Royal College Fellowship joy for three CPFT psychiatrists
Three CPFT psychiatrists have been awarded prestigious Fellowships by the Royal College of Psychiatrists, honouring their outstanding contributions to mental health care and research.
Dr Annabel Price, Dr Julius Essem and Dr Muzaffer Kaser were thrilled to find out they had been elected this year following successful applications and glowing recommendations from colleagues, and they hope to attend the official Fellows’ ceremony at the College in April.
Dr Annabel Price is a consultant liaison psychiatrist with CPFT’s older people’s mental health service and associate specialty director in palliative care at the University of Cambridge Clinical School. Annabel has led the development of psycho-oncology services to provide mental health support for cancer patients, setting up a new care model and linking with local hospices. She has also chaired the Royal College of Psychiatrists Liaison Psychiatry Faculty, supporting mental health policy and care change. Annabel is committed to developing medical students and trainees in psychiatry, leading an old age liaison network to provide training and education opportunities for the whole multidisciplinary liaison psychiatry team in the UK and internationally.
Annabel said: “I was inspired to apply for a fellowship because women don’t always put themselves forward for these sorts of awards, even when they are very well deserved. As a former College faculty chair, I wanted to apply and encourage women developing their careers in psychiatry. I’m delighted that Muzaffer and Julius have also been awarded fellowships in this round. In CPFT I’m very lucky to work with such a talented and supportive group of colleagues.”
Consultant psychiatrist Dr Muzaffer Kaser leads CPFT’s Staff Mental Health Service providing rapid mental health support for NHS staff in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, which was a finalist in this year’s Health Service Journal Awards. He has a longstanding commitment to psychiatry education and training medical students, resident doctors, and mental health researchers with the University of Cambridge Department of Psychiatry. His mental health research leadership role with the NIHR East of England Regional Research Delivery Network (RRDN) is helping to build research infrastructure and capacity, supporting clinical trials and other psychiatric research in this region.
Muzaffer said: “I am delighted to be elected as a Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. It is a great feeling when your endeavours are recognised by your professional organisation. I am thankful to Professor Graham Murray and Dr Anna Conway-Morris for nominating me and I encourage other senior colleagues to consider applications and support each other. The breadth and quality of contributions to psychiatry within CPFT are outstanding, and we can all take pride in these achievements.”
Dr Julius Essem is a consultant old age psychiatrist working at the Maple Unit for older adult inpatients at the Cavell Centre, Peterborough. He has provided training for many psychiatry trainees at the Trust whilst supporting research and contributing to studies and publications. He is committed to service improvement and currently raising standards for Maple patients through the Trust’s Culture of Care project.
Julius said: “It is an honour and privilege to be recognised by the College. I am humbled to share a stage with esteemed colleagues Annabel, Muzaffer and other Fellows. I am thankful to my peer group colleagues for nominating me and their steadfast support.”
CPFT’s Medical Director Dr Cathy Walsh said: “It’s wonderful to see three highly regarded colleagues honoured in this way, after many years of clinical practice at CPFT between them. As well as upholding excellent standards of care, they all continue to drive improvements and advance psychiatry through their research and supervision of medical colleagues at the Trust, and their Fellowships are well deserved for truly outstanding contributions and dedication.”
Fellowships are awarded by the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych) as a mark of distinction and recognise significant contributions to psychiatry. Members are eligible after 10 or more continuous years with the College if they demonstrate how they are setting standards and promoting excellence in mental health care; leading, representing and supporting psychiatrists; and working with patients, carers and their organisations.
Find out more about the RCPsych Fellowships and how to apply in 2026 on the website here: https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/members/membership/fellowship-and-other-honours/applying-for-fellowship
