Sir James Louis John Appleby (born 27 February 1955) is a British psychiatrist who leads the National Suicide Prevention Strategy for England and directs the National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide by People with Mental Illness.
[1][2] After attending Bathgate Academy in West Lothian, Appleby studied at the University of Edinburgh where he received a BSc in biomedical sciences in 1977, followed by an MB ChB medical degree in 1980.
[3] Appleby was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2006 New Year Honours for services to Medicine.
[8] In February 2015 Appleby announced on Twitter that he had pulled out of giving a presentation to the Ministry of Justice after being told not to mention falling staff numbers when discussing the rising suicide rate in prisons; he was supported by then shadow justice secretary Sadiq Khan.
According to family sources, he was elated to receive the award and visit Buckingham Palace, stating it had been a dream "since he was a wee lad.