What’s the project?
The Hub for Metabolic Psychiatry is one of six new research hubs forming the basis of the UKRI Mental Health Platform (MHP), established to accelerate progress towards novel and more effective treatments for Severe Mental Illness (SMI). The Hub for Metabolic Psychiatry specifically focuses on the connection between mental and metabolic health and the development of metabolic treatments for SMI.
Metabolism refers to all the chemical reactions that take place in the body to convert food into energy and building blocks, and to eliminate waste products. When this does not occur as usual metabolic conditions can arise.
There is growing evidence for a connection between metabolic and mental health. People with SMI are more likely to develop metabolic conditions, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart disease. There is also research showing that metabolism-based treatments, such as the ketogenic diet and certain medications (metformin, GLP-1 agonists, statins), may be effective in improving both metabolic and mental health outcomes in people with SMI. Metabolic psychiatry is the discipline investigating this connection between metabolic and mental health.
Find out more
McPin are co-leading Workstream 6: Patient and Public Involvement, Engagement (PPIE) and Dissemination, alongside The University of Edinburgh. Part of this workstream has involved establishing a Lived Experience Advisory Group (LEAP) comprising 12 members with lived experience of SMI and reduced metabolic health.
We are looking for 5 more people with relevant lived experience to join us.
The Hub LEAP meets online for 1.5 hours every other month for the 5 year duration of the study to input into Hub activities across all 6 of the workstreams, including:
- Regular communication and priority setting with workstream leads and relevant stakeholders.
- Working with a PhD student to co-produce a Metabolic andMental Health Accelerator (MMHA) online platform. The MMHA will combine continuous glucose monitoring (CGM), weight, BMI and self-reported symptoms to allow individuals with SMI to gain insight into trajectories of their own metabolic markers and potential relationships with mental health symptoms.
- Co-production of a Lived Experience Impact Score (LEIS), a scoring system to rate the quality of lived experience involvement throughout the activities of each workstream.
- Dissemination and public engagement, ensuring outputs are understandable and accessible.
- Opportunities for lived experience leadership feeding into the Hub management group and wider UKRI MHP.
- Over the age of 16
- Based in the UK
- Direct lived experience of SMI (schizophrenia / psychosis, bipolar and/or depression)
- With related reduced metabolic health e.g., weight gain, diabetes, reduced heart health
- Interest in the connection between mental and metabolic health
- Access to a computer, tablet, or phone, with camera and stable internet connection to be able to join online meetings with video
- Meetings and ad-hoc work will be paid at a rate of £27.50 per hour
- Reasonable travel and subsistence expenses will be reimbursed
- Appropriate support, training and development where needed
Please complete the expression of interest form here.
Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the Hub PPIE co-lead, Annie Walsh, [email protected] if you have any questions, need any assistance completing the expression of interest form, or would like to discuss alternative ways to apply.
Monday 29th June 2026, 9 am
Please note that the McPin Foundation regularly promotes opportunities on behalf of other institutions; we are not responsible for the continuation or contents of further correspondence with any project partners where we are not listed as the project main point of contact.
