Professor Peter McGuffin CBE

In tribute to the outstanding legacy of Emeritus Professor Peter McGuffin CBE FMedSci, who died at his home in Wales on 30 January 2024. 

Professor Peter McGuffin was an incredible leader who shaped the landscape of psychiatric genetics and advanced our understanding of the genetic basis of mental illness through remarkable research contributions. 

A turning point  

Professor McGuffin studied at the University of London and then at Washington University in St. Louis. Returning to the UK in 1982, he was one of the first appointees to the new MRC (Medical Research Council) Senior Clinical Fellowship scheme and established a genetics research group at the (then) Institute of Psychiatry. His appointment to an MRC Fellowship marked a turning point in psychiatric genetics. He established collaborations, gained training abroad, and proposed European collaborations, including the Molecular Neurobiology of Mental Illness Programme.  

Many roles 

Professor McGuffin was first appointed at the King’s Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) in 1979. Here, he was Emeritus Professor of Psychiatric Genetics and Dean from 2007-10. He was Director of the Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry (SGDP) Centre from 1998 until his retirement in 2012, and a consultant psychiatrist at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. 

Groundbreaking work 

Professor McGuffin was instrumental in advancing the study of psychiatric genetics. He carried out one of the earliest allelic association studies in psychiatry, pioneered family linkage studies and spearheaded the application of machine learning and AI in psychiatric genetics. His efforts addressed the challenges of big data analysis and advocated for larger sample sizes. McGuffin's work laid the groundwork for multicentre collaborations and the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC), which identified significant genetic associations in various psychiatric disorders. 

Leadership and recognition 

Professor McGuffin held many leadership roles in international societies. In 1988, he was elected Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of London, followed by his election as Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in 1989. Between 1996 and 2000, he served as the second president of the International Society of Psychiatric Genetics. In 1998, he became a founding fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences and later served on its council. 

Professor McGuffin'a remarkable contributions were recognised with many prestigious awards. He received Lifetime Achievement Awards from the International Society for Psychiatric Genetics in 2007 and from King's in 2012. In 2008, he was granted an Honorary Fellowship from Cardiff University. He was also awarded a CBE for services to biomedical research and psychiatric genetics in the 2016 Queen's Birthday Honours. 

Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with Professor McGuffin's family, colleagues, collaborators and friends. 

The details of this obituary were taken from the King's website.