Dr Nicola Moran
- BA Hons Economic and Social Studies (Manchester, 1998, First Class)
- MA Hons Social Research Methods (Manchester, 1999, Distinction)
- PhD Social Policy (Manchester, 2002)
- Post Graduate Certificate in Academic Practice (York, 2020)
- Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA, 2021)
- Lecturer in Social Work
- Research Fellow, International Centre for Mental Health Social Research
Visit Nicola Moran's profile on the York Research Database to see a full list of publications and browse her research related activities.
Profile
Areas of expertise
- Mental health social work
- Policing and mental health
- Unpaid carers and mental health
- Improving social connections and mental wellbeing for people with mental health problems
- Development of mental health training programmes for non-mental health professionals (including police officers and social workers)
- Developing and delivering training on research methods
- Individual Budgets / Personal Budgets in health and social care – outcomes for service users and unpaid carers
Advisory positions
- Academic Placement Co-Lead (2024 to date)
- Chair of the Independent Practice Panel (2023-date)
- Member of the Exceptional Circumstances Committee (2023-date)
- Deputy Chair of the SPSW Departmental Ethics Committee
- Member of the ESRC Peer Review College
Academic biography
My teaching and research interests lie predominantly around the field of mental health: communicating with people in mental distress, unpaid carers and mental health, the interface of mental health and the criminal justice system, social interventions for people experiencing mental ill health, and mental health training for non-mental health professionals (including police officers and social workers).
I am the module lead for ‘Enabling Places and Spaces: Social perspectives on disability and mental health’ (from 2023), and deliver some mental health content on other modules. Previously, I was the module lead for the Practice Research module and the academic coordinator for year two of the MA in Social Work Practice (Think Ahead). During this time, I also supervised 45 MA students undertaking empirical research studies, a number of which have been published, and was awarded Supervisor of the Year 2021.
In addition to teaching, I have been a qualitative researcher for over 20 years post-PhD, specialising in evaluations of interventions in health and social care. Although I am predominantly a qualitative researcher I have experience of using a range of research techniques and methodologies, including interviews, focus groups and workshops, randomised controlled trials and quasi-experimental trials, systematic reviews and scoping reviews, questionnaires and surveys. Studies have included children and young people, working age and older adults, service users, carers, and practitioners. I also have substantial experience in working with non-academic partners. This includes work with mental health trusts, police forces, Local Authorities and NHS Trusts in England, health and social care services across Europe, and an organisation providing social services in the United States.
