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Lecturer in Mental Health Nursing, The University of Edinburgh

I graduated from Nursing Studies at the University of Edinburgh in 1992 with a BSc (Social Science -Nursing) and registration as a Psychiatric Nurse. I chose to work in the voluntary sector as I valued the creative opportunities that this offered for working with people and spent the first two years of my career working for Body Positive (Lothian) with people affected by HIV/AIDS. Although I then spent several years working in the NHS, mostly in community mental health settings, I continued to have contact with the voluntary sector working on a sessional basis for several projects focused around sexual health, mentla health and drugs and alcohol.

I returned to the University of Edinburgh as a part time teaching fellow in 2002, studying part time for my Masters in Research during 2003-2005. In 2005 I was successful in gaining the Gardiner Scholarship, enabling me to undertake my PhD on a full time basis. On completion of my PhD I worked again as a part time Teaching Fellow in Nursing studies, here at the University of Edinburgh.

In 2010 I was successful in gaining a lecturer post at the University of Abertay Dundee where I led the BSc (Hons) Mental Health Nursing. One of the main research outputs of this period was the development of digital stories with people with dementia and the use of these as the basis of an elearning package for nursing students and health care personnel. The elearning package can be accessed using the following link:
http://www.abertay.ac.uk/studentlife/schools/shs/danglingconversations/

I returned to Nursing Studies in 2013 as a Lecturer where my current teaching responsibilities focus on research methods (at both undergraduate and post graduate level) and mental health. My current research activity is focused around my main interests of service user experience and the use of arts based methodologies to enable marginalised voices to be heard. Current projects include the facilitation of a mental health service user/survivor led research proposal.

Over the past 4 years I have also been involved in the development of the Scottish approach to Recruitment, Selection and Retention (RSR) of nursing and midwifery students and worked on a seconded basis for NHS Education for Scotland on a part time basis for two years until April 2014 supporting work in this field. Particular achievements of this time were the development of a website bringing together materials and evidence on RSR as a centralised resource, and leading the organisation of two national RSR conferences.

Experience

  • –present
    Lecturer in Mental Health Nursing, University of Edinburgh