Jerome Wright
Associate Professor

Profile

Biography

As a registered adult and mental health nurse Jerome worked in number of hospital and community health care settings in UK, including as a Clinical Nurse Specialist, where he established a pioneering liaison mental health nursing service for people affected by HIV/AIDS.

At York, Jerome lectures across undergraduate and post-graduate nursing and public health courses in a range of subject areas relating to mental health care and comorbidities

As a nurse and researcher Jerome has led a number of research and community health projects in Africa and South Asia, including winning Oxfam’s Susie Smith Memorial Prize for work with young people with HIV/AIDS in Malawi, and in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan examining opportunities for the integration of mental health care into non-communicable disease programmes.

Jerome’s PhD explored people’s meanings, experiences and responses to psychological distress in rural Malawi, with a particular interest in indigenous and traditional understandings, local expressions and help-seeking. Jerome’s work unpacks notions of ‘global’ mental health through critical and postcolonial perspectives that inform approaches to strengthening local health care responses.

Jerome collaborates with researchers and international NGOs on mental health and well-being initiatives across Africa, the Middle-East, South Asia and South-East Asia.

Qualifications

• NMC Registered General Nurse
• NMC Registered Mental Nurse
• NMC Registered Nurse Teacher
• Post-graduate Certificate in Education
• MSc
• PhD

Departmental roles

• Member of Mental Health and Addictions Research Group 
• Member of Board of Studies
• Member of Board of Examiners

Research

Overview

Jerome's research interests include mental health and well-being, culture and health; particularly in the Global South, biomedicine and its relationship with indigenous knowledge, social interventions and community engagement. Jerome is interested in applying qualitative methods to inform the development of socio-culturally appropriate health interventions.

Projects

• Addressing mental & physical health comorbidity in Low and Middle Income Countries in South Asia: establishing the York Mental and Physical Comorbidity Global Health Research Group
• Mental Health in Zomba (MHiZ) Project - UK Health Partnership Scheme Large Paired Institutional Grant - strengthening the system of community mental health care in Zomba District, Malawi, through developing the enhanced role of village health workers.

Research group(s)

• Mental Health and Addiction

Publications

Selected publications

• Heap CJ, Jennings HM, Mathias K, Wright J and Burgess R (2022) Participatory mental health interventions in low-income and middle-income countries: a realist review protocol. BMJ Open 2022;12:e057530. https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/12/4/e057530
• Wright J & Jayawickrama J (2020) “We Need Other Human Beings in Order to be Human”: Examining the Indigenous Philosophy of Umunthu and Strengthening Mental Health Interventions. Culture, Medicine and Psychiatry https://doi.org/10.1007/s11013-020-09692-4
• Wright J, Mazumdar P, Barua D, et al. (2020) Integrating Depression Care within NCD Provision in Bangladesh and Pakistan. International Journal of Mental Health Systems 14: 63 doi.org/10.1186/s13033-020-00399-y
• Uphoff RP, Newbould L, Walker et al. (2019) A systematic review and meta-analysis of the prevalence of common mental disorders in people with non-communicable diseases in Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan. Journal of Global Health 9, 2 http://dx.doi.org/10.7189/jogh.09.020417
• Wright J & Maliwichi-Senganimalunje L (2019) Pluralism and practicality: village health workers’ responses to contested meanings of mental illness in Southern Malawi, Anthropology & Medicine, DOI: 10.1080/13648470.2018.1507103  
• Wright J & Taylor V (2018) Enhancing academic support, assessment and feedback. Forum; journal of the University of York Teaching Committee 43, 4-6.
• Wright J & Phillips A (2017) Psychological support for people with diabetes. In Phillips A (Second Edition) Principles of Diabetes Care: evidence-based management for health professionals. London, Quay Books.
• Wright J (2017) Building capacity and increasing access to community mental health care. In Kerrigan et al. Mental Health Pasts, Current Trends & Futures. WHO Centre for Global Health Histories, Orient Black Swan.
• Wright, J. and Chiwandira, C. (2016) Building capacity for community mental health care in rural Malawi: Findings from a district-wide task-sharing intervention with village-based health workers. International Journal of Social Psychiatry 1-8, doi:10.1177/0020764016657112.
• Wright, J, Common, S, Kauye, F and Chiwandira, C. (2014) Integrating community mental health within primary care in southern Malawi: A pilot educational intervention to enhance the role of health surveillance assistants. International Journal of Social Psychiatry 60: 2; 155–161.
• Phillips A & Wright J (2012) Psychological support for people with diabetes. In Phillips A (Ed) Principles of Diabetes Care: evidence-based management for health professionals. London, Quay Books.
• Kauye F, Chiwandira C, Wright J, Common S, Phiri M, Mafuta C, Maliwichi-Senganimalunje L and Udedi M (2011) Increasing the capacity of health surveillance assistants in community mental health care in a developing country, Malawi. Malawi Medical Journal 23; 3: 85-88.
• Phillips A and Wright J (2010) Recognising the impact of mental well being on self-management of physical conditions. British Journal of Wellbeing 1, 6, 30-35.
• Simpson A & Wright J (2009) Admission to a Psychiatric Unit. In. Barker P.(Ed) Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing: the craft of caring, Second Edition. London, Arnold.
• Phillips A and Wright J (2009) Achieving Treatment Concordance. Practice Nursing 20, 7, 353-357.
• Wright J, Lubben F & Mkandawire MB. (2007) Young Malawians on the interaction between mental health and HIV/AIDS. African Journal of AIDS Research 6, 3, 297-304.
• Wright J, Lubben F and Mkandawire MB. (2006)  Young People’s views of the interaction between Mental Health and HIV/AIDS: a Model from Malawi. Youth Net Counselling Organisation, Malawi.
• Lowson K, Beale S, Kelly J, Sanderson D, Whyte M & Wright J (2005) External review of HIV/AIDS Post-Acute Services at Mildmay Hospital. York, York Health Economics Consortium.
• Simpson A & Wright J (2003) Admission to a Psychiatric Unit. In. Barker P.(Ed) Psychiatric and Mental health Nursing: the craft of caring. London, Arnold.
• Wright J & Lavery A (2002) Liaison Mental Health Nursing and HIV and AIDS. In. Regel S & Roberts D (Eds) Mental Health Liaison: a handbook for health professionals. London, Balliere Tindall.
• Wright J (1994) A shared understanding: Developing a framework of mental health nursing care for people with HIV. Psychiatric Care 1, 2, 73-77.

