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Ruth Wells

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Senior research fellow, Psychiatry and Mental Health, UNSW Sydney

Ruth Wells is a Senior Research Fellow in the Trauma and Mental Health Unit, in Psychiatry and Mental Health at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. Their research focuses on improving MHPSS service provision in humanitarian settings globally and bringing to light how conflict and social exclusion can impact on the well-being of displaced communities.

They bring a feminist and decolonizing lens to critically evaluate mental health services towards being more person-centred, equitable and inclusive. They have a strong commitment to participatory research practices and are humbled to have the opportunity to work together with Syrian Turkish, Bangladeshi colleagues, as well as people from refugee backgrounds living in Australia.

Ruth currently leads teh Caring for Carers study, quasi-experimental study across Turkiye, Syria and Bangladesh. The program investigate the impact of a clinical supervision intervention on the wellbeing of mental health practitioners working with Syrian and Rohingya refugee communities in these areas. The project also examines the impact of supervision on the quality of services provided from the perspective of service users in these refugee communities.

https://www.c4csupervisionmhpss.com/

They were awarded a 2023 Springer Nature Inclusive Health Research award in recognition of their innovative inclusive practice in research. In particualr, this award supports their work with the Rohingya Advisory Committee in Bangladesh which aims to provide avenues for Rohingya people to contribute to public debate about their communities health needs.

https://www.nature.com/immersive/inclusivehealthresearch/winners/index.html

https://figshare.com/articles/online_resource/Caring_for_Carers_A_psychosocial_supervision_intervention_for_mental_health_practitioners/23703636?file=42262866

Experience

  • –present
    PhD candidate, University of Sydney
  • 2017–2018
    Research fellow, University of New South Wales

Education

  • 2011 
    University of Sydney , BSc (hons 1)
  • 2007 
    University of Sydney , BArts

Publications

  • 2016
    A Qualitative Study of Explanations of and Attitudes to Mental Health Concerns among Syrian Refugees Living in Jordan., • Wells, R., Wells, D., Steel, Z., Hunt, C., Alachkar, M., & Lawsin, C. (2016). A Qualitative Study of Explanations of and Attitudes to Mental Health Concerns among Syrian Refugees Living in Jordan. In Global Challenges and Cultural Psychiatry. World Association of Cultural Psychiatry
  • 2016
    Psychosocial Concerns Reported by Syrian Refugees living in Jordan: A Systematic Review of Unpublished Needs Assessments. , • Ruth Wells, Zachary Steel, Mohammad Abo-Hilal, Abdul Halim Hassan & Catalina Lawsin (2016). Psychosocial Concerns Reported by Syrian Refugees living in Jordan: A Systematic Review of Unpublished Needs Assessments. British Journal of Psychiatry. 209 (2) 99-106; DOI: 10.1192/bjp.bp.115.165084
  • 2015
    Understanding Psychological Responses to Trauma among Refugees: The Importance of Measurement Validity in Cross-cultural Settings., • Ruth Wells, David Wells, Catalina Lawsin (2015). Understanding Psychological Responses to Trauma among Refugees: The Importance of Measurement Validity in Cross-cultural Settings. Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales. (Vol. 148, No. 455/456, p. 60)
  • 2015
    The Relationship between Pre-morbid and Current Intellect Estimates on Schizophrenia: Cognitive, Symptom and Functional Status, • Wells, R., Swaminathan, V., Sundram, S., Weinberg, D., Bruggemann, J., Cropley, V., et al. (2015). The Relationship between Pre-morbid and Current Intellect Estimates on Schizophrenia: Cognitive, Symptom and Functional Status. npj Schizophrenia, 1, 15043.
  • 2012
    Matter Over Mind: A Randomised-Controlled Trial of Single-Session Biofeedback Training on Performance Anxiety and Heart Rate Variability in Musicians, • Wells, R., Outhred, T., Heathers, J. A. J., Quintana, D. S., & Kemp, A. H. (2012). Matter Over Mind: A Randomised-Controlled Trial of Single-Session Biofeedback Training on Performance Anxiety and Heart Rate Variability in Musicians. PLoS ONE, 7(10), e46597. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0046597