At the heart of academia is a simple yet profound goal: translating complex research into knowledge that benefits society. Our recent PhD Research Summary Competition celebrated this spirit, giving students the opportunity to communicate their research through lay summaries, judged on two key criteria: clarity and the potential societal impact. Below are the lay summaries from our three winners.
First Place: Madhusudan Pokharel (University of Manchester) – Empowering caregivers to support children with poor mental health
My PhD research focuses on implementing and evaluating caregiver-mediated interventions to improve mental health outcomes in children from low-resource settings. These interventions empower caregivers—parents, guardians, or community health workers—to deliver basic mental health support using structured, culturally adapted techniques, minimizing reliance on specialists. My study uses a mixed-methods approach, combining qualitative data from interviews with caregivers and children, and quantitative analysis of mental health outcomes pre- and post-intervention. Findings suggest significant improvements in emotional regulation, behavioral issues, and caregiver-child interactions. This research addresses global inequities in access to mental health care, with implications for policy changes in low-income settings where mental health professionals are scarce. My aim is to provide scalable, cost-effective interventions that can be adopted by health systems globally to reduce the mental health burden on children and families. This work has the potential to reshape community-based care, empowering caregivers as key mental health providers, and improving outcomes in underserved populations.
Second Place: Ieva Andrulyte (University of Liverpool) – Turning the brain into the underground map
Imagine waking up as a Londoner living south of the River Thames and discovering there's no way to cross to reach your job on the northern side. Now, imagine the chaos this would cause for the entire city's public transportation system. Such moments remind us how crucial underground networks are to a city's functioning. Our brains operate similarly to cities. Traditionally, surgeons have used functional MRI to identify which brain areas are active during tasks. However, this approach fails to reveal the underlying connections between regions, which are equally vital for task performance. It’s like viewing a city from above, seeing only people but missing the underground network connecting them. A lack of understanding of white matter tracts can lead to severe brain damage. Imagine a loved one undergoing epilepsy surgery only to wake up unable to speak. Accurate white matter maps are essential to prevent such outcomes, especially for individuals with unique brain structures. My research focused on over 1,000 healthy brains, finding that language processing is typically left-hemisphere dominant, with only 5% of people using both hemispheres. I employed diffusion MRI, akin to a Google map for the brain, to explore why some individuals engage both hemispheres for language. Those who do often have a better-developed anterior corpus callosum tract, which bridges the hemispheres. Like a commuter comfortable crossing bridges and navigating subways, these individuals may more fluently transfer information across hemispheres. Surgeons must understand such differences, as many epilepsy surgeries involve cutting the corpus callosum to prevent seizure spread. For those relying on both hemispheres for language, surgically removing this tract risks severe language loss. My research aims to provide surgeons with critical information, enhancing patient outcomes and preserving vital brain functions during surgery.
Third Place: Maria Lourdes Casingcasing (University of Nottingham) – Centring the voices of those most affected by trauma
My research focuses on trauma-informed care (TIC) in mental health services for adults, particularly those aged 14-65 who have experienced trauma. Recognizing that childhood trauma can have lasting effects on mental health, my aim is to explore how mental health professionals at Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT) implement TIC practices. Using ethnographic methods, I will conduct immersive observations and interviews with a diverse range of mental health professionals, including psychologists, therapists, and social workers. This approach allows me to capture the nuances of their interactions with patients and understand the challenges they face in delivering effective care. Through this study, I hope to identify specific barriers and facilitators to implementing TIC, which will help improve access to mental health services for vulnerable children. By focusing on context-specific enablers, my research aims to highlight best practices that can lead to better mental health outcomes. The findings from this research can significantly impact public health by informing the development of more effective mental health strategies tailored to the needs of children affected by trauma. By promoting a deeper understanding of TIC among professionals, we can enhance the quality of care provided, ultimately leading to healthier, more resilient adult population. Moreover, my commitment to involving patients and the community ensures that the research is grounded in real-world experiences, fostering a collaborative approach that prioritizes the voices of those most affected by trauma. This work not only aims to improve individual well-being but also contributes to reducing health inequalities within our society.
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