Professor Neil Greenberg, Professor of Defence Mental Health BM, BSc, MMedSc, FHEA, MFMLM, DOccMed, MInstLM, MEWI, MFFLM, MD, FRCPsych
Professor Neil Greenberg is an academic psychiatrist based at King’s College London UK and is a consultant occupational and forensic psychiatrist. Neil served in the United Kingdom Armed Forces for more than 23 years and has deployed, as a psychiatrist and researcher, to a number of hostile environments including Afghanistan and Iraq. At King’s College London, Neil is one of the senior members of the military mental health research team and is a principal investigator within a nationally funded Health Protection Research unit which researches the psychological impacts of disasters on organisations. Neil also runs March on Stress (www.marchonstress.com) which is a psychological health consultancy and also Chairs the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCP) Special Interest Group in Occupational Psychiatry.
Neil studied medicine at Southampton University and graduated in 1993. He served as a general duties doctor in a variety of Warships, Submarines and with two Royal Marines Commando units. Whilst serving with the Royal Marines he completed his arctic warfare qualification and the All Arms Commando Course, earning the coveted Green Beret.
Neil provided psychological input for Foreign Office personnel after the events of September 11th 2001 and in Bali after 12th October 2002 bombings and has provided psychological input into the repatriation of UK nationals who have been kidnapped. He has also assisted with the aftermath management of number of other significant incidents including assisting the London Ambulance Service in the wake of the London Bombings in 2005. During the 2020 Covid-19 crisis, Neil was a member of the Public Health England expert reference panel, one of the national NHS People wellbeing team and established and implemented the mental health support plan at the London Nightingale Hospital.
In 2008 he was awarded the Gilbert Blane Medal by the Royal Navy for his work in supporting the health of Naval personnel through his research work. He also led the team that won a military-civilian partnership award in 2013 for carrying out research into the psychological health of troops who were deployed and was shortlisted for The RCP Psychiatrist of the Year in 2015. He was awarded an RCP Presidential Medal for his work with trauma and veterans in 2017.
Neil has published more than 250 scientific papers and book chapters. He has presented to national and international audiences on matters concerning the psychological health of the UK Armed Forces, organisational management of traumatic stress and occupational mental health. He has been the Secretary of the European Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, the President of the UK Psychological Trauma Society and Specialist Advisor to the House of Commons Defence Select Committee. He is the current Royal College of Psychiatrists’ Lead for Military and Veterans Health, a trustee with Walking with the Wounded and the Society of Occupational Medicine and a principal advisor for Hostage International. Neil was also part of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence team which produced the 2018 PTSD guidelines.