Participating in research is vital to improving our understanding of mental health problems.
Equally vital is working together with people with experience of these conditions to improve the quality of the research taking place.
At NCMH and the wider division we’re part of Cardiff University, we’re lucky to work alongside several groups of public contributors using their experience to shape mental health research.
Members either have experience of a mental health condition themselves or care for a family member or friend who has.
- PÂR
- UK Minds
- Traumatic Stress Research Group
- Young people’s advisory group
Public involvement lead
Dr Sarah Rees
I am the Public Involvement Lead at the National Centre for Mental Health (NCMH). I am particularly interested in ensuring that the outcomes of mental health research make a difference to people’s lives.
I provide advice, guidance and support to both research programmes and individual research projects on public involvement activities with people with lived experience of mental health conditions, and their families and loved ones.
I coordinate many of the centre’s established public advisory groups, including our YAG (Young People’s Advisory Group), PÂR lived experience group, and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Public Advisory group. I provide professional advice on public involvement strategy and governance in mental health research.