Psychiatric Bulletin (2007) 31: 318. doi: 10.1192/pb.bp.107.016675
© 2007 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
Professor Rob Kerwin
Formerly Professor of Clinical Neuropharmacology at the Institute of Psychiatry and the Maudsley Hospital
Ian Everall
Professor Rob Kerwin died suddenly on 8 February 2007 of unexpected
complications of sarcoidosis, an illness which he had suffered for many years.
This tragic event has robbed psychiatry of one of the most gifted and talented
psychiatric researchers of his generation.
Rob was born in 1955 and grew up in Salford in a working class family
– a fact of which he was rightly very proud. His family noticed that he
was bright and talented from an early age, a talent he demonstrated by winning
a scholarship to Cambridge University to study medicine. After completing his
preclinical studies, while his fascination for pharmacology was developing he
took time-out to achieve a PhD in 1980 in pharmacology at Bristol University,
where he studied dopamine and other neurotransmitters in animal models. He
then did some post-doctoral work with the late David Marsden at the Institute
of Neurology and after completion of his PhD, he returned to complete his MB
BChir in 1984 at Westminster Medical School, where he met his future wife Dr
Fiona Lofts. He pursued clinical and research work in cardiology at the
Hammersmith Hospital; however, after a brief attachment in neuropsychiatry at
the Institute of Neurology, Queen Square in 1986, he entered postgraduate
training in psychiatry at the Bethlem Royal and Maudsley Hospital. He not only
completed his training in record time (he gained his MRCPsych in 1988 and
FRCPsych in 1996) but also by 1989 he had been offered a
‘new-blood’ senior lectureship at the Institute of Psychiatry. By
1995, with the staunch support of the head of the department, Professor Robin
Murray, he was awarded a personal chair in Clinical Psychopharmacology and in
1996, the DSc (Lond).
During his years at the Institute of Psychiatry, he was prolific and the
size of his research team was constantly growing. His research was broad but
shared a common theme of understanding the neurobiological basis of
schizophrenia, always with a view towards improving treatment. His first
significant work was with me on changes in morphology and receptor binding in
postmortem brain tissue. He and his then training fellow, Lyn Pilowsky, later
made use of neuroreceptor ligand studies using single-photon emission computed
tomography (SPECT) to image and map dopamine, GABA and serotonin receptor
subtypes in the brains of healthy volunteers and patients. This clarified the
unique effectiveness and side-effect profile of the drug clozapine in
otherwise treatment-resistant patients as a result of its limbic selectivity.
This body of work earned him the Joel Elkes International Award for
Psychopharmacology. In his more recent work with Maria Arranz, he used allelic
association pharmacogenetic techniques to predict response to pharmacological
agents. This strand has had important commercial applications and has given
rise to a spin-off company called Theragenetics.
Clinically, Rob remained very active and was one of the architects of the
National Psychosis Unit at the Bethlem Royal Hospital. This patient population
inspired his research, especially into predictors of treatment response. This
clinical service won the national Hospital Doctor Psychiatry Team of the Year
Award.
Outside of work, Rob was a dedicated family man and applied the same degree
of passion to his hobbies and pursuits as he did to his research. For
instance, from his university days, Rob was a keen rower and made the annual
pilgrimage to Henley rowing regatta. In addition, he obtained a flying
licence, as he loved flying light aircrafts, and he often extended the
invitation to colleagues – although there were few takers! Sadly, his
flying days came to an end with the onset of ill health. The sarcoidosis was
accompanied by complications resulting in hip replacement and cardiac
procedures, but he endured these with stoic acceptance. He was determined not
to let them stop him from working or to noticeably distress him. He was a
private man, often shy, but loyal to his friends. He was not inhibited in
letting you know his views, especially the shortcomings of
‘incompetent’ bureaucracies.
His papers and work regarding the pathological mechanisms and developing
treatments for those affected by mental illness will leave a rich legacy that
will continue to be appreciated. He will be sorely missed, not only by his
colleagues but also especially by Fiona, his wife, and his three wonderful
daughters.
