Jonathan Fisk, PhD Candidate (Part-time), York Law School
email: jonathan.fisk@york.ac.uk
Our 60-second interview with Jonathan:
Could you please tell us what work you do in the field of mental health?
I studied Medical Sciences and the History of Art and Architecture at Cambridge and completed my clinical medical studies at Kings College Hospital London. I trained in psychiatry in Edinburgh during which time I became a Member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. I then worked as a Lecturer in Psychiatry in Manchester for four years. Thereafter I worked as a Consultant Psychiatrist in a District General Hospital for thirty years, during which time I taught in Leeds and conducted research in psychiatry and in ergonomics and undertook a Diploma in Health Services Management at the University of York, until I retired from the NHS. Since then I have undertaken a Masters degree in Healthcare Ethics and Law in Manchester and joined York Law School as a PhD student in October 2018.
What do you find most rewarding and inspiring in this work?
Acquiring academic skills and solving intellectual problems. Teaching.
What is the most challenging or complicated aspect of this work?
Not enough time. Very restricted access to other researchers in my field (medical law and jurisprudence). Very restricted opportunities in York to discuss academic problems and to learn from other academics (in spite of a superb supervisor).
What impact do you hope your work is having - or can potentially have?
It will change the world of course – but more prosaically I hope change mental health law and practice.
Could you share with us one piece of advice that you follow for your own mental health?
Focus on what makes you happy. See all the excellent advice in the TedX talk.