Since our pilot programme in 2022, 37 mental health researchers have participatned in the GROW Researcher Development Programme , building their professional skills and networks. We caught up with a few of the researchers from Cohorts I and II to share what they’ve been working on since their time with GROW.
Dr Hazel Marzetti and Dr Catt Turney
Hazel and Catt met during the first GROW Cohort, which focused specifically on early career researchers in child and adolescent mental health. Hazel, from the University of Edinburgh, and Catt, from The Kite Trust in Cambridge, found a shared interest in LGBTQ+ youth mental health. Together they launched the LGBTQ+ Mental Health Network for researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and members of the publics passionate about improving the lives of LGBTQ+ youth. Through their Network, Catt and Hazel led a hugely successful online conference in October 2022 featuring sessions from a wide range of researchers, practitioners, and third-sector workers on the theme of LGBTQ+ mental health. They also hosted an online networking event for the Network in January 2023. Together, Catt and Hazel led a workshop at The Big Emerging Minds Summit exploring the existing research and challenges in LGBTQ+ youth mental health.
Hazel has recently published the analysis from Phase 1 of her Leverhulme-funded research project Suicide in/as Politics. She tweets @HazelMarzetti.
Catt is continuing their work as a researcher and youth worker in Bristol and Cambridge with The Kite Trust. They tweet @CattTurney.
Dr Ruth Naughton-Doe and Dr Beth Bareham
Ruth and Beth are recent alumni of GROW Cohort II, completing their final Programme workshop and coaching sessions in January. With encouragement from Beth, an NIHR Fellow at Newcastle University researching substance use, Ruth successfully applied to the NIHR 3 Schools Mental Health Fellowship. Her NIHR-funded project, Solutions for Perinatal Loneliness, is in its early stages at the University of York. Ruth and Beth have spearheaded several post-GROW collaborative opportunities for Cohort II, including plans for a writing retreat and a face-to-face meetup in York. Through their WhatsApp group, Beth and Ruth keep in regular contact with the other researchers from Cohort II, where they chat and share further career advancement opportunities with each other (like the NIHR leadership and mentoring programme). Ruth and Beth plan to collaborate on a joint research project exploring the mental health of mental health researchers.
Keep up with Beth’s work via her Twitter @BKBareham and with Ruth's work @ruthndwrites.