SIRS Awards the 2026 Research Harmonisation Award
The Schizophrenia International Research Society (SIRS) has awarded the 2026 Research Harmonisation Award to Professor Dan Siskind and an international team of 20 researchers, clinicians, and people with lived experience from 11 countries across five continents.
The 2026 RHA Topic:
First-Line Antipsychotic Selection in First Episode Psychosis: An International Consensus Algorithm
A Message from Professor Dan Siskind, Awardee
Professor of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Queensland; Metro South Addiction and Mental Health Service, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
We are honoured to receive the 2026 SIRS Research Harmonisation Award. Our group brings together 20 researchers, clinicians, and people with lived experience from 11 countries across five continents, united by the goal of forming an evidence-based, consensus-informed recommendation for first antipsychotic selection in first episode psychosis that places holistic health at its centre.
Selecting the first antipsychotic is among the most consequential prescribing decisions in psychiatry, yet many guidelines leave this choice largely open. In practice, local prescribing behaviours and medication marketing drive decisions more than evidence. Antipsychotics differ substantially in their metabolic, prolactin, extrapyramidal, and anticholinergic profiles, and these differences compound over years of treatment, contributing to non-adherence, relapse, and poorer long-term outcomes across both mental and physical health.
We will develop an evidence-based algorithmic method for first antipsychotic selection, balancing efficacy, tolerability, and patient preference, with explicit consideration of long-term physical health outcomes. Consumer involvement is foundational, with structured consultation groups shaping our evidence reviews and Delphi approach. An international panel of approximately 100 participants (clinicians, researchers, people with lived experience, carers, and policymakers from all UN regions) from the SIRS membership and the INTEGRATE guideline group will participate in a Delphi survey. Findings will be disseminated through a treatment algorithm, digital decision tool, and high-impact publications.
We look forward to working with SIRS and its members to translate this work into better prescribing for people experiencing their first episode of psychosis.
