Vanessa is a health services researcher, and former geographer, who set up a mental health charity that champions the involvement of lived experience expertise in health and social care research.
She has worked in mental health research for over 20 years, both in Universities and in the voluntary sector moving from research assistant to research leader. Vanessa is a co-applicant on several NIHR funded mental health research studies adopting methodologies to develop PPI (patient and public involvement) in research, co-production and peer research methods. At the McPin Foundation she leads a team of talented staff who are all committed to improving the quality of research so that mental health can be improved in communities everywhere.