Teaching

Undergraduate

• BSc Nursing programme
• Integrated MNurse programme
• BSc (Hons) in Health and Social Care Practice

Postgraduate

• Master in Public Health programme
• MSc in Advanced Practice

External activities

Memberships

Zomba Mental Health Link (UK Registered Charity No.1119153) - a mental health project in Southern Malawi, supported by the Tropical Health & Education Trust, providing in-country training and practice development for staff at the state psychiatric hospital and surrounding clinics at Zomba in Malawi, Africa. 

Invited talks and conferences

• World Suicide Day Prevention Symposium, Rawalpindi Medical University, Pakistan, 11th September 2018, “Integrating mental health into the work of non-specialist health workers: the Case for Common Mental Disorders & Suicide Prevention” – J Wright
• 6th Malawian Mental Health Research and Practice Development Conference, College of Medicine, Blantyre, Malawi, 14-16 March 2016 Key note address -‘Strengthening community mental health promotion and care’ - Wright J
• Promoting Global Awareness: International Health Links in NHS Conference 11^th March 2005, Leeds UK, ‘How to sustain a Link’- Wright J
• Malawian National AIDS Commission Conference Lilongwe 2007, ‘HIV/AIDS and the Mental Health of Young Malawians: Integrating Mental Health into HIV Interventions: a pilot study’ – Mkandawire MB, Wright J & Lubben F.
• International Conference of African Association of Psychiatrists and Allied Professionals, Accra, Ghana, June 26-28 2008 ‘Community-centred approaches to Mental Health Care for People Affected by HIV/AIDS’ – Wright J
• World Mental Health Day, Mzuzu, Malawi October 2008, Poster presentation ‘HIV, Mental health & Young Malawians’ - Wright J, Lubben F & Mkandawire MB.
• 2nd Malawian Mental Health Research and Practice Development Conference, Blantyre, Malawi, 19-20 March 2012 'Increasing the Capacity of Health Surveillance Assistants in Community Mental Health Care in Zomba District: findings of an educational intervention' - Wright J 

World Suicide Day Prevention Symposium, Rawalpindi Medical University, Pakistan, 11th September 2018, “Integrating mental health into the work of non-specialist health workers: the Case for Common Mental Disorders & Suicide Prevention” – J Wright

Media coverage

• Lapido Media interview about mental healthcare in Africa - March 2014
• Helping to improve mental health care in Malawi - October 2012