A leading healthcare expert from Australia led two research seminars for staff at Bishop Grosseteste University in Lincoln on Wednesday and is looking forward to future collaborations.

Amanda Kenny is Professor of Rural and Regional Nursing at La Trobe Rural Health School, La Trobe University in Bendigo near Melbourne.

Her seminars looked at how to build a strong research culture and how co-production can improve understandings in mental health.

Co-production is defined as the development of services through equal partnerships between those who deliver services and those who use them. Global mental health policy identifies the need to involve consumers in all stages of healthcare design, delivery and evaluation.

“We are very pleased this week to welcome Professor Kenny, who is a world-renowned researcher in mental health and cancer,” said Dr Graham Basten, Head of the School of Social Sciences at BGU.

“We recently launched a suite of health and social care courses to complement our counselling and psychology programmes. I am delighted as Professor Kenny is keen to work with BGU and contribute to the research drive to enhance publications, grants and international collaborations in health and social care and with multidisciplinary teams across BGU.

“Most importantly our work is in co-production with service users and will make a difference to local communities.

Professor Kenny is widely published internationally and is frequently invited as a key speaker at national and international conferences.

Next week she will be chairing a conference on health and social care at the University of Cambridge.

Notes to Editors:
• Bishop Grosseteste University was established in January 1862 and celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2012.
• It is an independent higher education institution based in Lincoln which awards its own undergraduate and postgraduate degrees.
• It changed its name from Bishop Grosseteste University College to Bishop Grosseteste University in November 2012.
• To find out more about Professor Amanda Kenny visit: http://www.latrobe.edu.au/school-rural-health/about/our-staff/profile?uname=AJKenny

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