Dr. Trudi Seneviratne
OBE, FRCPsych, Registrar of the College, Consultant adult and perinatal psychiatrist
Dr. Trudi Seneviratne (OBE, FRCPsych) has held the position of Registrar at Royal College of Psychiatrists since 2020. In this capacity, she bears overall responsibility for policy, public education, revalidation, and membership engagement.
Trudi qualified as a medical practitioner in 1992, having undergone training at St Bartholomew’s Medical School, London. She completed her psychiatric training both at St. Bartholomew’s and, subsequently, as a research registrar at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN).
Since 2002, Dr. Trudi Seneviratne has served as a consultant adult and perinatal psychiatrist at South London & Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. Additionally, she holds the role of Clinical Director for the Psychological Medicine Clinical Academic Group and Lewisham Directorate at the Trust. In this capacity, she supports the clinical, academic, and educational aspects of various services, including general adult, liaison, crisis, rehabilitation services, and specialist services such as Neuropsychiatry, Eating disorders, and Perinatal.
Over the years, she has been an active educator and, alongside colleagues, has published and disseminated numerous research papers, particularly in the field of perinatal mental health. Dr. Seneviratne has collaborated on various activities, including service development, the utilization of mother and infant interaction videos, service evaluation, quality improvement, and outcomes research. She has held national leadership and management roles, currently serving as a member and previous vice-chair of the National Clinical Reference Group, NHS England, and as Chair of The Perinatal Faculty, Royal College of Psychiatrists (2016-2020).
In 2019, she was honored with an Order of the British Empire for her services to Perinatal Psychiatry and the President’s medal of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. In 2023, Trudi was appointed to an expert Advisory Group supporting The Princess of Wales’ work with the Royal Foundation Centre of Early Childhood.
Outside of her professional commitments, Dr. Trudi Seneviratne finds relaxation in the arts, particularly music and painting. She actively advocates for the importance of arts therapies as therapeutic modalities.