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Professor of Mental Health, Edinburgh Napier University

Austyn Snowden is chair in mental health at Edinburgh Napier and Director of Snowden & Snowden Ltd. He was a clinical nurse for 20 years and worked in a range of specialties in UK, Australia, Channel Islands and Saudi Arabia before becoming a full time academic in 2007. His research interests are all focused around the impact, function and facilitation of systematically listening to people.

He is currently principal investigator on a number of externally funded studies, including analysis of consultations in psychiatry and acute cancer care using MEDICODE; an original method of conversation analysis that allows the researcher to quantify contributions within conversations and thus measure subtle aspects of interventions not previously understood. He leads the evaluation of ‘Improving Cancer Journeys’, a Macmillan Cancer Support UK project designed to proactively support people newly diagnosed with cancer. He also leads the development of a Patient Reported Outcome Measure of spiritual care for NES and is particularly interested in validation studies generally. He is part of a team undertaking a longitudinal study examining the role of emotional intelligence and previous caring experience in nursing.

Experience

  • –present
    Professor of Mental Health, Edinburgh Napier University