Kate Bosanquet, Research Fellow, Department of Health Sciences
Kate is a Research Fellow in the Mental Health and Addiction Research Group (MHARG) in the Department of Health Sciences at the University of York.
She joined MHARG in September 2011 having completed an MSc in Environmental Epidemiology and Policy at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and a BA (First Class) in Geography at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
In 2016, Kate received an NIHR Doctoral Research Fellowship to conduct a mixed methods study looking at the physical health needs of people with serious mental illness. She was awarded a PhD at the University of York in January 2021.
email: kate.bosanquet@york.ac.uk
Our 60-second interview with Kate:
Could you please tell us what work you do in the field of mental health?
I’ve worked on and managed several randomised controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the effectiveness of using behavioural activation (BA) to address depression in older adults. Currently, I’m project lead for BALM (Behavioural Activation for Low Mood an Anxiety in Male NHS workers) a mixed methods study; and qualitative lead for MODS (Managing Multiple Health Conditions in Older Adults) an RCT using a BA intervention to address depression and low mood in people aged 65 years and over, who have two or more long term conditions.
What do you find most rewarding and inspiring in this work?
Being able to listen to the views and experiences of research participants is the most rewarding aspect of my work. I also value working collaboratively and sharing knowledge to develop understanding. I’m inspired by creativity in research when used to illustrate or narrate personal mental health stories. For me, the Arts can make research findings more accessible.
What is the most challenging or complicated aspect of this work?
The bureaucracy and administrative load associated with managing research grants which often cause delays.
What impact do you hope your work is having - or can potentially have?
I hope our work improves understanding of the delivery of behavioural activation to people with mental health conditions, so it can be enhanced. Given its simplicity as a low intensity intervention, behavioural activation has the potential to be rolled out at scale which means there is scope for it to help many people.
Could you share with us one piece of advice that you follow for your own mental health?
Look after yourself and stay connected with friends and loved ones, even when you feel like you’re unable to engage with anyone or participate in daily life. And enjoy nature and the outdoors, whatever the weather!