finish Group and previously was  co-chair on the Welsh Government Neurodivergence Ministerial Advisory Group and on the Welsh government clinical advisory group for ADHD assessment and support.

I served as Chair of the NHS England ADHD Taskforce and a member of the DfE Neurodivergence Task and Finish Group.

Previously I was on the expert reference group of Together for Children and Young People (mental health and ND)

Publication

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Articles

Book sections

Books

Research

Overview of current research

My research focuses on  ADHD, neurodivergence, youth mental health from 0 to 25 years.

My mission is to address questions that have clinical relevance.

Currently funded research projects

  • Wolfson Centre for Youth Mental Health: £10 million: genetics WS stratifying youth depression . 
  • School impacts on mental health in young people with ADHD
  • ADHD  in young women (NIHR advanced fellowship J Martin)
  • ADHD and links with depression (MRC L Riglin)
  • C-Gull cohort, Liveropool (coapplicant for substudy involving mental health) 
  • Risk stratification for early-onset depression (coapplicant)

Overseas named /costed collaborations

  • Norwegian Institute of Public Health: Havdahl and Reichborn-Knerrud
  • iPsych Denmark: Mussliner
  • Sweden Karolinska Institutet:  Larsson
  • NIMH: Pine, Leibenluft

Key review and personal view papers

  • Thapar A, Eyre O, Patel V, Brent D (2022) Depression in young people, Lancet; 20;400(10352):617-631. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(22)01012-1. Epub 2022 Aug 5.PMID: 35940184
  • Thapar A, Livingston LA, Eyre O, Riglin L. (2023) Practitioner Review: Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder - the importance of depression. J Child Psychol Psychiatry;64(1):4-15. doi: 10.1111/jcpp.13678. PMID: 35972029.
  • Sonuga-Barke E, Thapar A. The neurodiversity concept: is it helpful for clinicians and scientists? Lancet Psychiatry. 2021 8(7):559-561.
  • Thapar A, Cooper M, Rutter M (2017) Neurodevelopmental disorders, Lancet Psychiatry 4(4):339-346.
  • Thapar A, Cooper M, (2016), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, The Lancet 387(10024): 1240-50.

Selected original papers

  • Dennison CA, Martin J, Shakeshaft A, Riglin L, Powell V, Kirov G, Owen MJ, O'Donovan MC, Thapar A. Early Manifestations of Neurodevelopmental Copy Number Variants in Children: A Population-Based Investigation. Biol Psychiatry. 2025 Mar 14:S0006-3223(25)01050-9.
  • Martin J, Langley K, Cooper M, Rouquette OY, John A, Sayal K, Ford T, Thapar A. Sex differences in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder diagnosis and clinical care: a national study of population healthcare records in Wales. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2024 Dec;65(12):1648-1658.
  • Bellato A, Parlatini V, Groom MJ, Hall CL, Hollis C, Simonoff E, Thapar A, Cortese S. Commentary: Using QbTest for monitoring pharmacological treatment response in ADHD - are we there yet? J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2025  Feb;66(2):266-270.
  • Dennison CA, Shakeshaft A, Eyre O, Tilling K, Rice F, Thapar A. Investigating the neurodevelopmental correlates of early adolescent-onset emotional problems. J Affect Disord. 2024 Nov 1;364:212-220.
  • Riglin L, Wootton RE, Thapar AK, Livingstone LA, Langley K, Collishaw S, Tagg J, Smith GD, Stergiakouli E, Tilling K, Thapar A (2021) Variable Emergence of Autism Spectrum Disorder Symptoms From Childhood to Early Adulthood, The American Journal of Psychiatry 178(8):752-760
  • Rice, F., Riglin, L., Thapar, A.K., Heron, J., Anney, R., O’Donovan, M.C., Thapar, A. (2019) Characterizing Developmental Trajectories and the Role of Neuropsychiatric Genetic Risk Variants in Early-Onset Depression. JAMA Psychiatry 76(3): 306-313
  • Riglin, L., Collishaw, S., Thapar, AK., Dalsgaard, S., Langley, K., Davey Smith, G., Stergiakouli , E., Maughan, B., O’Donovan, M. & Thapar, A. (2016) Association of genetic risk variants with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder trajectories in the general population. JAMA Psychiatry. 73(12):1285-1292 

Biography

Education and qualifications

  • 2005: FRCPsych, Royal College of Psychiatrists, UK
  • 1995: PhD  University of Wales College of Medicine, Cardiff
  • 1989: MRCPsych  Royal College of Psychiatrists, UK
  • 1985: MBBCh (Medicine),  Welsh National School of Medicine, Cardiff

Career overview

Current posts

  • 1999 - 2025: Cardiff University School of Medicine. Clinical Professor
  • Honorary Professor, MRC Integrated Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol

