Susan Bailey

Dame Susan Mary Bailey (born 29 August 1950) is a British psychiatrist and academic who specialises in children's mental health. Since 2004, she has been Professor of Child Mental Health at the University of Central Lancashire. From 2011 to 2014, she was President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. Since January 2015, she has been Chair of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges.

Early life Bailey was born on 29 August 1950 in Manchester, England. She was educated at Hulme Grammar School for Girls, then a direct grant grammar school in Oldham, and at Watford Grammar School for Girls, then a grammar school in Watford. She studied medicine at the University of Manchester and graduated with Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MB ChB) degrees in 1973.

Medical career Bailey became a Member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists (MRCPsych) in 1976 and was elected a Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists (FRCPsych) in 1996. In 1993, she appeared as an expert witness in the James Bulger murder trial. She concluded that one of Bulger's killers, Jon Venables, knew the difference between right and wrong: information that led to them being convicted of murder. She thereafter remained Venables' psychiatrist through his adolescence.

Between 2001 and 2014, Bailey held a number of senior positions in the Royal College of Psychiatrists. She was Chair of the Child and Adolescent Faculty from 2001 to 2005, and was registrar from 2005 to 2010. Since 1 January 2015, she has been Chair of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges.

In 2002, Bailey was an Honorary Fellow at the University of Surrey. Since 2004, she has been Professor of Child Mental Health at the University of Central Lancashire and a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Manchester.

Honours In the 2002 Queen's Birthday Honours, Bailey was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) "for services to Youth Justice". In the 2014 New Year Honours, she was promoted to Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) "for services to Psychiatry and for voluntary service to People with Mental Health Conditions".

Selected works