Karen Galway

Dr. Karen Galway PhD is a Lecturer in Mental Health in the School of Nursing and Midwifery. Her research interests include evidence based policy and health service development; help seeking and access to mental health services; psycho-oncology and connections between physical, emotional and social health.
After working in a supportive role with adults experiencing mental health problems, Karen embarked on a research career that has spanned the public sector, industry, the voluntary sector and the academic fields of psychology, public health, epidemiology and mental health. She has published research on access to primary care services, screening in cancer care, mental health and suicide prevention and psycho-oncology services. Karen was awarded a Cochrane Fellowship to carry out a systematic review of psychosocial interventions for newly diagnosed cancer patients, with colleagues based in NI and USA. The review was published in November 2012.
While working in the voluntary sector Karen worked closely with the Research Director in a charity organisation to establish a high caliber research department within the voluntary sector, acquiring funding in excess of £400k over three years and achieving publication in several peer reviewed journals. In addition to conducting external research, her responsibilities also included the design, implementation and management of internal evaluation projects to examine the configuration of community-based mental health services and to develop a culture of evidence-based practice. In her current role as Lecturer in Mental Health, Karen’s work has a number of prominent strands; psycho-oncology health services research including provision for people with severe and enduring mental health problems; help seeking in suicide and suicide bereavement; and the role of the general practitioner in end of life care.

BSc Hons Applied Psychology, University of Ulster 1997
MSc Research Methods and Psychological Assessment, University of Surrey 2000
PhD Epidemiology and Public Health, Queen's University Belfast 2005