I am a Lecturer in Mental Health in the School of Nursing and Midwifery.  My research interests include evidence based policy and health service development; help seeking and access to mental health services; suicide prevention and mental health promotion; psycho-oncology and connections between physical, emotional and social health.  Completed works include surveys in General Practice settings, sociological autopsy studies of suicide (mixed methods), policy reviews and systematic literature reviews including meta-analyses.  

I am currently supervising two PhD students Colette Ramsey and Shane O'Donnell who are investigating suicide prevention and mental health promotion service innovations.

Teaching Roles

I am involved in teaching the following undergraduate modules

• Evidence Based Nursing Year 3, BSc Nursing (Module Co-cordinator, Teaching Evaluations 2015, 2016, Score 5/5)

I am involved in teaching on the following postregistration modules

• Models of Dementia Care
• Issues in Dementia Care
• Therapeutic Interventions: Communicating with People who have Dementia

Leadership Roles

• Associate Editor, Cochrane Gynecological Cancer Review Group, Cochrane Collaboration
• Management Committee, Men's Health Forum in Ireland
• Member of School Research Ethics Committee

Currently Funded Research Projects

• Virtual reality and immersive technology to support health and social care professional training. Best, P., Campbell, A., Davidson, G., Galway, K., Maddock, A., Montgomery, L., Schroeder, F. & Van Walstijn, M. Medical Research Council: £22,016 (2019)

• iAmAware: Online Wellbeing Training - Wellcome Seed Funding. Moriarty, J., Best, P., Galway, K. & Schroder, H. £85,919.00 (2019-2020)

• Adapting digital social prescribing for supporting people bereaved by suicide, in collaboration with Elemental Software, funded by Medical Research Council Proximity to Discovery £22,000 Galway, K., Mallon, S Forbes T., Best P., Santin., O., Leavey G., Pitman, A. (2018)

Completed Projects

• Understanding Suicide, HSC R&D Office Northern Ireland (2010-2016)

• Developing a collaborative roadmap for evidence-based practice for the Cancer Fund for Children: a workshop approach. Workshop Scheme, HSC R&D Office Northern Ireland (2015-6 & 2017-8)

• An evaluation of health & social care professional's family focused practice with parents who have mental illness, their children and families in adult mental health and children's services in Northern Ireland. Commissioned Research, HSC Board, Northern Ireland. (2015-2017)

• General Practitioners Perceptions on Palliative Care for Individuals with Alzheimer's disease and other progressive dementias, St Joseph’s Healthcare, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada (2013-2015)