Psyomics is delighted to announce that the Board has appointed Barnaby Perks as a new non-executive director. Mr Perks will assume his position from April 2018.
Mr Perks brings to Psyomics a decade’s worth of experience in commercial strategy as a biotech leader which will be invaluable in helping Psyomics’ new digital tools reach the marketplace in both clinical and workplace settings. He began his career in NHS-based biomedical engineering research before developing assistive technology products for people with complex special needs for various small businesses. After founding Ieso Digital Health, he has spent the last ten years as CEO growing the company from a small research project into the UK’s leading provider of live online cognitive behavioural therapy, receiving more than £24million in investment funding from venture capitalists. Mr Perks’ work with Ieso, obtaining multiple contracts with the NHS and Medicaid patients in the US, is particularly relevant to Psyomics’ future strategy.
In addition to running Ieso, Mr. Perks serves as director of Tentsmuir Ltd, a company providing practical support for emerging digital health businesses, and CEO of Oxford VR, a spin-out from the University of Oxford designed to commercialise research into the use of virtual reality in psychological interventions.
Mr Perks commented: “I’m delighted to have the opportunity to support Sabine and Dan as they develop and grow Psyomics. Accurate identification and diagnosis of mental health conditions is so important as it means that people can be directed to the most effective treatments to suit their individual needs.”
Dan Cowell, Psyomics CEO, commented: “We are really pleased that Barnaby is joining the team. He not only shares our commitment to deliver better outcomes for those facing mental health challenges, but brings a wealth of experience in actually delivering them”.
Psyomics was founded in March 2015 by Professor Sabine Bahn of the University of Cambridge and Dan Cowell, CEO, with the aim of improving the speed and accuracy of the identification and diagnosis of mental health challenges.
Mental health is the single largest cause of disability in the UK and the wider economic costs in England have been estimated at £105.2 billion each year. This includes direct costs of services, lost productivity at work and reduced quality of life.
Working closely with the Cambridge Centre for Neuropsychiatric Research led by Professor Bahn, the mission is to develop digital tools and, for some challenges, biological tests that can be used to develop a comprehensive understanding of an individual in complete confidence, and then combined with an up-to-date record of scientific research, point the user towards sources of help and support, and treatment options available.
The team is currently working on a range of tools for prevention and early detection in the workplace, diagnosis of depression and bipolar in a clinical setting, and triage tools to be used in primary care.