Dr Peter Rowan – A Short Biography
Dr Rowan was born in 1948 (at the time of writing is 57yrs) the son of a London GP. He went to Charterhouse from 1961 to 1966 and then on to St Thomas’ Hospital in London where he qualified M.B.B.S. in 1972. He did house jobs both in St Thomas’ and in St Mary’s Hospital Portsmouth before starting his training in psychiatry. He was on a rotating training scheme at St George’s Hospital, Tooting as a psychiatric trainee completing his M.R.C.Psych exams in 1977. He then spent two years researching into depressive illness and specifically the value of Monoamine oxidase inhibitors with Professor E.S.Paykel. He then spent 3 years as a senior registrar at St Georges which included a year working for Professor Arthur Crisp on the eating disorder unit at Atkinson Morley Hospital. He was asked by the medical director at The Priory Hospital, Dr Desmond Kelly, to consider a career move to The Priory and decided to do so in 1982.
Since being on the staff of The Priory Hospital he has worked as a general psychiatrist with a special interest in eating disorders. He was given the task of creating an eating disorder unit in the hospital and began this in earnest from about 1987. He has led the eating disorder service in the hospital since then. He was particularly supported in this in the early stages by Chris Prestwood who now runs a service in the Peninsular area. Later other consultants have joined the unit and have also influenced the way it has developed. Dr Eric Shur Joined in 1990, and Professor Hubert Lacey brought his expertise in the treatment of Bulimia soon afterwards. More recently Dr Barbara Rooney has joined part time and the latest recruit is Dr Adrienne Key. Over the years the eating disorder unit has become one of the foremost units in the country.
Dr Rowan has been happily married since 1978 and has two daughters.
The elder is studying English with primary school education at Leeds
university and is twenty years old. The younger has just started medical
school at Birmingham university thus maintaining a family tradition
of medicine into the fourth generation. She is eighteen. Dr Rowan is
a keen sailor. He competed particularly in team racing during his university
time. He was a member of the United Hospital team that won the B.U.S.A
championship and later became captain of the team. In the winter of
1973/74 he had the good sense to avoid the “winter of discontent”
by sailing across the Atlantic, swanning around the Caribbean, and then
sailing home. He is also a keen recreational skier who prefers good
weather and an excellent lunch to a precipice.
Dr Rowan's Secretary is stationed in the Priory Hospital, Roehampton.
Direct line Telephone Number: (0044) or (0) 208 392 4211
Fax: (0044) or (0) 208 876 4015
Email peter.rowan@psychiatrist4u.co.uk