Professor Perminder Sachdev honoured with WFSBP Lifetime Achievement Award

CHeBA Co-Director Professor Perminder Sachdev has been awarded the prestigious World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry (WFSBP) Lifetime Achievement Award, recognising his outstanding career and enduring contributions to neuropsychiatry, cognitive ageing and dementia research.

The WFSBP Lifetime Achievement Award is one of the Federation's highest honours, presented to a senior researcher whose scientific leadership, mentorship and lifetime of research have made a lasting impact on the field of biological psychiatry.

As part of the Awards Session at the 2026 World Congress of Biological Psychiatry, Professor Sachdev AM will deliver the keynote lecture, Covert cerebral small vessel disease in the ageing brain: a silent driver of neuropsychiatric morbidity, highlighting the growing evidence that silent cerebrovascular disease is a major contributor to cognitive decline, dementia and other neuropsychiatric disorders in later life.

Scientific Program Chair Professor Soraya Seedat said Professor Sachdev's career exemplifies the qualities recognised by the Lifetime Achievement Award.

"Professor Perminder Sachdev's remarkable scientific leadership, pioneering research and unwavering commitment to mentoring the next generation have transformed our understanding of neuropsychiatry and cognitive ageing. His work has had a profound international impact, making him an exceptionally deserving recipient of the WFSBP Lifetime Achievement Award."

Recipients of the WFSBP Distinguished Awards are selected through a rigorous international review process that recognises individuals whose sustained scientific excellence, innovation, leadership and influence have significantly advanced biological psychiatry. For the Lifetime Achievement Award, particular emphasis is placed on a lifetime of achievement, international standing, mentorship and long-term contributions that have shaped research, education and clinical practice. The award is given every two years at the WFSBP Congress.

Professor Sachdev has spent decades advancing knowledge of the ageing brain, dementia and cerebrovascular disease through his work at the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing, the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia, and his neuropsychiatric research at the Neuropsychiatric Institute, the Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney. His research has helped reshape understanding of the biological mechanisms underlying cognitive decline while informing approaches to diagnosis, prevention and care for people living with dementia and other neuropsychiatric conditions. He is also being recognised for his international leadership in the field of Neuropsychiatry and his strong impact on neuropsychiatric training and education.