Edinburgh Mental Health Annual Conference 2022

This event was our first in-person conference, and we were very grateful to have over 80 attendees.

Our wonderful plenary talk was given by Prof Joanne Inchley from University of Glasgow. She gave us a great introduction to some of the work undertaken by the SHINE and TRIUMPH networks, and how mental health research can support young people.

Over the course of the day, we had several speakers from different institutes share their research interests. We had talks on the genetics of depression, intergenerational mental health, the importance of developing researcher/participant relationships, and so much more.

• Unpacking Intergenerational Determinants of Mental Health - Dr Angus Macbeth, Clinical Psychology
• Lifelines – an experience of relational depth as personal transformation in design education - Professor Sarah Kettley, School of Design
• Systems medicine in depression - Professor Andrew McIntosh, Biological Psychiatry
• Mental health in the moment: Using ecological momentary assessment to illuminate mental health in young adults' daily lives - Dr Aja Murray, Psychology
• Concerning ‘neglect’: exploring the conceptualisation and prioritisation of mental health conditions in protracted displacement contexts - Professor Laura Jeffery, Social Anthropology

Dr Amy Chandler, Prof Andrew McIntosh and Prof Daniel Smith, hosted a Q&A panel to provide funding advice to our attendees. This gave everyone the opportunity to ask any burning questions on all aspects of funding and receive advice from EMH members who have experience in applying to, and working with, several different funding bodies.

Another important talk held during this event, was a talk by Carol Porteous on the importance of Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) and engagement in research, and how to deliver meaningful PPI.

Finally, we rounded off the day by hosting small focus group sessions to hear back from the attendees. We wanted to know what the attendees would like to see from EMH. Here are some of the main topics which were important to the attendees:

• Clear communication between EMH and their members
• Provide support for funding applications, from reviewing grant proposals to highlighting relevant funding opportunities
• Mentoring and training  for early career researchers
• Provide support for public engagement and participant involvement in research