GMC Number: 4605492

Ayana qualified in medicine in 1999 and has worked as a psychiatrist since 2001. She has been a Member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists since 2003 and completed her training in adult and forensic psychiatry at the renowned Maudsley and Bethlem Royal Hospitals in London where she also worked with the National Adult Neuropsychiatry and ADHD services. She also obtained her PhD at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN) for work using brain imaging to evaluate emotional processing in psychotic and mood disorders.  She subsequently joined the faculty at the University of Sussex as Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in Forensic Psychiatry, leading research in psychopharmacology and pharmacogenomics and publishing several papers and a patent. She continued to practice as Honorary Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist in the local Prison Mental Health Service, establishing an ADHD clinic and compiling over 100 medico-legal reports for Court, including giving oral evidence.

She subsequently spent 10 years working on discovery and development of novel medicines for depression, psychosis and addiction in the pharmaceutical industry.

Over the past 3 years, in her clinical practice, she has focused on adult ADHD and has assessed and managed over 300 patients. She also has an interest in women’s health, particularly the transition through menopause and the relationship to ADHD symptoms.  

Ayana also has a keen interest in transcultural psychiatry and the use of technology to improve access to mental health care in low and middle-income countries, with a specific interest in the Africa and Caribbean regions. She currently serves as the International Society for Addiction Medicine Regional Council representative for the Caribbean.

Areas of specialisation/interest

  • Adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
  • Addictions (including prescribed medicines)
  • Women’s health (particularly transition through menopause)
  • Mood disorders (depression and bipolar disorder)
  • Schizophrenia and other forms of psychosis
  • Mental health consequences of epilepsy
  • Medico-legal reports