Elizabeth Hughes

Professor of Mental Health Inequalities and Lead for the Rural Mental Health Research Unit

School of Health and Wellbeing

Department of Psychology and Mental Health

Contact Details

Professor Liz Hughes is Professor of Mental Health Inequalities at the University of Worcester. She is lead for the Rural Mental Health Research Unit at University of Worcester which is linked to an NIHR Mental Health Leaders Award THRIVE (Tackling Health inequalities and unmet Rural mental health needs In VulnErable communities across Herefordshire and Worcestershire).

Liz is a senior and experienced applied mental health researcher with an interest in co-occurring drug and alcohol issues and mental health (formally known as "dual diagnosis"), sexual assault and sexual health, and improving physical health for people with mental health problems. She has a clinical background as a mental health nurse and worked in acute mental health wards and drug and alcohol services. She has undertaken significant funded research as chief investigator and collaborator over the past 20 years and has published over 70 articles on topics related to her expertise. She is interested in improving outcomes for under-served groups in mental health services as well as developing research capacity in academic and clinical academic workforce.

Qualifications

BSc Psychology
DipHE Mental Health Nursing
PhD

Teaching interests

Research methods, dissertation and PhD supervision, mental health care and addressing health and social inequalities

Research interests

Evaluating novel interventions and new ways of working to improve mental health care, addressing health inequalities for people with serious mental illness, improving interagency responses (including police) for people with multiple needs including mental health and substance use issues.

Recent publications

Hughes E, Harris J, Ainscough, T, Bate A, Copello A, et al. Care models for coexisting serious mental health and alcohol/drug conditions: the RECO realist evidence synthesis and case study evaluation. Health Technol Assess 2024;28(67)

McDermott E, Eastham R, Hughes E, et al. “What Works” to Support LGBTQ+ Young People’s Mental Health: An Intersectional Youth Rights Approach. International Journal of Social Determinants of Health and Health Services. 2024;54(2):108-120. doi:10.1177/27551938241230766

Edmondson, A. J., Borthwick, R., Hughes, E., & Lucock, M. (2022). Using photovoice to understand and improve healthy lifestyles of people diagnosed with serious mental illness. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing,

Edvardsson, K., Hughes, E., Copnell, B., Mogren, I., Vicendese, D., & Gray, R. (2022). Severe Mental Illness and Pregnancy Outcomes in Australia. A Population-Based Study of 595 792 Singleton Births 2009-2016. PLOS ONE,

Hughes, E., Mitchell, N., Gascoyne, S., Moe-Byrne, T., Edmondson, A., Coleman, E., …Watson, J. (2020). The RESPECT study: a feasibility randomised controlled trial of a sexual health promotion intervention for people with serious mental illness in community mental health services in the UK. BMC Public Health,