Biography
I studied Medicine at the University of Oxford, before working in a variety of clinical settings including Acute General Medicine, Intensive Care and General Surgery. Following this, I trained in Psychiatry and completed MRCPsych at the Maudsley Training Programme. I’ve held NIHR-funded clinical academic posts at the Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford and the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, as well as a digital health fellowship funded by Health Education England. I’m currently enrolled in the Wellcome Trust PhD Programme for Health Professionals at the University of Cambridge.
Alongside academic research and clinical psychiatry, I have a keen interest in public engagement and writing for a popular audience. My work has been published in a variety of publications (including The Guardian, New Statesman & Spectator) and has been recognised by the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ Morris Markowe Public Education Prize.
Research
My PhD will explore cross-cultural and evolutionary approaches to psychological development. I am particularly interested in how social ecological factors may influence developmental trajectories of social cognition and its relationship with mental health outcomes.
I hope to undertake fieldwork with the Mbendjele BaYaka, a hunter-gatherer community residing in the rainforests of northern Congo, as well as analysing data from cross-cultural studies conducted in industrialised settings.
Key Publications
Gillett G. The problem with genetic heritability estimates in psychiatry: 'missing heritability' or missed cross-cultural environmental variation?. Psychiatry Res. 2024;336:115916. doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2024.115916
Gillett G, Leeves L, Patel A, Prisecaru A, Spain D, Happé F. The prevalence of autism spectrum disorder traits and diagnosis in adults and young people with personality disorders: A systematic review. Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 2023;57(2):181-196. doi:10.1177/00048674221114603
Gillett G, McGowan NM, Palmius N, Bilderbeck AC, Goodwin GM, Saunders KEA. Digital Communication Biomarkers of Mood and Diagnosis in Borderline Personality Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, and Healthy Control Populations. Front Psychiatry. 2021;12:610457. Published 2021 Apr 8. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.610457
Gillett G, Tomlinson A, Efthimiou O, Cipriani A. Predicting treatment effects in unipolar depression: A meta-review. Pharmacol Ther. 2020;212:107557. doi:10.1016/j.pharmthera.2020.107557
Teaching and Supervisions
Current:
- Supervisor for the module ‘Advanced Topics in Developmental Psychology’ in the Psychological and Behavioural Sciences Tripos.
Previous:
- Academic & Clinical Tutor for BM BCh students at Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford (Medicine)
- Research Supervisor for MSc students at King’s College London (Developmental Psychology and Psychopathology; Psychiatric Research)
- Tutor in Psychiatry, Global Medical Education Collaborative
Research Supervisors:
Dr Nikhil Chaudhary (Department of Archaeology)
Professor Claire Hughes (Centre for Family Research)
Other Professional Activities
Current:
Executive Committee Member of the Digital Psychiatry Special Interest Group, The Royal College of Psychiatrists
Co-founder & Committee Member, Rethinking Health campaign
Previous:
Public Education Editorial Board, Royal College of Psychiatrists
Contributor to panels and expert engagement sessions commissioned by Department of Health and Social Care & Nuffield Council of Bioethics
