Professor Sir Michael Rutter 1933 - 2021

The Royal Society of Medicine is deeply saddened to hear of the death of Professor Sir Michael Rutter CBE FRS FRCP FRCPsych FMedSci, Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine since 1996.

Emeritus Professor of Developmental Psychopathology at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London, Sir Michael was credited with many breakthroughs within his field and his career laid the foundations of child psychiatry and developmental psychopathology.

Professor Roger Kirby, President of the Royal Society of Medicine, said: “Professor Sir Michael Rutter was an inspiration to many. Regarded as the ‘father of child psychiatry’ he made remarkable contributions to society across the globe through a distinguished career and embodied the very essence of what it means to be an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine.”

Professor Henrietta Bowden-Jones, President of the Psychiatry Section at the Royal Society of Medicine said: “Professor Sir Michael Rutter’s contributions to child psychiatry have been of a magnitude rarely seen in our profession. His advancement of clinical understanding through evidence-based research has informed international work with children and families. He will be greatly missed by our profession.”