In the news...
for APRIL 2026
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from the Institute of Mental Health, Nottingham
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Welcome to the April edition of our newsletter - I hope it arrives with you while the weather still feels like Spring has finally arrived! This month we celebrate the successes of long-standing colleagues, and share opportunities to engage with new research projects and teams. Thank you for your continued support and engagement with the work of colleagues across the Institute.
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Professor Martin Orrell
Director, Institute of Mental Health
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Celebrating 6 years of ARC EM
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Since 2019, the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration East Midlands (ARC EM) has been hosted by Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. This partnership has improved health and social care for people across our region by turning high-quality research into real-world impact. Bringing together universities, the NHS, local authorities, community organisations and industry, ARC EM has built a strong record of applied research that makes a real difference. As this partnership draws to a close, we’re reflecting on some of their key achievements:
- 130 research projects completed ✔️
- £15.5million awarded in research grants ✔️
- Over 60 partnerships with NHS, academic and local authority organisations ✔️
- 60+ PhD students supported ✔️
- 5,400 event attendees at over 100 events ✔️
Read about some of the research from our colleagues that has made a real impact.Well done to everyone who has led and collaborated on research under the ARC EM umbrella, especially Professor Richard Morriss who has led the Mental Health and Wellbeing theme throughout its time at Notts Healthcare. From 1 April, ARC EM will be hosted by University Hospitals Leicester.
Read more on the ARC EM website,
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Professor Mike Slade appointed NIHR Senior Investigator
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Institute of Mental Health (IMH) and University of Nottingham colleague, Professor Mike Slade (pictured), has been appointed as a Senior Investigator by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), highlighting his exceptional contribution to health and social care research.
Mike is Professor of Mental Health Recovery and Social Inclusion, leads the Institute's Recovery Research Team, and is a leading researcher in the field of mental health recovery.
Congratulations Mike on this fantastic achievement!
Read this story in full on our website
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PhD Studentship: Multidisciplinary Research in Artificial Intelligence - apply now
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Applications are now open for a fully-funded PhD studentship, commencing October 2026, supervised by IMH colleague Dr Michael Craven.
This PhD project aims to develop an AI-enabled communication support tool that assists people with dementia who experience difficulties with speech and language. The tool will predict likely next words during speech and, when a person becomes stuck, offers optional prompts, such as suggested words or visual cues, to support expression without taking control away from the user.
Full details can be found on the University of Nottingham website: AI-Enhanced Conversational Support for People Living with Dementia (Engineering, Computer Science, Medicine)
To apply, email Dr Michael Craven
Closing date for applications 19 April 2026.
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ADHD gender gap linked with later diagnosis and poorer outcomes
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Females diagnosed with ADHD later in life are more likely to experience adolescent mental health struggles, teenage pregnancy, secondary school absences, and have more hospital appointments, than those diagnosed in early childhood, finds new research.
A new study by Cardiff University has uncovered new insights into how late diagnosis of ADHD in females can have profound impacts on their mental health and wellbeing. The research, published in the British Journal of Psychiatry and co-authored by IMH colleague Professor Kapil Sayal (pictured), also showed that this group does experience difficulties in early childhood, before their ADHD is recognised and diagnosed.
Read this story in full
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Dementia and hearing loss explored
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A new paper from our Centre for Dementia colleagues explores the connection between hearing loss and dementia. The authors, led by Dr Emma Broome (pictured), highlight the complexity of associating hearing loss with increased risk of cognitive decline and dementia, suggesting the mechanisms underlying this relationship remain incompletely understood.
Read the paper in full in Frontiers in Dementia
Dr Broome expands on this topic in a recent blog post for The Conversation. In it, she states, "While these two conditions are linked, we still do not fully understand why. Several biological and social factors are likely to be involved, and they probably interact in complex ways. What we do not yet have is clear evidence that hearing loss directly causes dementia."
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Buckingham Palace beckons for IMH PhD student
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IMH PhD student Rianna Patterson will be swapping the IMH for Buckingham Palace when she attends two of the King’s Garden Parties later this Spring.
Rianna will be representing two key organisations linked to her dementia themed PhD. As an associate member of the Royal Commonwealth Associate Society, she will be attending as the founder of Dominica Dementia Foundation a youth-led dementia charity, in the Caribbean. And her second visit will be in recognition of her former Kings’ Trust Young Ambassador role, which helped her to acquire a film mentor that supported a film project in the Caribbean called Dementia: The Island Journey.
Congratulations Rianna, we hope you enjoy both visits to the palace!
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New review published in Journal of Affective Disorders Reports
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A new paper has been published in the Journal of Affective Disorders Reports, written by lead author Yue Peng, a former IMH Masters student supervised by Dr Paul Briley and Professor Richard Morriss.
The paper is a scoping review looking at the range of approaches that have been explored to boost (augment) response to transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) for treatment-resistant depression. Development of such approaches is a key focus of the IMH's Centre for Mood Disorders and the Nottingham BRC's mental health and technology theme.
Yue Peng's review found a range of promising approaches for boosting response to TMS, including priming TMS with different pulse sequences or a different type of neuromodulation, or combining TMS with computer based tasks, medications, or alternative therapies. It suggests a range of ways to help more people obtain more benefit from this well-tolerated neuromodulation treatment for depression.
Read the full paper online.
