Project Team
Find out a bit more about some of our team members.
Project Lead
Professor Felicity Thomas
Associate Professor in Culture and Health Inequalties and a Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Culture and Health based at the University of Exeter. My work is focused on understanding how cultures, encompassing societal values and norms, working practice, and regulatory and research cultures, intersect to impact on health and social care delivery, particularly for marginalised population groups.
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Ms Lorraine Hansford
Lorraine Hansford is a Research Fellow at Exeter University and takes an engaged approach to research, working alongside communities and community organisations. Research interests include health inequalities, particularly in the areas of mental health, end of life and bereavement, and the experiences of low-income communities.
Co-Investigator
Professor Katrina Wyatt
Professor of Relational Health, my research seeks to understand how we can create the conditions for health and wellbeing and address health inequalities in schools, communities and workplaces. Working with service users, patients, carers and communities to understand the nature of the issues which prevent good health and then supporting the creation of partnerships to develop and deliver research to address these issues.
Research Support
Susanne Hughes
Supporting engagement and working together with Destress community partners and research team.
Research Fellow
Jane Horrell
Research Fellow at Plymouth University, my research interests include collaborative approaches to the development and implementation of health related behaviour change and reducing health inequalities.
UCLPartners
Ilse Lee
Implementation Manager at UCLPartners, a health innovation partnership. Ilse graduated with a BA in Experimental Psychology at the University of Oxford and then completed an MSc in Cognitive and Decision Sciences at University College London. I have a range of experience from working on experimental psychology studies, public health field trials and mental health service improvement projects.
Uclan
Dr Kathryn Berzins
Implementation Manager at UCLPartners, a health innovation partnership. Ilse graduated with a BA in Experimental Psychology at the University of Oxford and then completed an MSc in Cognitive and Decision Sciences at University College London. I have a range of experience from working on experimental psychology studies, public health field trials and mental health service improvement projects.
Dr Alison McLoughlin
Alison is a nurse researcher with broad applied research experience. Her own research has focused on acute stroke care, but she has always had an interest in mental health as it has such a huge impact on all aspects of everyone’s health and quality of life.
Dr Oliver Hamer
My work is devoted to promoting public health and as a post doctoral research Fellow am experienced in conducting academic research projects employing both qualitative, quantitative and evidence synthesis methods.
Community Partners
Group
Community Partners
As community partners we have been working alongside a GP trainer and research team in GP practices across the South West, North West coast and North Thames. Sharing our experiences of the GP consultation for mental distress and bringing a patients’ perspective in what made a difference for us. Phase 2 of the project involved a smaller team of us who co-created the Destress online training resources with the research team.
Wider Team
Co-Investigator
Professor Richard Byng
Plymouth-based Deputy Director for PenARC and Theme Lead for Complex Care. I am also a Professor of Primary Care Research, General Practitioner and a researcher with an interest in Primary Care Mental Health.
Professor Mark Freestone
Deputy Theme Lead for Mental Health and ARC North Thames, my work primarily looks at the relationship between mental disorders and negative social and psychological outcomes.
Professor Peter Fonagy OBE
Head of the UCL Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, in addition I am also Chief Executive of the Anna Freud Centre for Children and Families, I lead the Integrated Mental Health programme at UCLPartners and a Senior National Clinical Adviser for NHS England.
Professor Dame Caroline Watkins
Implementation and Training Lead/Deputy Director for NIHR ARC North West Coast and Professor of Stroke and Older People’s Care, Director of Research and Enterprise; Director of Lancashire Clinical Trials Unit and Director of Lancashire research Institute For global hEalth and wellbeing (LIFE), Faculty of Health and Care, University of Central Lancashire.
Professor Mark Gabbay
Director of the NIHR ARC North West Coast, Professor of General Practice at the University of Liverpool and Academic Associate GP at Brownlow Health. Much of my work is in community and primary care and the interface with specialist care and public health.
