Charley Hobson-Merrett

Academic profile

Charley Hobson-Merrett

Research Fellow - Mental Health Evaluation
Peninsula Medical School (Faculty of Health)

The Global Goals

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. Charley's work contributes towards the following SDG(s):

Goal 16: SDG 16 - Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

About Charley


Charley is a research fellow at the National Institute for Health and Care Research South West Peninsula Applied Research Collaborative (PenARC) Mental Health Research Initiative. This role involves enabling mental health research across the South West of England, including working with mental health trusts, GP practices and voluntary sector providers. Her methodological expertise includes Realist evaluation, IPA, systematic reviews, and researcher in residence models.  In this role Charley has worked with both statutory and non-statutory mental health service providers to design and undertake realist researcher-in-residence evaluations, and to empower knowledge mobilisation across mental health service providers in the South-West.  She has trained and supervised university and NHS staff in utilising Realist evaluation and researcher in residence approaches, focusing on evaluation of services designed to reduce gaps in mental health care and/or implement the Community Mental Health Framework.    Charley chairs the South West Researcher in Residence Peer Group, which provides peer support and advice to researchers in residence as they embed and work in other organisations. Charley is the university lead for the South West Community Mental Health Knowledge Mobilisation Network.

Teaching

MSc restorative dentistry, oral surgery and periodontology
2019 to present: supervision of year 3 student dissertations, providing methodological expertise to students undertaking systematic reviews. Marking of year 3 dissertations. Teaching: writing at a post-graduate academic standard; quality assessments in systematic reviews; different systematic review methodologies; qualitative analysis within systematic reviews.
Medical students research placement
2022: Single day "introduction to research" workshop; supervision of two students for six week placement to undertake IPA analysis of PARTNERS2 data in order to investigate the experience of having a long-term mental health condition.
Realist evaluation Internal training of University of Plymouth and Exeter mental health research staff in Realist evaluation philosophy, evaluation design, data collection and analysis. In-house upskill of NHS and voluntary sector staff in understanding Realist evaluations, designing evaluations and interpreting results.  In-house upskill of NHS staff and service users in Realist interviewing and analysis. 

Contact Charley

+44 1752 764487