Medical Society: Psychiatry Chair

Hi, I’m Matei (MBBS Y2), and I’m running to be your Psychiatry Chair because I’m passionate about making the specialty more visible, inclusive, and interdisciplinary. 

What I have to offer:

Initiative & Leadership: I helped design a study club for Access students and supported widening participation through mentoring and outreach.

Insight & Experience: From shadowing and volunteering experiences,  to contributing to UCL’s new EDI strategy, I bring a pragmatic, people-first approach shaped by both clinical and lived perspectives.

Collaborative Spirit: I worked with students across 12 faculties to develop an interdisciplinary hackathon framework tackling global challenges, including mental health, reinforcing my belief in inclusive, student-led innovation.

What I hope to achieve:

1. Launch a Psychiatry Shadowing Scheme (Cardiology's model) to reduce access barriers, especially for underrepresented students.
2. Adapt successful academic engagement strategies like peer-led tutorials and ‘Paper of the Month’ to psychiatry, creating relaxed, high-yield learning spaces.
3. Deliver next year's Psychiatry Conference to elevate interdisciplinary voices by strengthening collaboration within RUMS and across societies (LGBTQ+, Anthropology, SAP).
4. Support learning and wellbeing by working with academic and welfare reps.

As medics, our voices will always be loud. I want to use that privilege productively, to embed psychiatry across disciplines and reframe it as a shared responsibility, not a niche interest.

Hi! I’m Daniella, and I’m excited to be running for Psychiatry Society Chair. Having been on the subcommittee for 3 years, and events officer for 2, I believe I have the background and skills necessary to successfully lead as chair.

This year, I launched a talk series to demystify psychiatry and challenge the stigma surrounding it. One highlight was hearing from Dr. Phillipa Clery, an academic clinical fellow and core trainee, about her journey through training and research. I'm also working on collaborations with specialties like neurology, obs & gynae, and paediatrics, to highlight psychiatry’s relevance across medicine and promote more holistic care.

I’m passionate about psychiatry and I want to make it engaging, accessible, and visible to all students—whatever their future specialty.

If elected chair, I aim to:

- Launch “Psychiatry in Practice”: Real stories and insights from psychiatrists in diverse subspecialties — from forensic to child & adolescent

- Expand Collaborations: More joint events with MedSoc societies to broaden reach

- Host Mentoring-Themed Talks: Practical advice on portfolio-building, research, and career pathways from psychiatry trainees

- Create a Film/Book Club: A relaxed, peer-led space to explore mental health topics — plus snacks!

It would be an honour to chair Psychiatry Society. I bring experience, commitment, and a sincere passion for making psychiatry an inspiring and welcoming space for every student. Thank you for your consideration!