Profile
Academic biography
Ruth joined the Mental Health Social Research Centre at the University of York in October 2020. She commenced an NIHR Three Schools Mental Health Fellowship in November 2022 that co-produced solutions for perinatal loneliness with people with lived-experience and the professionals that support them. Outputs included a digital zine for LGBTQ+ parents, a series of animated videos, a perinatal walking group for women with mental illness, and a report for professionals. Ruth has also obtained follow-on funding to co-produce a walking group intervention to reduce loneliness for perinatal Muslim women that starts in April 2025.
Ruth is currently PI on an NIHR Research Programme for Social Care project that is evaluating community-based support for perinatal young women and young birthing LGBTQ+ people.
Ruth is passionate about impactful, creative and co-produced work that is based in lived experience, including her own. She is an advocate of the need to improve recognition and support for mental health academics with their own lived experience of mental illness.
Professional activities
- Coordinator of the International Perinatal Loneliness Research Network
- Member of the Centre for Loneliness Studies, Sheffield Hallam University
- Member of the Family Policy Group at the Social Policy Association
- GROW Researcher Development Programme Alumni
Research
Current research interests and projects
Supporting young women and young birthing LGBTQ+ people in the perinatal period: a realist evaluation of community-based services (October 24- December 2026)
This NIHR Research Programme for Social Care funded study will develop recommendations for community-based services supporting young mothers and young birthing
Creating a digital zine for LGBTQ+ parents and carers (October 22-December 2024)
This project creates a digital zine for LGBTQ+ parents to share their stories of adversity, love, hope and joy. We will curate a digital zine from a collection of individual submissions from parents and carers that share their reflections on their experiences of being an LGBTQ+ parent. This project was funded by the ESRC Festival of Social Science and the Sparks Funding through the Administrative Fairness Lab.
Solutions for Perinatal Loneliness (October 2022-June 2024)
www.perinatal-loneliness.com
This is the research project page for the Solutions to Perinatal Loneliness project. This site posts regular updates about the project and hosts all the outputs
Section 17 leave: supporting unpaid carers (2020-2023)
Funded by the NIHR SSCR, University of York, Social Policy and Social Work
Research Associate
This study aims to develop a new s.17 standard for the Triangle of Care (guidance for NHS Mental Health Trusts on how to fully engage with carers) and test if it shows promise in practice. The s.17 standard will define the support to be provided to carers before, during and after periods of s.17 leave.
Alone but Together – sharing our stories of lockdown (2020)
A project that encouraged connection through storytelling during lockdowns through a series of zine making workshops.
Evaluation of Time to Shine (2020)
University of Sheffield, Department of Sociological Studies
Research Associate
Time to Shine’ is a six year, cross-partnership project, commissioned by Leeds Older People’s Forum and funded through the Big Lottery. Fulfilling lives: Ageing Better Programme. The programme aimed to reduce the social isolation and loneliness of people over 50 with a ‘co-production’ approach. The evaluation study involved a mixed method approach of analysis of monitoring and survey data and focus groups and individual interviews with project beneficiaries, volunteers, and staff.
Productive Margins, regulating for engagement: isolation and loneliness among older people (2016)
Funded by the AHRC University of Bristol, Department of Education
Research Associate
The project explored the experiences of isolation and loneliness for older people using a co-produced action-research approach.
Support for older carers of older people: the impact of the 2014 Care Act (2016)
Funded by the NIHR SSCR, University of Bristol, School for Policy Studies
Research Associate
Areas of expertise
- Perinatal social interventions with under-served communities
- Interventions for loneliness
- Interventions for unpaid/family carers of people with mental ill health
- Collaborative and co-produced research
- Evaluation of social interventions