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INVOLVEMENT AT THE INSTITUTE
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Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) training programme - save the date for the next cohort
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📅 9 September 2026 to 7 October 2026, 1pm to 3pm
📍 Online via MS Teams
🎟️ £250
📥 More information on the IMH website
Applications for our spring 2026 Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) training programme are now full but the dates for the next programme cohort have been confirmed. This CPD accredited course is led by Kate Horton, our PPI Lead, and takes place on weekly two-hour sessions, via MS Teams.
This programme is designed for Early Career Researchers, future PPI facilitators and those people expected to deliver PPI within their research. The learning is designed to help you consider and embed meaningful PPI within your systems so you can incorporate living experiences, peer researchers and patient and public contributors to improve the relevance, acceptability and accessibility of your research.
To find out more, visit our website or email Kate Horton
*Cartoon created by Fred Higton, IMH Public Contributor
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DETERMIND project seeking support
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The DETERMIND research project is exploring the lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ people affected by dementia, a highly underserved population, with the aim of improving future dementia care pathways to be more inclusive, responsive, and accessible.
Researchers are currently seeking support with recruitment for this study, which involves interviews with LGBTQIA+ people living with dementia anywhere in the UK. Carers are also welcome to take part if the participant wishes.
To learn more or get involved, email Ben Hicks
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Next steps for BRIDGE study - now seeking parents and young people 📢
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PhD student Alexia Jeayes is exploring the challenges and enablers of designing, delivering and evaluating digital mental health trials for children and young people. By gathering the perspectives of those involved in these trials, from clinicians to young people, this project aims to identify practical solutions to improve future studies and ensure that digital mental health interventions can be implemented effectively in clinical settings.
Surveys are now open for young people and caregivers/parents:
View and take part in the online survey for young people
View and take part in the survey for parents/caregivers
Alternatively, email Alexia Jeayes
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Study using AI to detect early-stage post-natal depression is seeking participants
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Could you take part in a study investigating an AI-powered app monitoring mental wellbeing during pregnancy and the postpartum period?
Participants from 12 weeks pregnant to 12 weeks postpartum will use the TrueBlue app on their mobile devices over 12 weeks. The goal is to assess whether the app is safe, usable, acceptable, and how far predictions from the technology agree with standard clinical measures of depression and anxiety. The technology behind this trial has been developed by the study's partner BlueSkeye AI and was featured in a BBC Panorama episode in August 2023, exploring the positive future uses of Artificial Intelligence.
This study is led by Dr Neil Nixon in the Centre for Mood Disorders, and run in close collaboration with experts in Public Patient Involvement (PPI) and senior specialist clinicians at Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.
For anyone interested in the trial, email the TrueBlue team or call 0115 748 6749. Alternatively view and complete the TrueBlue expression of interest form
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📅 Tuesday 2 June 2026
📍 Institute of Mental Health, NG7 2TU
➡️ Submit your abstract
The day aims to highlight the work of the Institute’s doctoral candidates, Managed Innovation Networks (MINs), and early-career researchers (including research assistants, research fellows, and research-active clinicians and service users). The event celebrates the breadth of ideas and research work currently taking place within the Institute of Mental Health.
This event is aimed at researchers who are affiliated with the Institute of Mental Health, Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Nottingham.
Closing date for abstracts 24 April 2026.
Explore the 2025 IMH Research Day
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📅 9 September 2026 to 7 October 2026, 1pm to 3pm
📍 Online via MS Teams
🎟️ £250
📥 More information on the IMH website
Applications for our spring 2026 Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) training programme are now full but the dates for the next programme cohort have been confirmed. This CPD accredited course is led by Kate Horton, our PPI Lead, and takes place on weekly two-hour sessions, via MS Teams.
This programme is designed for Early Career Researchers, future PPI facilitators and those people expected to deliver PPI within their research. The learning is designed to help you consider and embed meaningful PPI within your systems so you can incorporate living experiences, peer researchers and patient and public contributors to improve the relevance, acceptability and accessibility of your research.
To find out more, visit our website or email Kate Horton
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📅 Wednesday 17 June 2026, 09:30 to 15:30
📍 Institute of Mental Health, Nottingham
🎟️ £120
ℹ️ More information on the IMH website
Special Education Needs Co-ordinators (SENCOs) play a key role in the development of SEN policy and code of practise in schools, and it is crucial that they are knowledgeable in all aspects of SEN.
We have created a new ‘train the trainer’ method to educate whole schools about Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
- Hear the latest evidenced-based research
- Comprehensive overview of ADHD
- Learn the science of ADHD
- Understand your local care pathway
- Use your new knowledge to train the teachers in your school
Find out more and buy tickets
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📅 Wednesday 13 May, 09:00 to 15:30
📍 Monica Partridge Building, Jubilee Campus
🎟️ £45 to £80
ℹ️ Buy tickets
Hosted by the University of Nottingham in conjunction with Society for Academic Primary Care (SAPC) and the NIHR Mental Health Translational Research Collaboration Mission. The conference theme this year is ‘Providing better care for underserved communities in primary care mental health.’ There will be opportunities for oral and poster presentations, and networking with academics and others interested in primary care mental health.
Find out more and buy tickets
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We would love to hear from you.
Please visit our website or follow us on our social media pages to
keep up to date with our news and updates. |
The Institute of Mental Health brings together healthcare staff and academics to lead mental health research designed to improve diagnosis, treatment, and care. We are a partnership between two highly respected organisations, Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Nottingham. |
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@institutemh institutemh.org.uk
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