Dr Jack Underwood

(he/him)

Publication

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Research

Autism is a life-long neurodevelopmental condition which affects ~1% of people. Mental health problems are more common in autistic people, but we don't understand why. My PhD looks at this, and what effects genetics or lifestyle have on the mental health of autistic adults. I examine the effects of existing quantified polygenic risk for mental health disorders (PGS) in the autistic population, alongside associations within hospital and general practice record data on subsequent mental health difficulties. To undertake this I have identified and co-produced assessments in a cohort of autistic adults from the National Centre for Mental Health (NCMH) Database, as well as autistic people within a large dataset of anonymised healthcare records (SAIL) and a longitudinal population sample (ALSPAC).

For these projects I was supervised by Prof Jeremy Hall (Cardiff), Dr Ric Anney (Cardiff), and Prof Dheeraj Rai (Bristol University, Population Health Sciences).

I have a further thread of research interest in the phenotype-genotype relationship of CACNA1C variants, aiming to establish phenotypic features associated with gene variants across loci in this gene. My particular focus is on neurodevelopmental disorders within this context, and modelling how changes in this gene result in these features. To examine this I have compiled an international case series of individuals with CACNA1C and their families, with deep phenotyping and cell lines (where available). I lead the Scientific Advisory Board for the Timothy Syndrome Alliance charity, and have organised and hosted conferences and events for the charity. We were awarded grant funding for a public engagement film in 2021, further funding in 2022 for international translation of conferences, and won the 2022 Gene People Awards Best Research Partnership. In October 2024 we (Timothy Syndrome Alliance) were recipients of a Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Rare As One cycle 3 grant ($800,000), funding the scale up of the charity, to foster research networks and develop a CACNA1C research platform. In 2025 I was awarded a Hodge Foundation Early Career Researcher grant to further undertake genotype-phenotype analyses of the CACNA1C gene. At the 2025 Smiley Charity Film Awards, our collaborative public engagement film Connections won the People's Choice Award (Longform, <£500,000). For my PPIE work on CACNA1C and with TSA I was Highly Commended in the inaugeral Rare Disease Research UK Early Career Researcher PPIE award.

Teaching

I teach on several Cardiff and Swansea University courses, at the undergraduate and postgraduate level. 

For the Medicine MBBCh course, I lecture on neuroanatomy and provide small group teaching on personality disorders and communication skills. I am a formative and summative psychiatry ISCE examiner. I have supervised intercalating student projects on the Psychology in Medicine BSc course. I supervise SSC projects, which include clinical placements, plus wet and dry research projects.

I have provided data and supervision for student case studies on the MSc in Applied Bioinformatics and Genomics. I have also supervised dissertation projects on the MSc in Psychiatry, and the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology.

Biography

I am a Forensic Psychiatry Registrar on the Wales Clinical Academic Track, recently back into clinical training at ST5 level and having completed a PhD (viva passed pending minor corrections) on a Wellcome Trust GW4-CAT Clinical Doctoral Fellowship. I undertook Core Psychiatry Training and the Foundation Programme in South Wales, after graduating from Medicine (BMBS) at Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry. I have been a member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists since 2018.

Honours and awards

2025 - Smiley Charity Film Awards, Winner of People's Choice Award - collaborative public engagement film "Connections"

2025 - Rare Disease Research UK Early Career Researcher PPIE award - Highly Commended

2025 - Hodge Foundation Early Career Research Grant (£18,490)

2024 - Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Rare As One Grant - as Chair of TSA Scientific Advisory Board ($800,000)

2022 – Gene People Awards - Best Research Partnership - Winner, with Timothy Syndrome Alliance 

2021 - Cardiff University Innovation for All (IfA) Public Engagement fund: The Rare Disease Research Journey (£6,350)

2019 – Wellcome Trust GW4-CAT Clinical Academic Training Fellowship (£280,000)

2018 – Wellcome Trust ISSF Clinical Primer Award (£29,984)

2018 – RCPsych International Congress Travel Bursary (£450)

2018 – European Psychiatric Association Congress Travel Grant (350 Euro)

2016 – Cardiff MRC Centre Clinical Academic Mentorship Scheme

Professional memberships

Member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists (MRCPsych)

Registered with the General Medical Council (7414226)

Committees and reviewing

I have peer reviewed multiple publications for a variety of journals, including: JAMA Psychiatry, The British Journal of Psychiatry (BJPsych), BJPsych Bulletin, BJPsych Open, Research in Developmental Disorders, Biological Psychiatry, Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, Autism, Advances in Autism, Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Through the Wellcome Gatsby Neuroscience initiative I was involved in the promotion of Neuroscience for the Royal College of Psychiatrists, initially as Neuroscience Trainee Editor for TrOn and later the RCPsych Neuroscience Champion for Wales.

I have further experience of commissioning and clinical governance through a number of committees, including the Welsh Government Autism and Neurodiversity Clinical Advisory Group.