In settings where mental health specialists are scarce, how can we ensure patients get the care they need?

For our first episode in our May mental health mini-series, we’re joined by Dr Mehreen Faisal and Karen Coales to discuss the SPiRiT-D project. This innovative hybrid trial is bridging the mental health treatment gap in Pakistan by testing a collaborative care model to deliver evidence-based talking therapy with non-mental health professionals.

Listen as we chat about how to reach underserved communities, and how the team has culturally adapted their support to ensure it resonates with local patients. Stick around for our random research questions to find out why a little 'Chaos and Patience' is all you need to change the world of mental health!

Find out more about SPiRiT-D: https://www.impactsouthasia.com/

Read the Protocol Paper: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13063-026-09453-5

Music by Matthew Bailey

Can we reduce the mental health impact of war?

This week in The Research Room, we’re venturing outside of the Department of Health Sciences once again! We're joined by Samantha Holmes from the York Law School and the Centre for Applied Human Rights for a fascinating look into the world of international law and conflict-related mental harm.

Sam shares her research as part of the Beyond Compliance Consortium (BCC), a global partnership investigating how to minimise civilian suffering during armed conflict. Using a qualitative approach, centered on the lived experiences of local communities across nine case-study countries, Sam's research explores how the reality of war impacts mental wellbeing and aims to uncover better ways to protect civilians and respond to the suffering caused by conflict.

Plus discover how the team is using gamification to turn complex research findings into an interactive mobile game!

Find out more about the BCC: https://beyond-compliance-consortium.org/

Listen to the BCC Podcast: https://beyond-compliance-consortium.org/podcast/

Music by Matthew Bailey

Happy Easter from The Research Room! We're taking a break for Easter this week and as it is The National Autistic Society's World Autism Acceptance Month we're re-visiting one of our favourite episodes from last year, The ASSSIST 2 Trial!

Dr. Kerry Bell and Dr. Jane Blackwell join us to chat about this fantastic trial, completed in 2022, which explored whether Social Stories™ could be an effective way to support autistic children at school. We discuss the ins and outs of the trial, the challenges they faced, especially when COVID threw a curveball their way and, excitingly, they even have results to share!

Resources & Links from this Episode

For more information about the ASSSIST 2 project, email jane.blackwell@york.ac.uk or kerry.bell@york.ac.uk

Find out more about the ASSSIST 2 on the project website: https://www.york.ac.uk/healthsciences/research/trials/ytutrialsandstudies/archive/asssist-2/

Check out the full trial findings here: https://acamh.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/camh.12740

Watch the ASSSIST 2 trial come to life in this animation: https://youtu.be/NX0z6INrzdo?feature=shared

Read the NIHR HTA report for the project here: https://www.journalslibrary.nihr.ac.uk/hta/JBTM8017

Music by Matthew Bailey

Can we transform the dental chair from a place of fear into a space of calm for our youngest patients?

Approximately 1 in 5 children between the ages of 8 and 16 experience dental anxiety severe enough to impact their ability to visit the dentist. This week in the Research Room, we're joined by Professor Zoe Marshman and Vicky Exley to talk about the CALM Trial, a brilliant study exploring whether specialised cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) support can help children overcome dental anxiety and get the care they need.

Join us to explore why dental anxiety is so prevalent in children, its long-term impact on their oral health and well-being and how this research is paving the way for a more supportive dental experience. Plus, we find out why children are the ultimate research partners!

Find out more about CALM on the trial website https://sheffield.ac.uk/dentalschool/research/calm

Music by Matthew Bailey

How does academic research move beyond universities to actually change lives? This week in The Research Room, we're exploring something we hear a lot about in the world of research but that can often feel hard to define: Research Impact.

We are joined by Dr. Linda Ko-Ferrigno, University of York Impact Manager, and Dr. Jenny Spear, Impact Manager for the Faculty of Sciences, to break down what this term actually means, why it is so important, and how we go about achieving it.

Whether it's a change in national policy, a boost to the economy, or a benefit to the environment, we explore why the most successful research often takes on a life of its own. And don't miss our random research questions to find out how chocolate-covered flapjacks and labradors fit into the world of impact!

Resources from this episode:

Find out more about Research Impact at the University of York: https://sites.google.com/york.ac.uk/impactatyork and https://www.york.ac.uk/staff/research/research-impact/

Find out more about Health Sciences Impact at the University of York: https://www.york.ac.uk/healthsciences/research/research-in-healthsciences/researchimpact/

University of York staff & students can find your Impact Manager details here: https://www.york.ac.uk/staff/research/research-impact/impact-support/contacts/#tab-2

Did you know that lung cancer rates in Yorkshire are among the highest in the country? This week in The Research Room, we're joined by Professor Rachael Murray and Bec Thorley to tell us all about the YorQuit study. Funded by Yorkshire Cancer Research, this fantastic 3-arm trial aims to find the best way to support people across Yorkshire to stop smoking and improve their lung health.

Join us as we go behind the scenes of the project and discover how the study is helping Yorkshire go smoke-free, one Greggs at a time!

Find out more about YorQuit:

https://www.york.ac.uk/healthsciences/research/trials/ytutrialsandstudies/trials/yorquit/

Music by Matthew Bailey

Biologic therapies have revolutionised the treatment of autoimmune conditions, but when patients with inflammatory joint disease face surgery, clinicians and patients have a tough choice: stop these powerful medicines and risk a painful flare up of the condition or continue them and face potential infection or compromised healing.

This week in The Research Room Professor Kulveer Mankia and Trial Manager Dr Sam Brady tell us all about the PERISCOPE trial, a randomised controlled trial designed to settle this clinical catch-22.

We discover how this study aims to provide robust evidence that could change national guidelines and improve the lives of the vast number of people living with these conditions across the UK. Plus, discover what a well-known cartoon dog has to do with the future of orthopedic surgery!

Resources from this episode:

Find out more about PERISCOPE: https://www.york.ac.uk/healthsciences/research/trials/ytutrialsandstudies/trials/periscope/#tab-2

Read about the PERISCOPE trial here: https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/14/6/e084997

Music by Matthew Bailey