Honours and awards

  • World Federation of ADHD, Heinrich Hoffman Medal, for a life devoted to clinical work, teaching and research on ADHD. 2025
  • International Society for Psychiatric Genetics, Ming Tsuang Lifetime Achievement Award. 2024.
  • UK Professor of Psychiatry Club:  Academic Women in Psychiatry Award (joint) for enhancing the careers of academic women in psychiatry 2017
  • Learned Society of Wales: Frances Hoggan Medal for outstanding research by women in Science, Technology, Engineering, Medicine or Mathematics. 2017
  • Queen’s Honours: CBE for services to Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 2017
  • Presidents Medal 2015, Royal College of Psychiatrists, UK  for contribution to policy, public knowledge, education and meeting population and patient care needs
  • Ruane Prize 2015, Brain and Behavior Research Foundation, USA for outstanding Child & Adolescent Psychiatric research
  • Elected Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences (FMedSci) 2011, UK
  • Elected Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales 2011, Wales
  • Elected Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1995, UK
  • Laughlin Prize 1989 Royal College of Psychiatrists, UK for  highest marks and best recommendation in MRCPsych examinations
  • Maldwyn Catell Memorial Prize (Welsh Medical Council) awarded 1985 (medical school), Welsh National School of Medicine
  • Geraint Walters Prize in Haematology awarded 1985 (medical school), Welsh National School of Medicine

Professional memberships

  • Academy of Medical Sciences
  • Royal College of Psychiatrists
  • Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health
  • UK Child and Adolescent Research Society
  • Eunethydis: the European Network for Hyperkinetic Disorders

Academic positions

  • 1996-1999: Senior Lecturer, Manchester University
  • 1991-1995: MRC Clinical Research Fellow, University of Wales College of Medicine, Cardiff
  • 1990-1995 (career break for children) Clinical training in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 
  • 1986-1989 Clinical Training in Psychiatry
  • 1985 Junior doctor posts in Medicine, Surgery

Committees and reviewing

Selected panels, advisory and editorial boards

Current

  • Chair of NHS England ADHD Taskforce
  • Co-chair of Welsh Government Ministerial Advisory Group on Neurodivergence 
  • Member of dfE Neurodivergence Task and Finish group
  • Member of European ADHD Guidelines Group 
  • Member of the American Psychiatric Association Review Committee on Neurodevelopmental Disorders [Intellectual Disability, Learning Disorders, Communication Disorders, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Motor Disorders, ADHD].
  • Associate Editor and member of the Editorial Board of the American Journal of Psychiatry
  • The Lancet Psychiatry Advisory Board

 

 

Supervisions

  • Child and adolescent/youth mental health from 0 to 25 years
  • Epidemiology/genetics

Engagement

Panel memberships and boards

  • 2025 - 2026: Welsh Government Adult ADHD Task and Finish Group
  • 2025: NHS England ADHD Taskforce Chair
  • 2025: DfE Neurodivergence Task and Finish Group member 
  • 2023 - 2025: Co-chair of Welsh Government Ministerial Advisory Group for Neurodivergence.
  • 2023 - 2025: Embracing Complexity Steering Group https://embracingcomplexity.org.uk/
  • 2023 - current: National Neurodiversity Transformation Professional Working Group:   Welsh Government
  • 2022 - current: Co-Chair Welsh Government Neurodevelopmental Ministerial Advisory Group
  • 2020 - 2025: Board member for UK Patient Charity: ADHD Foundation Neurodiversity Charity
  • 2021 - 2026: Member of European ADHD Guidelines Group (EAGG)
  • 2020 - current: US  Ruane Prize Selection Committee, Brain & Behavior Research Foundation
  • 2016 - current: American Psychiatric Association Review Committee on DSM-5 Neurodevelopmental Disorders [Intellectual Disability, Learning Disorders, Communication Disorders, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Motor Disorders, ADHD.

Public engagement

We have a track record of working with the media on child and adolescent mental health, especially around ADHD.

I have worked with the Cardiff University Public engagement team (e.g. Cardiff Challenge), the UK Science Media Centre, contributed to and participated in television (a BBC Wales documentary, Breakfast TV and news items), radio (Radio 4 Today programme, national and local radio stations) on ADHD and adolescent depression.

National and international web podcasts and films on ADHD include:

   

News articles

A new publication highlights which mental health research topics matter most to parents with depression and their children.

New study explores mental health research priorities of families affected by depression

31 July 2025

A new publication highlights which mental health research topics matter most to parents with depression and their children.

Cardiff academic co-chairs NHS England’s new ADHD Taskforce

NHS England’s New ADHD Taskforce

23 May 2024

Cardiff academic co-chairs NHS England’s new ADHD Taskforce

Doctor and presenter to speak at Cardiff University’s Cardiff Conversations series about youth mental health

Dr Alex George ‘opened up’ talks about youth mental health challenges

14 May 2024

Doctor and presenter to speak at Cardiff University’s Cardiff Conversations series about youth mental health

Important step in understanding biological underpinnings of ADHD

Discovery of the first common genetic risk factors for ADHD

27 November 2018

Important step in understanding biological underpinnings of ADHD

Researchers from across the University pick up prestigious medals from the Learned Society of Wales

Cardiff academics celebrated with awards

19 May 2017

Researchers from across the University pick up prestigious medals from the Learned Society of Wales

Contact Details

Research themes

Specialisms

  • Child and Adolescent Mental Health